Coseismic site response and slope instability using periodic boundary conditions in the material point method

This paper proposed the explicit generalized-a time scheme and periodic boundary conditions in the material point method(MPM)for the simulation of coseismic site response.The proposed boundary condition uses an intuitive particle-relocation algorithm ensuring material points always remain within the computational mesh.The explicit generalized-a time scheme was implemented in MPM to enable the damping of spurious high frequency oscillations.Firstly,the MPM was verified against finite element method(FEM).Secondly,ability of the MPM in capturing the analytical transfer function was investigated.Thirdly,a symmetric embankment was adopted to investigate the effects of ground motion arias intensity(I_(a)),geometry dimensions,and constitutive models.The results show that the larger the model size,the higher the crest runout and settlement for the same ground motion.When using a Mohr-Coulomb model,the crest runout increases with increasing I_(a).However,if the strain-softening law is activated,the results are less influenced by the ground motion.Finally,the MPM results were compared with the Newmark sliding block solution.The simplified analysis herein highlights the capabilities of MPM to capture the full deformation process for earthquake engineering applications,the importance of geometry characterization,and the selection of appropriate constitutive models when simulating coseismic site response and subsequent large deformations.

Site response in the Qionghai Basin in the Wenchuan earthquake

Amplification effects of soil site response can significantly impact ground motions, and must be considered in the seismic fortification of buildings/structures to prevent or mitigate this potential seismic hazard. Utilizing acceleration time histories from the main shock of the Wenchuan earthquake recorded at four stations （i.e., one on bedrock and three on soil） in the Qionghai Basin, the site responses from three soil sites are studied by using the traditional spectral ratio method. The bedrock site is selected as a reference site. This study found that peak ground accelerations （PGAs） on the soil sites are much larger than on bedrock, with EW, NS and UD components of 3.96-6.58, 6.27-10.98, and 3.17-6.66 times those of the bedrock site, respectively. The amplification effects of the soil sites on ground motions in the frequency range of 0.1 Hz to 10 Hz are significant, depending on the thickness of the soil layer and the frequency content of the site. A significant amplification occurs with high frequency components of ground motion at shallow soil sites, and low and high frequency components of ground motion at intermediate soil sites.

Study on inelastic attenuation coefficient, site response and source parameters in Shanxi region

Based on 310 horizontal-component digital seismograms recorded at 14 seismic stations in Shanxi Digital Seis-mograph Network, the inelastic attenuation coefficient in Shanxi region is studied. By the methods of Atkinson and Moya, the site response of each station and several source parameters are obtained and the inversion results from both methods are compared and analyzed. The frequency-dependent inelastic attenuation coefficient Q is estimated as Q( f )=323.2 f 0.506. The site responses of 14 seismic stations do not show significant amplification, which is consistent with their basement on rock. We also found the dependence of corner frequency on seismic moment, seismic moment on stress drop, source radius on stress drop.

Site response of heterogeneous natural deposits to harmonic excitation applied to more than 100 case histories

Variation of shear-wave propagation velocity （SWV） with depth was studied by analyzing more than one hundred actual SWV profiles. Linear, power, and hyperbolic variation schemes were investigated to find the most representative form for naturally occurred alluvial deposits. It was found that hyperbolic （asymptotic） variation dominates the majority of cases and it can be reliably implemented in analytical or analytical-numerical procedures. Site response analyses for a one-layer heterogeneous stratum were conducted to find an equivalent homogeneous alternative which simplifies the analysis procedure but does not compromise the accuracy of the resonance and amplification responses. Harmonic average, arithmetic average and mid-value equivalents are chosen from the literature for investigation. Furthermore, full and partial depth averaging schemes were evaluated and compared in order to verify the validity of current practices which rely upon averaging shallow depths, viz., the first 30 m of the strata. Engineering bedrock concept was discussed and the results were compared.

