Effect of site amplification on inelastic seismic response

The available models for eff ective periods of site and structure are reviewed in context of frequency tuning in the inelastic seismic response of soil-structure system. The eff ect of seismic intensity and ductility demand, on the eff ective periods, is investigated, and inelastic site amplifi cation is shown to be strongly correlated to the normalized eff ective period. Two non-dimensional parameters, analogous to the conventional site amplifi cation factors in codes, are defi ned to quantify the inelastic site amplifi cation. It is shown that the inelastic site amplifi cation factor (i.e. ratio of constant ductility spectral ordinates at soil site to those at rock outcrop) is able to represent the site eff ects more clearly, as compared to the inelastic site amplifi cation ratio (i.e. ratio of inelastic spectral ordinates at soil site to the corresponding elastic spectral ordinates at rock outcrop). Further, the peak in the amplifi cation factor corresponding to the eff ective site period diminishes rapidly with increasing ductility demand.

Amplification effect of near-field ground motion around deep tunnels based on finite fracturing seismic source model

Dynamic failure of rock masses around deep tunnels,such as fault-slip rockburst and seismic-induced collapse,can pose a significant threat to tunnel construction safety.One of the most significant factors that control the accuracy of its risk assessment is the estimation of the ground motion around a tunnel caused by seismicity events.In general,the characteristic parameters of ground motion are estimated in terms of empirical scaling laws.However,these scaling laws make it difficult to accurately estimate the near-field ground motion parameters because the roles of control factors,such as tunnel geometry,damage zone distribution,and seismic source parameters,are not considered.For this,the finite fracturing seismic source model(FFSSM)proposed in this study is used to simulate the near-field ground motion characteristics around deep tunnels.Then,the amplification effects of ground motion caused by the interaction between seismic waves and deep tunnels and corresponding control factors are studied.The control effects of four factors on the near-field ground motion amplification effect are analyzed,including the main seismic source wavelength,tunnel span,tunnel shape,and range of damage zones.An empirical formula for the maximum amplification factor(a_(m))of the near-field ground motion around deep tunnels is proposed,which consists of four control factors,i.e.the wavelength control factor(F_(λ)),tunnel span factor(F_(D)),tunnel shape factor(F_(s))and excavation damage factor(F_(d)).This empirical formula provides an easy approach for accurately estimating the ground motion parameters in seismicityprone regimes and the rock support design of deep tunnels under dynamic loads.

The effect of seismic action on stability of saline soil subgrade in cold region based on isothermal stratification method

With the change of seasons, the shear strength of saline soil subgrade filler will change with the change of external temperature, which will aggravate the adverse effects of seismic on the subgrade. To explore the influence of seismic action on the stability of saline soil subgrade under the influence of temperature on the strength of saline soil subgrade filler, this paper first carried out saline soil shear tests at different temperatures to obtain the influence of temperature on the shear strength of saline soil. Then, the temperature field of the saline soil subgrade was simulated, and then based on the subgrade isothermal stratification model and FLAC3D, the displacement and acceleration amplification effects of seismic action on the shady slope, sunny slope and subgrade of saline soil subgrade in different months were analyzed. The following conclusions were finally drawn: under the action of seismic, In the process of the change of subgrade temperature of Qarhan-Golmud Expressway between 7.7°C and 27°C, the change of saline soil cohesion is the main factor affecting the stability of subgrade slope, and the maximum and minimum values of subgrade surface settlement appear in September and June of each year,respectively. In August, the differences of settlement between the shady slope and the sunny slope shoulder of the subgrade were the largest, and the acceleration of the shady slope and the sunny slope and the inside of the subgrade changed most significantly in the vertical direction. Special attention should be paid to the seismic early warning in the above key months;In the range from both sides of the shoulder to the centerline of the roadbed,the acceleration amplification effect starts to increase significantly from about 3m from the centerline of the roadbed to the centerline, so it is necessary to pay attention to the seismic design of this range.

