Shaking table test and numerical simulation on the effect of reinforcement on the seismic safety of dam slopes

The seismic safety of the reinforcement dam slope is studied through shaking table test and numerical simulation.The dynamic characteristics of dam slopes,failure mechanism,seismic stability,as well as the effect of reinforcement during earthquakes are discussed.An elasto-plastic analysis method (FLAC) is used to simulate the dynamic failure process of the reinforcement dam slope.The change law of permanent displacement of dam slope is studied.The effect of the length and the space of reinforcement on the depth of slip surface and the slope stability are investigated.Good agreement is obtained between the numerical results and those from shaking table tests.The results show that the dynamic failure is a gradual process not at a particular time.With the increase of the reinforcement length or the decreasing reinforcement spacing,the slip surface becomes deeper and thus the slope stability is improved.The reinforcement can obviously enhance the overall stability of slope dam.It can also effectively control the shallow sliding of slope.These researches provide basic data for reinforcement measures design of earth-rockfill dam.

Detection of the support damage of spatial steel structures under earthquakes based on shaking table test

There are always some local damages in spatial steel structures induced by strong earthquakes, such as welding cracks of steel nodes,anchor loose of supports etc.If these local damages of spatial steel structures occur,there will be serious dangers to the structural safety.In order to detect the position of local damage under earthquake quickly and accurately,the method of support damage diagnosis of spatial steel structures under earthquakes is studied by using wavelet packet decomposition,data fusion and cluster analysis.Furthermore,a scale model of spatial steel structure was tested on a seismic simulation shaking table to detect the position of damaged support.Results show that the damaged support position can be detected accurately by using the method proposed in this paper,which has practical applications to the damage detection of spatial steel structures.

Numerical simulation of irregular section underground structure shaking table test model

Based on the the large shaking table test results on irregular section subway station structure in soft soil,an overall time-history numerical simulation is conducted to study the nonlinear dynamic interaction of the soilirregular underground structure.Typical test results,including the acceleration of the soil,acceleration,and deformation of the structure,were analyzed.Satisfactory consistency between the simulation and test results is verified,and the difference between these results was discussed in detail.The maximum inter-story drift ratio was approximately 1/472 under input PGA=0.54 g.The strain responses of columns were significantly larger than those of the side walls and slabs.The components in the lower layers of the irregular subway station structure,particularly in the central columns,underwent cumulative damage.The research results could provide a simplified analysis method to quantitatively evaluate the damage of irregular underground structures in soft soil.

Shaking table tests and numerical simulation of dynamic properties of underground structures

It is considered thai the damage of the underground structures caused by earthquakes is minor for a long time. However, the catastrophic damages induced by several recent earthquakes （e. g. Kobe earthquake in 1995 ） revealed that the study on the dynamic properties of the underground structures is indispensable. The dynamic behavior and damage mechanism of underground structure are analyzed by using shaking table tests （ both shallow-and deep-buried） and numerical simulation （3D FEM） including horizontal and vertical input motions, individually and simultaneously. From the results, the underground structure collapsed due to strong horizontal forces although vertical deformation is not negligible. The vertical excitation increases the response of structure, especially the stress and shear stress at the upper section; the soil influenced the property of soilstructure system. In the same excitation, the response in shallow-buried test is larger than deep case. Both overburden and vertical earthquake play important roles in the response of structure and those are two critical aspects in the design of the large-span underground structures, such as subway stations.

Shake table tests of suspended ceilings to simulate the observed damage in the M_s 7.0 Lushan earthquake, China

Severe damage to suspended ceilings of metal grids and lay-in panels was observed in public buildings during the 2013 M7.0 Lushan earthquake in China. Over the past several years, suspended ceilings have been widely used practice in public buildings throughout China, including government offices, schools and hospitals. To investigate the damage mechanism of suspended ceilings, a series of three-dimensional shake table tests was conducted to reproduce the observed damage. A full-scale reinforced concrete frame was constructed as the testing frame for the ceiling, which was single-story and infilled with brick masonry walls to represent the local construction of low-rise buildings. In general, the ceiling in the tests exhibited similar damage phenomena as the field observations, such as higher vulnerability of perimeter elements and extensive damage to the cross runners. However, it exhibited lower fragility in terms of peak ground/roof accelerations at the initiation of damage. Further investigations are needed to clarify the reasons for this behavior.

