Seismic analysis of semi-sine shaped alluvial hills above subsurface circular cavity

In this study, a seismic analysis of semi-sine shaped alluvial hills above a circular underground cavity subjected to propagating oblique SH-waves using the half-plane time domain boundary element method(BEM) was carried out. By dividing the problem into a pitted half-plane and an upper closed domain as an alluvial hill and applying continuity/boundary conditions at the interface, coupled equations were constructed and ultimately, the problem was solved step-by-step in the time domain to obtain the boundary values. After solving some verification examples, a semi-sine shaped alluvial hill located on an underground circular cavity was successfully analyzed to determine the amplification ratio of the hill surface. For sensitivity analysis, the effects of the impedance factor and shape ratio of the hill were also considered. The ground surface responses are illustrated as three-dimensional graphs in the time and frequency domains. The results show that the material properties of the hill and their heterogeneity with the underlying half-space had a significant effect on the surface response.

Time-history responses on the surface by regularly distributed enormous embedded cavities:Incident SH-waves

The time-history responses of the surface were obtained for a linear elastic half-plane including regularly distributed enormous embedded circular cavities subjected to propagating obliquely incident plane SH-waves. An advanced numerical approach named half-plane time-domain boundary element method（BEM）, which only located the meshes around the cavities, was used to create the model. By establishing the modified boundary integral equation（BIE）independently for each cavity and forming the matrices, the final coupled equation was solved step-by-step in the timedomain to obtain the boundary values. The responses were developed for a half-plane with 512 cavities. The amplification patterns were also obtained to illustrate the frequencydomain responses for some cases. According to the results,the presence of enormous cavities affects the scattering and diffraction of the waves arrived to the surface. The introduced method can be recommended for geotechnical/mechanical engineers to model structures in the fields of earthquake engineering and composite materials.

Stability analysis of shallow tunnels subjected to eccentric loads by a boundary element method

This paper presents the results of the shear strength（frictional strength） of cemented paste backfillcemented paste backfill（CPB-CPB） and cemented paste backfillerock wall（CPB-rock） interfaces. The frictional behaviors of these interfaces were assessed for the short-term curing times（3 d and 7 d） using a direct shear apparatus RDS-200 from GCTS（Geotechnical Consulting ＆ Testing Systems）. The shear（friction） tests were performed at three different constant normal stress levels on flat and smooth interfaces. These tests aimed at understanding the mobilized shear strength at the CPB-rock and CPB-CPB interfaces during and/or after open stope filling（no exposed face）. The applied normal stress levels were varied in a range corresponding to the usually measured in-situ horizontal pressures（longitudinal or transverse） developed within paste-filled stopes（uniaxial compressive strength, s c 150 k Pa）. Results show that the mobilized shear strength is higher at the CPB-CPB interface than that at the CPB-rock interface. Also, the perfect elastoplastic behaviors observed for the CPB-rock interfaces were not observed for the CPB-CPB interfaces with low cement content which exhibits a strain-hardening behavior. These results are useful to estimate or validate numerical model for pressures determination in cemented backfill stope at short term. The tests were performed on real backfill and granite. The results may help understanding the mechanical behavior of the cemented paste backfill in general and, in particular, analyzing the shear strength at backfillebackfill and backfill-rock interfaces.

Seismic ground amplification induced by box-shaped tunnels

The growing use of underground structures,specifically to facilitate urban transportation,highlights the need to scrutinize the effects of such spaces on the seismic ground response as well as the surrounding buildings.In this regard,the seismic ground amplification variations in the vicinity of single and twin box-shaped tunnels subjected to SV waves have been investigated by the finite difference method.To evaluate the effects,generalizable dimensionless diagrams based on the results of parametric numerical analysis considering factors such as variations in the tunnels′depth,the distances between the tunnels,tunnel lining flexibility,and input wave frequency,have been presented.In addition,to assess the effects of underground box-shaped tunnels on the response spectrum of the ground surface,seven selected accelerograms have been matched based on a specific design spectrum for the stiff soil condition of Eurocode 8(CEN,2006).The results underline the significant amplification effect of the box-shaped tunnels on the ground motions,specifically in the case of horizontal twin tunnels,which should be given more attention in current seismic design practices for surface structures.

On subsurface box-shaped lined tunnel under incident SH-wave propagation

In this paper,a half-plane time-domain boundary element method is applied to obtain the seismic ground response,including a subsurface box-shaped lined tunnel deployed in a linear homogenous elastic medium exposed to obliquely incident SH-waves.Only the boundary around the tunnel is required to be discretized.To prepare an appropriate model by quadratic elements,a double-node procedure is used to receive dual boundary fields at corners as well as change the direction of the normal vector.After encoding the method in a previously confirmed computer program,a numerical study is carried out to sensitize some effective parameters,including frequency content and incident wave angle for obtaining a surface response.The depth and impedance ratio of the lining are assumed to be unvaried.The responses are illustrated in the time and frequency domains as two/three-dimensional graphs.The results showed that subsurface openings with sharp corners distorted the propagation path of the anti-plane waves to achieve the critical states on the ground surface.The present approach can be proposed to civil engineers for preparing simple underground box-shaped models with angular boundaries.