An inversion of site response and Lg attenuation using Lg waveform

Based on spectral ratio method, a joint inversion method was used to obtain parameters of Lg wave attenuation and site response. The inversion method allows simple and direct （two-parameter） determination of Lg wave attenuation and site response from sparse spectral data, which are not affected by radiation pattern factor and different response of same instrument after geometrical spreading. The method was used successfully for estimating site response of stations of Zhejiang Seismic Network and measuring Lg wave attenuation. The study is based on 20 earthquakes occurred in northeast of Taiwan with magnitude Ms5.0-6.7 and 960 seismic wave records from 16 stations in Zhejiang area from 2002 to 2005. The parameters of site response and Lg attenuation were calculated with a frequency interval of 0.2 Hz in the range of 0.5 Hz to 10 Hz. Lg wave attenuation coefficient corresponding to U-D, E-W and N-S components are γ（f）=0.00175f^0.43485, γ（f）=0.00145f^0.48467 and γ（f）=0.0021f^0.41241, respectively. It is found that the site response is component-independent. It is also found that the site response of QIY station is significant above the frequency of 1.5 Hz, and that the site response of NIB station is low for most frequency

Inelastic Attenuation of Seismic Wave and Site Response near the Xiaowan Reservoir

Based on digital seismograms recorded by 11 stations of the Xiaowan Reservoir-induced Earthquake Monitoring Network from May 21,2005 to September 2006,we calculated the inelastic attenuation near Xiaowan reservoir using Atkinson method.We got the relation of Q value to frequency as Q(f)=225.8 f 0.332.Using the Moya method we got the site response of the 11 stations of Xiaowan Network and source parameters of 43 earthquakes.The source parameters were discussed briefly.

Study on the Inelastic Attenuation Coefficient,Site Response and Source Parameters in the Southeast Area of Gansu Province

Using digital seismograms recorded by the Gansu digital seismic network, the inelastic attenuation coefficient is calculated based on a genetic algorithm and the method proposed by Atkinson. Then, the site response and source parameters are investigated by the Moya method. The inversion results indicate the frequency-dependent inelastic attenuation, Q value, in the southeastern Gansu is estimated as Q （f） ： 404.2f^0.264 . Except for the Tianshui station, the site responses of the other stations do not show significant amplifications, which is consistent with their basement on rocks. The stress drops of all 39 earthquakes range between 1 × 10^5 and 7 × 10^6 Pa. We also found the dependence of corner frequency on seismic moment and seismic magnitude.

Preliminary Analysis of the Relationship between the Magnitude Deviation of the Station and Site Response in the Fujian Digital Seismic Network

Using the records of 3,069 regional earthquake events from the Fujian Digital Seismic Network from October 2008 to December 2015,in which the magnitude of each of the events was measured by at least six stations,statistics are taken on the deviation between the magnitude of a single station and the average magnitude of the network. It is found that the magnitudes average deviation of each station is-0. 31-0. 68. Statistics are also taken for the period corresponding to the maximum amplitude of the record measured in each station for calculating the magnitude,and the dominant period gained is 0. 06s-0. 38s; site response of each seismic station is inverted using the Moya method,and it is found that the site response of 98 stations is in the bands of 1-20 Hz,suggesting that the site has an amplifying or suppressing effect on the signals in certain frequency bands;Considering the site response corresponding to the inherent 0. 8s period of the WoodAnderson pendulum seismograph,and comparing the magnitude deviation caused by the site response corresponding to the dominant period time of each station with the average magnitude deviation, we obtain that there is a good linear relationship between the magnitude deviation from the dominant period site response and the average deviation of the magnitude of each station,indicating that the magnitude deviation of a single station has a close relationship with the site response of the period corresponding to the maximum amplitude measured for calculating the magnitude.

Research on the Q-value, Site Response and Seismic Source Parameters in Jiangsu and Its Adjacent Areas

Based on 49 digital seismograms recorded by 73 seismic stations in the Jiangsu Telemetered Seismic Network,the paper uses Atkinson's method to calculate the inelastic attenuation coefficient of the Jiangsu area. We find that the frequency-dependent Q in the Jiangsu region is Q( f) = 272. 1·f^(0. 5575). We also use Moya's method to invert the 63 stations' site responses. The results show that the site responses of the 25 stations in Jiangsu are approximately 1 at a range between 1Hz and 20 Hz, which is consistent with their basements on rocks. The response curves of the site responses of the 14 underground stations are similar to each other. Their site responses show an amplification at low frequencies and minimization at high frequencies. The calculation of the Brune model on the waveform data of M_L≥2. 5 earthquakes from Jiangsu Digital Seismic Network between October 2010 and May 2015 in terms of seismic source parameters of 58 seismic waves shows that there are good correlations between seismic magnitude and other source parameters such as seismic moment, source radius and corner frequency, while the correlations between seismic magnitude and stress drop,and stress drop and source radius are not so good.