Large-scale two-dimensional nonlinear FE analysis on PGA amplification effect with depth and focusing effect of Fuzhou Basin

Based on the explicit finite element(FE) method and platform of ABAQUS,considering both the inhomogeneity of soils and concave-convex fluctuation of topography,a large-scale refined two-dimensional(2D) FE nonlinear analytical model for Fuzhou Basin was established.The peak ground motion acceleration(PGA) and focusing effect with depth were analyzed.Meanwhile,the results by wave propagation of one-dimensional(1D) layered medium equivalent linearization method were added for contrast.The results show that:1) PGA at different depths are obviously amplified compared to the input ground motion,amplification effect of both funnel-shaped depression and upheaval areas(based on the shape of bedrock surface) present especially remarkable.The 2D results indicate that the PGA displays a non-monotonic decreasing with depth and a greater focusing effect of some particular layers,while the 1D results turn out that the PGA decreases with depth,except that PGA at few particular depth increases abruptly; 2) To the funnel-shaped depression areas,PGA amplification effect above 8 m depth shows relatively larger,to the upheaval areas,PGA amplification effect from 15 m to 25 m depth seems more significant.However,the regularities of the PGA amplification effect could hardly be found in the rest areas; 3) It appears a higher regression rate of PGA amplification coefficient with depth when under a smaller input motion; 4) The frequency spectral characteristic of input motion has noticeable effects on PGA amplification tendency.

The plurality effect of topographical irregularities on site seismic response

Topography can have signifi cant eff ects on seismic ground response during an earthquake because topographic irregularities cause considerable diff erences between the seismic waves emitted by the source and the waves reaching the ground surface. When a seismic motion happens in a topographically irregular area, seismic waves are trapped and refl ected between the topographic features. Therefore, the interaction between topographies can amplify seismic ground response. In order to reveal how interaction between topographies infl uences seismic response, several numerical fi nite element studies have been performed by using the ABAQUS program. The results show that topographic features a greater distance between the seismic source and the site would cause greater seismic motion amplifi cation and is perceptible for the hills far away from the source and the ridges. Also, site acceleration response is impacted by surrounding topography further than site velocity and displacement response.

Effects of site conditions on earthquake ground motion and their applications in seismic design in loess region

The Loess Plateau is an earthquake prone region of China, where the effects of loess deposit on ground motion were discovered during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake(Ms8.0) and the 2013 Minxian-Zhangxian earthquake(Ms6.6). The field investigations, observations, and analyses indicated that large number of casualties and tremendous economic losses were caused not only by collapse and damage of houses with poor seismic performance, landslides, but also amplification effects of site conditions, topography and thickness of loess deposit, on ground motion. In this paper, we chose Dazhai Village and Majiagou Village as the typical loess site affected by the two earthquakes for intensity evaluation, borehole exploration, temporary strong motion array, micro tremor survey, and numerical analysis. The aim is to explore the relations between amplification factors and site conditions in terms of topography and thickness of loess deposit. We also developed site amplification factors of ground motion for engineering design consideration at loess sites. The results showed that the amplification effects are more predominant with increase in thickness of loess deposit and slope height. The amplification mayincrease seismic intensity by 1 degree, PGA and predominant period by 2 times, respectively.

Analysis of Seismic Risk at an Engineering Site from Site Effect Seismic Intensity Data Using the Seismotectonic Method——Taking Six Reservoir Dam Sites in Western Anhui as an Example

The seismotectonic method is used to study the seismogenic structures and the maximum potential earthquake around an engineering site in order to determine the seismic risk at the site. Analysis of seismic risk from site effect seismic intensity data, in combination with regional seismo_geological data, using the seismotectonic method can provide a more reliable result. In this paper, taking the area of six reservoir dam sites in western Anhui as an example, we analyze the seismic risk from site effect seismic intensity data in combination with the seismotectonic conditions and find that P (I≥i)=10% over 50 years. The result shows that the seismogenic structure and the maximum potential earthquake have a controlling effect on seismic risk from future earthquakes in the area around the site.