Seismic response of tunnel under normal fault slips by shaking table test technique

Mountain tunnel crossing a normal fault in seismically active zone is easily affected by normal fault slip and earthquake. It is necessary to study tunnel dynamic response under action of normal fault slip and earthquake. In this paper, a three-dimensional normal fault sliding device was designed, and a shaking table test was carried out to study tunnel seismic performance under normal fault slip. The results show that peak acceleration of lining is dominated by an existence of fault and direction of seismic excitation, not normal fault slip. And the incremental strains of lining in critical zone with 1.7 times fault thickness and centered in faults induced by normal fault slip and seismic excitation are larger than ones only by seismic excitation. And the incremental strains in critical zone increase with the increase of normal fault slip magnitude ranging from 0 to 2 mm. And normal fault slip results in a significant reduction of overall tunnel stiffness subjected to an earthquake. These experimental results provide a scientific reference for prevention and control measurement of tunnel damage under earthquake and normal fault slip.

Study on dynamic response of embedded long span corrugated steel culverts using scaled model shaking table tests and numerical analyses

A series of scaled-model shaking table tests and its simulation analyses using dynamic finite element method were performed to clarify the dynamic behaviors and the seismic stability of embedded corrugated steel culverts due to strong earth-quakes like the 1995 Hyogoken-nanbu earthquake. The dynamic strains of the embedded culvert models and the seismic soil pressure acting on the models due to sinusoidal and random strong motions were investigated. This study verified that the cor-rugated culvert model was subjected to dynamic horizontal forces (lateral seismic soil pressure) from the surrounding ground, which caused the large bending strains on the structure; and that the structures do not exceed the allowable plastic deformation and do not collapse completely during strong earthquake like Hyogoken-nanbu earthquake. The results obtained are useful for design and construction of embedded long span corrugated steel culverts in seismic regions.

Shaking table test of seismic responses of anchor cable and lattice beam reinforced slope

As a combined supporting structure,the anchor cable and lattice beam have a complex interaction with the slope body.In order to investigate the seismic behaviors of the slope reinforced by anchor cable and lattice beam,a largescale shaking table test was carried out on a slope model(geometric scale of 1:20)by applying recorded and artificial seismic waves with different amplitudes.The acceleration and displacement of the slope,the displacement of lattice beam and the axial force of anchor cable were obtained to study the interaction between the slope and the supporting structure.The test results show that:(1)the acceleration responses of the slope at different relative elevations display obvious nonlinear characteristics with increasing of the peak ground acceleration(PGA)of the inputted seismic waves,and the weak intercalated layer has a stronger effect on acceleration amplification at the upper part of the slope than that at the lower part of the slope;(2)the frequency component near the second dominant frequency is significantly magnified by the interaction between the slope and the supporting structure;(3)the anchor cables at the upper part of the slope have larger peak and residual axial forces than that at the lower part of the slope,and the prestress loss of the anchor cable first occurs at the top of the slope and then passes down;(4)the peak and residual displacements inside the slope and on the lattice beam increase with the increase of relative elevation.When the inputted PGA is not greater than 0.5 g,the combined effect of anchor cable and lattice beam is remarkable for stabilizing the middle and lower parts of the potential sliding body.The research results can provide a reference for the seismic design of such slope and the optimization of supporting structure.

Model test and numerical simulation on the dynamic stability of the bedding rock slope under frequent microseisms

Shake table testing was performed to investigate the dynamic stability of a mid-dip bedding rock slope under frequent earthquakes. Then, numerical modelling was established to further study the slope dynamic stability under purely microseisms and the influence of five factors, including seismic amplitude, slope height, slope angle, strata inclination and strata thickness, were considered. The experimental results show that the natural frequency of the slope decreases and damping ratio increases as the earthquake loading times increase. The dynamic strength reduction method is adopted for the stability evaluation of the bedding rock slope in numerical simulation, and the slope stability decreases with the increase of seismic amplitude, increase of slope height, reduction of strata thickness and increase of slope angle. The failure mode of a mid-dip bedding rock slope in the shaking table test is integral slipping along the bedding surface with dipping tensile cracks at the slope rear edge going through the bedding surfaces. In the numerical simulation, the long-term stability of a mid-dip bedding slope is worst under frequent microseisms and the slope is at risk of integral sliding instability, whereas the slope rock mass is more broken than shown in the shaking table test. The research results are of practical significance to better understand the formation mechanism of reservoir landslides and prevent future landslide disasters.