A Study of the Effect of Soil Improvement Based on the Numerical Site Response Analysis of Natural Ground in Babol City

A series of numerical calculations have been performed to investigate the effect of soil improvement on seismic site response. Seismic site response analyses were also performed using data collected from a study area in Babol city. The improved site is a composite ground and has more or less different mechanical properties than the natural ground. In this research, the influence of the elastic modulus of the pile, the pile distance ratio, ground motion input, distance to fault rupture, and PGA of the earthquakes on seismic response characteristics are especially investigated. The results reveal that the values of the PGA and amplification factor on the surface of the natural and improved grounds depend strongly on the fundamental period of the site, the predominant period, and the intensity of the ground motion input. The acceleration response spectra also are affected by the characteristics of ground motion input and soil layers. Changing the pile distance ratio doesn’t have a significant effect on the seismic response of the site.

The role of soil in structure response of a building damaged by the 26 December 2018 earthquake in Italy

Local soil conditions can significantly modify the seismic motion expected on the soil surface.In most cases,the indications concerning the influence of the underlying soil provided by the in-force European and Italian Building Codes underestimate the real seismic amplification effects.For this reason,numerical analyses of the local seismic response(LSR)have been encouraged to estimate the soil filtering effects.These analyses are generally performed in free-field conditions,ignoring the presence of superstructures and,therefore,the effects of dynamic soil-structure interaction(DSSI).Moreover,many studies on DSSI are characterised by a sophisticated modelling of the structure and an approximate modelling of the soil(using springs and dashpots at the foundation level);while others are characterised by a sophisticated modelling of the soil and an approximate modelling of the structure(considered as a simple linear elastic structure or a single degree of freedom system).This paper presents a set of finite element method(FEM)analyses on a fully-coupled soil-structure system for a reinforced concrete building located in Fleri(Catania,Italy).The building,designed for gravity loads only,was severely damaged during the 26 December 2018 earthquake.The soil was modelled considering an equivalent visco-elastic behaviour,while the structure was modelled assuming both the visco-elastic and visco-inelastic behaviours.The comparison made between the results of the FEM analyses and the observed damage is valuable.

Influence of site conditions on seismic design parameters for foundations as determined via nonlinear site response analysis

Site conditions,including geotechnical properties and the geological setting,influence the near-surface response of strata subjected to seismic excitation.The geotechnical parameters required for the design of foundations include mass density(ρ),damping ratio(β_(s)),shear wave velocity(V_(s)),and soil shear modulus(G_(s)).The values of the last three parameters are sensitive to the level of nonlinear strain induced in the strata due to seismic ground motion.In this study,the effect of variations in soil properties,such as plasticity index(PI),effective stress(σ′),over consolidation ratio(OCR),impedance contrast ratio(ICR)between the bedrock and the overlying strata,and depth of soil strata over bedrock(H),on seismic design parameters(β_(s),V_(s),and G_(s))was investigated for National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program(NEHRP)site classes C and D,through 1D nonlinear seismic site response analysis.The Morris one-at-a-time(OAT)sensitivity analysis indicated thatβ_(s),V_(s),and G_(s)were significantly influenced by variations in PI,while ICR affectedβ_(s)more than it affected V_(s)and G_(s).However,the influence of H on these parameters was less significant.It was also found that variations in soil properties influenced seismic design parameters in soil type D more significantly than in soil type C.Predictive relationships forβ_(s),V_(s),and G_(s)were derived based on the 1D seismic site response analysis and sensitivity analysis results.Theβ_(s),V_(s),and G_(s)values obtained from the analysis were compared with the corresponding values in NEHRP to determine the similarities and differences between the two sets of values.The need to incorporate PI and ICR in the metrics for determiningβ_(s),V_(s),and G_(s)for the seismic design of foundations was highlighted.