Site effects by generalized inversion technique using strong motion recordings of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

The generalized inversion of S-wave amplitude spectra from the free-field strong motion recordings of the China National Strong Motion Observation Network System （NSMONS） are used to evaluate the site effects in the Wenchuan area. In this regard, a total of 602 recordings from 96 aftershocks of the Wenchuan earthquake with magnitudes of M3.7-M6.5 were selected as a dataset. These recordings were obtained from 28 stations at a hypocenter distance ranging from 30 km to 150 km. The inversion results have been verified as reliable by comparing the site response at station 62WUD using the Generalized Inversion Technique （GIT） and the Standard Spectral Ratio method （SSR）. For all 28 stations, the site predominant frequency F and the average site amplification in different frequency bands of 1.0-5.0 Hz, 5.0-10.0 Hz and 1.0-10.0 Hz have been calculated based on the inversion results. Compared with the results from the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio （HVSR） method, it shows that the HVSR method can reasonably estimate the site predominant frequency but underestimates the site amplification. The linear fitting between the average site amplification for each frequency band and the V20 （the average uppermost-20 m shear wave velocity） shows good correlation. A distance measurement called the asperity distance DAspt is proposed to reasonably characterize the source-to-site distance for large earthquakes. Finally, the inversed site response is used to identify the soil nonlinearity in the main shock and aftershocks of Wenchuan earthquake. In ten of the 28 stations analyzed in the main shock, the soil behaved nonlinearly, where the ground motion level is apparently beyond a threshold ofPGA 〉 300 cm/s^2 or PGV 〉 20 cm/s, and only one station coded 51SFB has evidence of soil nonlinear behavior in the aftershocks.

Introducing an effective coherence function to generate non-uniform ground motion on topographic site using time-domain boundary element method

In this study,a comprehensive parametric analysis was performed on non-uniform excitation of V-shaped topography using the boundary element method in time domain.For this purpose,wave scattering analysis was carried out on a topography subjected to the SV-wave for different predominant frequencies and shape ratios.Based on the numerical results,new coherence and time delay functions are proposed to generate non-uniform ground motion for topographic irregularities.The efficiency and accuracy of the proposed functions for real engineering problems are indicated by comparison with observations reported in previous literature.

Application of the microtremor measurements to a site effect study

Earthquake has left much life and property damages. The occurrence of such events necessitates the execution of plans for combating the earthquakes. One of the most important methods for combating earthquakes includes assessing dynamic characteristics of soil and site effect. One of the methods by which one can state dynamic characteristics of the soil of an area is the measurement of microtremors. Microtremors are small-scale vibrations that occur in the ground and have an amplitude range of about 0.1-1 microns. Microtremor measurement is fast, applica- ble, cost-effective. Microtremor measurements were taken at 15 stations in the Babol, north of Iran. Regarding H/V spectral ratio method, peak frequency and amplifica- tion factor were calculated for all microtremor stations. According to the analysis, the peak frequency varies from 0.67 to 8.10 Hz within the study area. Also, the authors investigated the validity of the results by comparing them with SESAME guidelines and geotechnical conditions of study area. The microtremor analysis results are consistent with SESAME guidelines and geotechnical condition of study area. The results show that the microtremor obser- vations are acceptable methods for assessing dynamic characteristics of soil and site effect in the Babol City.