Analysis of Earthquake-Triggered Failure Mechanisms of Slopes and Sliding Surfaces

Earthquake-induced landslides along the Dujiangyan-Yingxiu highway after the Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 were investigated. It was found that： （1） slopes were shattered and damaged during the earthquake and open tension cracks formed on the tops of the slopes; （2） the upper parts of slopes collapsed and slid, while the lower parts remained basically intact, indicating that the upper parts of slopes would be damaged more heavily than the lower parts during an earthquake. Large-scale shaking table model tests were conducted to study failure behavior of slopes under the Wenchuan seismic wave, which reproduced the process of deformation and failure of slopes. Tension cracks emerged at the top and upper part of model, while the bottom of the model remained intact, consistent with field investigations. Depth of the tension crack at the top of model is 32 cm, i.e., 3.2 m compared to the prototype natural slope with a height of 14 m when the length scale ratio （proto/model） is lo. Acceleration at the top of the slope was almost twice as large as that at the toe when the measured accelerations on shaking table are 4.85 m/s2 and 6.49 m/s2, which means that seismic force at the top of the slope is twice the magnitude of that at the toe. By use of the dynamic-strength-reduction method, numerical simulation was conducted to explore the process and mechanism of formation of the sliding surface, with other quantified information. The earthquake-induced failure surfaces commonly consist of tension cracks and shear zones. Within 5 mfrom the top of the slope, the dynamic sliding surface will be about 1 m shallower than the pseudo-static sliding surface in a horizontal direction when the peak ground acceleration （PGA） is 1 m/s2; the dynamic sliding surface will be about 2 m deeper than the pseudo-static sliding surface in a horizontal direction when the PGA is lo m/sL and the depths of the dynamic sliding surface and the pseudo-static sliding surface will be almost the same when the PGA is 2 m/s2. Based on these findings, it is suggested that the key point of anti-seismic design, as well as for mitigation of post-earthquake, secondary mountain hazards, is to prevent tension cracks from forming in the upper part of the slope. Therefore, the depth of tension cracks in slope surfaces is the key to reinforcement of slopes. The depth of the sliding surface from the pseudo-static method can be a reference for slope reinforcement mitigation.

A shake table investigation of dynamic behavior of pile supported bridges in liquefiable soil deposits

Bridges are a part of vital infrastructure,which should operate even after a disaster to keep emergency services running.There have been numerous bridge failures during major past earthquakes due to liquefaction.Among other categories of failures,mid span collapse(without the failure of abutments)of pile supported bridges founded in liquefiable deposits are still observed even in most recent earthquakes.This mechanism of collapse is attributed to the effects related to the differential elongation of natural period of the individual piers during liquefaction.A shake table investigation has been carried out in this study to verify mechanisms behind midspan collapse of pile supported bridges in liquefiable deposits.In this investigation,a typical pile supported bridge is scaled down,and its foundations pass through the liquefiable loose sandy soil and rest in a dense gravel layer.White noise motions of increasing acceleration magnitude have been applied to initiate progressive liquefaction and to characterize the dynamic features of the bridge.It has been found that as the liquefaction of the soil sets in,the natural frequency of individual bridge support is reduced,with the highest reduction occurring near the central spans.As a result,there is differential lateral displacement and bending moment demand on the piles.It has also been observed that for the central pile,the maximum bending moment in the pile will occur at a higher elevation,as compared to that of the interface of soils of varied stiffness,unlike the abutment piles.The practical implications of this research are also highlighted.