Directional seismic response to the complex topography:A case study of 2013 Lushan Ms 7.0 earthquake

Azimuthal variations in site response can provide a good insight into the site amplification and seismic conditions of geohazard occurrences.In this study,multiple directional site response methods,including D-Arias(Directional-Arias),D-SER(Directional-Shaking energy ratio),D-HVSR(Directional-Horizontal to vertical spectral ratio)and D-SSR(Directional–Standard spectral ratio),are adopted to analyse seismic data of the 2013 Lushan Ms 7.0 earthquake captured by the self-established Lengzhuguan(LZG)station which consists of the complex topography of isolated ridge,large mountain and some typical micro-reliefs.The results show that the isolated ridge could cause stronger site responses than the large mountain,and whose pronounced response direction is roughly perpendicular to its ridgeline.With the growth of elevation,the siteresonant frequency decreases.The different microreliefs on the mountain cause different site responses,which present as protruding slope>linear slope.The site response mainly exists on the surficial layer of the mountain and shows that with the increase of the distance to mountain surface,the site response gets weaker,the site resonant frequency gets higher,and the pronounced response direction is perpendicular to its ridgeline.

A simulation-based nonlinear site amplification model for ground-motion prediction equations in Japan

In this manuscript we present a nonlinear site amplification model for ground-motion prediction equations(GMPEs)in Japan,using a site period-based site class and a site impedance ratio as site parameters.We used a large number of shear-wave velocity profiles from the Kiban-Kyoshin network(KiK-net)and the Kyoshin network(K-NET)to construct the one-dimensional(1D)numerical models.The strong-motion records from rock-sites in Japan with different earthquake categories and taken from the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center dataset were used in this study.We fit a set of 1D site amplification models using the spectral amplification ratios derived from 1D equivalent linear analyses.Parameters of site impedance ratios for both linear and nonlinear site response were included in the 1D model.The 1D model could be implemented into GMPEs using a new proposed adjustment method.The adjusted site amplification ratios retain the nonlinear characteristics of the 1D model for strong motions and match the linear amplification ratio in GMPE for weak motions.The nonlinearity of the present site model is reasonably similar to that of the historical models,and the present site model could satisfactorily capture the nonlinear site response in empirical data.

Discussion on the Relationship between Different Earthquake Magnitude Scales and the Effect of Seismic Station Sites on Magnitude Estimation

Based on the earthquake catalog reported by the Chinese digital seismic network in recent years,we select the earthquakes with both surface wave magnitude and local magnitude and fit them into a relationship between the two magnitudes.The systematic difference is found from the formula which has been used for 30 years.Because of a large dynamic range and wide frequency range of the current digital observation system,in addition to a larger number of stations and earthquakes being used compared to before,the relation obtained in this paper seems more reliable.Our calculation shows that there is no significant difference before and after magnitude conversion so we suggest the abandonment of magnitude conversion.The site response of a station consists of amplification at different frequencies.The amplification is equal to about 1 and changes little with frequency at stations located on basement rock,and it is greater than 1 at low frequency ranges and less than 1 at high frequency ranges at stations located on sediment layers.The difference between magnitudes from single station located on sediment layer and the average magnitude from the whole network increases from negative to positive with period.It seems that there is no fixed station correction factor and the station correction method does not work to improve the accuracy and magnitude estimates.

Evaluation of underground blast-induced ground motions through nearsurface low-velocity geological layers

Surface ground motion produced by underground blasts is significantly influenced by near-surface geological conditions.However,near-surface low-propagation velocity layers were always ignored in past analyses of ground motions due to their thin thickness.With the rising concern about surface ground motions produced by the ascendant scale and frequentness of underground excavation and mining,close attention is gradually paid to ground blast vibrations.Therefore,systemic experiments were conducted and took seven months in an underground mine to clarify the variation of motion from underground rock to surface ground.The attenuation of surface ground peak particle velocities(PPVs)is compared to that in underground rock,and horizontal amplitudes are compared to vertical amplitudes.Differences between bedrock and surface ground vibrations are analyzed to illustrate the site effect of near-surface lower-propagation velocity layers.One-dimensional site response analysis is employed to quantify the influence of different geological profiles on surface ground vibrations.The experimental data and site response analysis allowed the following conclusions:(1)geological site effects mainly produce decreasing dominant frequency(DF)of surface ground vibrations;(2)the site amplification effect of blast vibration needs to be characterized by peak particle displacement(PPD);(3)shear waves(S-waves)begin to dominate and surface Rayleigh waves(R-waves)develop as blast-induced ground vibrations travel upward through rock and lower-velocity layers to the surface.The comparison of response relative displacement to a critical value is best to assess the potential for cracking on surface structures.