Assessment of seismic ground motion amplification and liquefaction at a volcanic area characterized by residual soils

A seismic hazard was assessed related to site effects at Abbadia San Salvatore, central Italy, on the Mt. Amiata slopes, an ancient volcanic area characterized by residual soils(thick layers of loose to dense sands originated from weathering of the trachydacitic lavas). The seismic ground amplification and soil liquefaction related to these layers were recognized as the major seismic hazards for the area.Geological, geophysical, and geotechnical surveys were carried out on the volcanic rocks. The Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio(HVSR) analysis of 252 noise measurements and 29 shear-wave velocity models of the subsoil allowed a seismic microzonation of the studied area, distinguished by thick weathered volcanic sands and shear-wave impedance contrast with respect to the seismic bedrock(volcanic bedrock). The differentiation of classified zones allowed recognition of areas characterized by residual(almost undisturbed) soils from those with soils probably affected by flowing water. The analysis of hazards revealed that peak acceleration by seismic amplification of ground motion exceeded the value set by the national rules(0.175 g) in a restricted area of the zone characterized by the most perturbed soils(Zone D);the potential occurrence of soil liquefaction was also greater in this zone. Finally, the study showed potential high hazards due to site effects of the volcanic mountainous area characterized by residual soils as opposed to an alluvial plain formed by volcanic debris where these effects have generally been more recognized.

A new boundary element solution to evaluate the geometric effects of the canyon site on the displacement response spectrum

This paper presents a step-by-step procedure using the three-dimensional boundary element approach to study the behavior of semi-circular canyons under seismic shear waves. The boundary element code TDASC allows utilization for various canyon geometries, evaluation of concurrent seismic waves and calculation of the ground motions on canyons due to an excitation at any arbitrary point of the incident field. Considering the widening ratio of the canyon(including prismatic, semi-prismatic and non-prismatic canyons), wave characteristics(wavelength, dimensionless period, direction) and maximum amplification pattern, the solution was applied to carry out a series of parametric studies. It was shown that canyon form can significantly affect the displacement amplification, especially at the points located on its edges. By increasing the wave dimensionless frequency(η > 1), the amplification pattern becomes more complex. On the basis of the results from a variety of considered cases, a new expression has been presented for the limiting wavelength beyond which the widening of the canyon will not have a major effect on the displacement amplification. To verify the reliability of the proposed approach, the obtained results, expressed in terms of displacement amplitude, were compared with those from the available published literature and a reasonably good agreement was observed.

Seismic hazard prediction using multispectral amplification maps in a complex topographic area: A case study of Qiaozhuang town, Sichuan Province, Southwest China

Earthquakes can cause widely distributed slope failures and damage in mountainous areas.The accurate prediction of ground motions in mountainous areas is essential for managing the seismic risk of urban cities near mountains but is restricted primarily by complex seismic site amplification effects in areas of uneven terrain.This study selected Qiaozhuang town located in the Qingchuan–Pingwu fault zone,Southwest China,as a case study.A simulator for mapped seismic responses using a hybrid model(Si Se RHMap)was applied to compute the multispectral seismic topographic amplification maps at the three slope units surrounding Qiaozhuang town(Weigan hill,Mt.Dong,and Mt.Shizi).Post-earthquake damage survey maps,1 D seismic site response spectral ratios,and H/V spectral ratios of earthquake data were used to validate the computed seismic site amplification factors and resonance frequencies.The results suggest that strong topographic amplification effects usually occur at distinct slope locations,such as hilltops,convex slope positions,upslope,and narrow ridges.The computed topographic amplification factors in the study area reached up to 2.4 at upslope or hilltops,and the resonance frequencies were between 3 and 10 Hz.Topographic effects can be as important as stratigraphic effects when assessing seismic amplification effects in the study area.We conclude that both topographic and stratigraphic effects should be considered in the comprehensive seismic hazard assessment of the study area or other similar mountain towns.

Analysis of the role of diffraction in topographic site effects using boundary element techniques

The role played by the diffraction field on the problem of seismic site effects is studied. For that purpose we solve and analyze simple scattering problems under P and SV in-plane wave assumptions, using two well known direct boundary-element-based numerical methods. After establishing the difference between scattered and diffracted motions, and introducing the concept of artificious and physically based incoming fields, we obtain the amplitude of the Fourier spectra for the diffracted part of the response： this is achieved after establishing the connection between the spatial distribution of the transfer function over the studied simple topographies and the diffracted field. From the numerical simulations it is observed that this diffracted part of the response is responsible for the amplification of the surface ground motions due to the geometric effect. Furthermore, it is also found that the diffraction field sets in a fingerprint of the topographic effect in the total ground motions. These conclusions are further supported by observations in the time-domain in terms of snapshots of the propagation patterns over the complete computational model. In this sense the geometric singularities are clearly identified as sources of diffraction and for the considered range of dimensionless frequencies it is evident that larger amplifications are obtained for the geometries containing a larger number of diffraction sources thus resulting in a stronger topographic effect. The need for closed-form solutions of canonical problems to construct a robust analysis method based on the diffraction field is identified.

Static and dynamic inelastic P-Δ effect for seismic design

Seismic influence of P-Δ effect is the subject of this study.First,it is pointed out that the elastic static amplification factor shall be isolated in formulating the dynamic inelastic second order effect.An amplification factor for the static inelastic P-Δ effect is derived.Seismic force reduction factors(SFRF)for given ductility and stability coefficients are computed for one-story,one-span frames.The P-Δ amplification factors for seismic base shears are obtained by dividing SFRFs with and without P-Δ effect.Both P-Δ amplification factors and SFRFs are presented separately with two kinds of period abscissas.The P-Δ amplification factors are dependent on periods with the maximum occurring at about 0.75 s for site type C and approach to the static inelastic counterpart at long periods.Post-yield stiffness cannot fully counteract the adverse impact of the P-Δ effect.Formulas for seismic P-Δ amplification factors are proposed and compared to results of others.Collapse capacity spectra(CCS)are reviewed and their application in codes discussed.Available CCSs are compared with SFRFs with finite ductility computed for two ensembles of seismic records.A comparison reveals that the SFRFs are affected by seismic records,and available CCSs do not always provide upper limits for the SFRFs when stability coefficients are greater than 0.1 for frame models.

Ground Motion and Site Effects on Performance-Based Design

The objective of Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering （PBEE） is the analysis of performance objectives with a specified annual probability of exceedance. Increasingly undesirable performance is caused by increasing levels of strong ground motion having decreasing annual probabilities of exceedance. The development of this methodology includes three steps： （1） evaluation of the distribution of ground motion at a site; （2） evaluation of the distribution of system response; （3） evaluation of the probability of exceeding decision variables within a given time period, given appropriate damage measures. The work has taken a systematic approach to determine the impact of increasing levels of detail in site characterization on the accuracy of ground motion and site effects predictions. Complementary studies have investigated the use of the following models for evaluating site effects： （1） amplification factors defined on the basis of generalized site categories, （2） one-dimensional ground response analysis, and （3） two-dimensional ground response analysis for surface topography on ground motion. The paper provides a brief synthesis of ground motion and site effects analysis procedures within a Performance-Based Design framework. It focuses about the influence on the evaluation of site effects in some active regions by different shear waves velocity measurements Down Hole （D-H）, Cross Hole （C-H）, Seismic Dilatometer Marchetti Test （SDMT） and by different variation of shear modulus and damping ratio with strain level and depth from different laboratory dynamic tests for soil characterization： Resonant Column Test （RCT）, Cyclic Loading Torsional Shear Test （CLTST）.

Spatial-temporal characterization of the San Andreas Fault by fault-zone trapped waves at seismic experiment site,Parkfield,California