Strain-threshold- and frequency-dependent seismic simulation of nonlinear soils

A one-dimensional equivalent linear method （EQL） is widely used in estimating seismic ground response. For this method, the shear modulus and damping ratio of inelastic soil are supposed to be frequency independent. However, historical earthquake records and laboratory test results indicate that nonlinear soil behavior is frequency- dependent. Several frequency-dependent equivalent linear methods （FDEQL） related to the Fourier amplitude of shear strain time history have been developed to take into account the frequency-dependent soil behavior. Furthermore, the shear strain threshold plays an important role in soil behavior. For shear strains below the elastic shear strain threshold, soil behaves essentially as a linear elastic mate- rial. To consider the effect of elastic-shear-strain-threshold- and frequency-dependent soil behavior on wave propaga- tion, the shear-strain-threshold- and frequency-dependent equivalent linear method （TFDEQL） is proposed. A series of analyses is implemented for EQL, FDEQL, and TFDEQL methods. Results show that elastic-shear-strain-threshold- and frequency-dependent soil behavior plays a great influence on the computed site response, especially for the high- frequency band. Also, the effect of elastic-strain-threshold- and frequency-dependent soil behavior on the site response is analyzed from relatively weak to strong input motion, and results show that the effect is more pronounced as input motion goes from weak to strong.

Inversion of source parameters for moderate and small earthquakes in Beijing region

According to the geological structural features, Beijing and the adjacent areas can be divided into two regions of plain in the east and mountain in the west. Among the stations covered by the telemetered digital seismic station network of Earthquake Administration of Beijing Municipality, the stations in the plain area are all borehole ones and the stations in the western mountainous region are all located on the surface bedrock. In the paper, 511 wave- form data recorded by the network from Oct. 2001 to Oct. 2004 are used in the researches for the entire Beijing region, the western mountainous region and the eastern plain area, respectively. The Q values are calculated for each area by Atkinson′s method and compared with the existed data. The reliability of the Q values and the reasons for the difference in the Q values are also discussed. Then, the source parameters and site response are inverted by the Moya′s method, in which two models are used. The first model uses the Q values, earthquakes and stations in the sub-areas and the second model uses the Q values, earthquakes and stations in the entire Beijing region. The results indicate that the source parameters and site responses obtained by two models are basically consistent with each other. It also indicates that the source parameters obtained by these methods are not affected by the size of station network.

Study on Inelastic Attenuation and Source Parameters of the Shidian Swarm in 2001

Based on horizontal-component digital seismograms recorded on 6 stations of the Yunnan Regional Digital Network, we inversed the inelastic attenuation in the source region of the Shidian swarm using the Atkinson method and the site responses of the 6 stations 200kin around the Shidian epicenters using the Moya method. The observational seismic waveform data were corrected by removing the propagation, instrument and site effects before the source parameters of the Shidian swarm in 2001 were determined using genetic algorithms. The results are as follows： （ 1 ） There is a linear relation between seismic moment and local magnitude. The seismic moment is between 1×10^12 and 10^14 N·m. The rupture radius of the seismic focus varies from 157m to 973m. The seismic moment and the rupture radius maintain a linear correlation. （2） The corner frequency increases as the seismic moment decreases. Based on the expression between corner frequency and seismic moment using least squares fitting, we can obtain the estimated value of the corner frequency. The time-varying value of the calculated corner frequency minus the estimated corner frequency shows that there were continuous high and low anomalies before the strong aftershocks. （3） The seismic stress drop is in the range of 0.07-1.55MPa. The stress drop seems independent of the local magnitude. The variation of stress drops is high before the occurrence of the strong aftershocks. （4） The depth of aftershocks is mostly in a range from 5kin to 10km, which means that energy release of aftershocks is mainly concentrated in this range of depth.

Two distant catalytic sites are responsible for C2c2 RNase activities

Subject Code:C05 With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,the research team led by Prof.Wang Yanli(王艳丽)at the Key Laboratory of RNA Biology&CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules,Institute of Biophysics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,recently reported that CRISPRC2c2protein has two distant catalytic sites responsible for its dual RNase activities in Cell(2017,168:121—134).