In this article,we review our previous research for spatial and temporal characterizations of the San Andreas Fault(SAF)at Parkfield,using the fault-zone trapped wave(FZTW)since the middle 1980s.Parkfield,California has been taken as a scientific seismic experimental site in the USA since the 1970s,and the SAF is the target fault to investigate earthquake physics and forecasting.More than ten types of field experiments(including seismic,geophysical,geochemical,geodetic and so on)have been carried out at this experimental site since then.In the fall of 2003,a pair of scientific wells were drilled at the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth(SAFOD)site;the main-hole(MH)passed a~200-m-wide low-velocity zone(LVZ)with highly fractured rocks of the SAF at a depth of~3.2 km below the wellhead on the ground level(Hickman et al.,2005;Zoback,2007;Lockner et al.,2011).Borehole seismographs were installed in the SAFOD MH in 2004,which were located within the LVZ of the fault at~3-km depth to probe the internal structure and physical properties of the SAF.On September 282004,a M6 earthquake occurred~15 km southeast of the town of Parkfield.The data recorded in the field experiments before and after the 2004 M6 earthquake provided a unique opportunity to monitor the co-mainshock damage and post-seismic heal of the SAF associated with this strong earthquake.This retrospective review of the results from a sequence of our previous experiments at the Parkfield SAF,California,will be valuable for other researchers who are carrying out seismic experiments at the active faults to develop the community seismic wave velocity models,the fault models and the earthquake forecasting models in global seismogenic regions.

Simplified seismic scenario analysis of existing masonry buildings accounting for local site effects

This study discusses the effects of local sites and hazard amplification on the seismic vulnerability assessment of existing masonry buildings.In this context,a rapid seismic evaluation procedure was implemented on an old masonry building stock in the historical center Galata,located inİstanbul,to determine the seismic risk priority of the built heritage.Damage scenarios were generated for all soil classes,different moment magnitudes,and source-to-site distances to obtain more accurate results for the seismic vulnerability assessment of the studied building stock.Consequently,damage distributions estimated under nine different scenarios with/without site effects were compared and illustrated in maps to discuss changes in vulnerability owing to amplification effects.In this study,by re-examining the rapid seismic evaluation procedure by including geo-hazard-based assessment,the importance of site effects on the vulnerability and risk assessment of built heritage was underlined.The proposed framework integrating field data and local site effects is believed to advance the current applications for vulnerability assessment of masonry buildings and provide an improvement in the application of rapid seismic assessment procedures with more reliable results.

Influence of site conditions on ground motion at far field loess sites during strong earthquake

Loess is widely distributed in China and the Loess Plateau is one of the major areas where strong earthquakes often take place. The seismic amplification effects were discovered in the Plateau during the Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake and some other strong events. Based on earth tremor observation, borehole exploration and site seismic response analysis, the site effects of topography of Loess Yuan on ground motion were investigated in details. The earth tremor investigation shows that predominant frequencies at the bottom sites of Loess Yuan are greater than those at the top obviously. The sites seismic response analysis shows that the Loess Yuan may amplify peak ground acceleration (PGA) by 1.44 2.0 times. Therefore, site effects of mountains and loess topography on ground motion should be taken account into in seismic design in loess regions.

Double-Frequency Microseisms on the Thick Unconsolidated Sediments in Eastern and Southeastern Coasts of United States: Sources and Applications on Seismic Site Effect Evaluation

This study presents a systematic analysis of double-frequency(DF) microseisms recorded on the unconsolidated sediments in the eastern and southeastern coasts of United States. For all recordings, the site effect parameters(predominant frequency(f_(0)), amplification factor and unconsolidated sediment thickness(UST)) are obtained by Nakamura method and the DF spectra are classified into five groups in terms of the DF peak patterns and the recording locations relative to the coastline. The frequencies and energy levels of the DF peaks in horizontal direction and the amplification factors are associated with the UST which is resulted from seismic site effect. By polarization analysis, the primary vibration directions of the DF peaks are identified and presented as great circles passing through the recording stations intersecting mainly along the continental slope. Correlation analyses of time histories of the DF energy and the ocean wave climate observed at buoys show that the low(<0.2 Hz) and high(>0.2 Hz) frequency DF microseisms are generated in the deep ocean and the continental shelf respectively. It is concluded that the continental slope plays a significant role in the generation of DF microseisms as it causes reflection of waves from the open ocean, initiating standing waves.