Experimental validation of a signal-based approach for structural earthquake damage detection using fractal dimension of time frequency feature

This article extends a signal-based approach formerly proposed by the authors, which utilizes the fractal dimension of time frequency feature （FDTFF） of displacements, for earthquake damage detection of moment resist frame （MRF）, and validates the approach with shaking table tests. The time frequency feature （TFF） of the relative displacement at measured story is defined as the real part of the coefficients of the analytical wavelet transform. The fractal dimension （FD） is to quantify the TFF within the fundamental frequency band using box counting method. It is verified that the FDTFFs at all stories of the linear MRF are identical with the help of static condensation method and modal superposition principle, while the FDTFFs at the stories with localized nonlinearities due to damage will be different from those at the stories without nonlinearities using the reverse-path methodology. By comparing the FDTFFs of displacements at measured stories in a structure, the damage-induced nonlinearity of the structure under strong ground motion can be detected and localized. Finally shaking table experiments on a 1：8 scale sixteen-story three-bay steel MRF with added frictional dampers, which generate local nonlinearities, are conducted to validate the approach.

Novel dynamic test system for simulating high-speed train moving on bridge under earthquake excitation

China’s high-speed railways are always facing the potential damage risk induced by strong earthquakes.And the route design concept of“using bridge instead of embankment”has also greatly increased the probability of high speed trains moving on bridges when a strong earthquake happens.In the past decades,a bunch of theoretical and numerical studies have been conducted in the seismic dynamic field of high-speed railway.However,the effective dynamic test system for verifying the given method and theoretical results is still lacking.Therefore,a novel dynamic test system(DTS)consisting of a shaking table array and a train-pass-bridge reduced-scale model is proposed in this paper.Through some crucial technical problems discussion,the effectiveness of similar design scheme and the feasibility of reduced-scale DTS are elaborated,and then the detailed DTS structures are given and displayed as part-by-part.On this basis,the demonstration tests are conducted and compared with the numerical simulation.The results show that the proposed DTS is accurate and effective.Therefore,the DTS can provide a new physical simulation approach to study the high-speed train’s running safety on bridges under earthquakes and can also provide a reference for the construction of related systems.

The response law of far-field seismic ground motion of the Wenchuan earthquake and its damaging mechanism in the Loess Plateau

A series of housing collapses and other serious damage was caused by the 2008 Wenchuan M_(S)8.0 earthquake in the seismic intensity Ⅵ areas of the Loess Plateau, which is hundreds of kilometers away from the epicenter, and which showed a remarkable seismic intensity anomaly. The seismic disasters are closely related to the seismic response characteristics of the site, therefore, the systematic study of the far-field seismic response law of the Wenchuan earthquake in the Loess Plateau is of great significance to prevent the far-field disaster of great earthquake. In this paper, the seismic acceleration records of several bedrock stations and loess stations from the seismogenic fault of the Wenchuan earthquake to the Loess Plateau were collected, and the attenuation law of ground motion along the propagation path and the characteristics of seismic response on the loess site are studied,and the mechanism of amplification effect of ground motion is analyzed based on the dynamic feature parameters of the loess site obtained through the HVSR method. Taking a typical loess site of thick deposit as the prototype, a series of shaking table tests of dynamic response of loess site models with different thicknesses were carried out.Amplification effect, spectral characteristics of acceleration in model sites were analyzed under the action of a farfield seismic wave of the Wenchuan earthquake. The results show that seismic attenuation on the propagation path along the NE strike of the seismogenic fault to the Loess Plateau is slower than that in other directions, and the predominant period range of ground motion on bedrock site of the Loess Plateau presents broadband characteristics. Because the natural periods of loess sites with thick deposits are within the predominant period range of bedrock input wave, loess sites appear significant amplification effect of ground motion, the horizontal acceleration of ground motion exceeds 0.1 g, the seismic intensity reaches 7°. The thicker the loess deposit is, the more significant the change of spectral characteristics of ground motion on loess sites, and the narrower the predominant period range of ground motion becomes, and the closer it is to the natural period of loess sites.Therefore, for some old houses on thick loess sites, the poor seismic performance and strong seismic response eventually led to their collapses and damages because their natural periods are very close to the predominant period of ground motion of the Wenchuan earthquake on thick loess sites;For these damaged high-rise buildings,the resonance effect might be the main reason for their damages because their natural periods are included in the predominant period range of ground motion of the Wenchuan earthquake on thick loess sites.These research results would provide a basis for seismic disasters prediction and evaluation and seismic design of construction engineering in the Loess Plateau.

3-D Simulation Study on Seismic Response of Bridge Piles in Landslide

The anti-slide support structure is widely used in the anti-seismic reinforcement of bridge foundations,but related experimental research was processing slowly. Based on the prototype of the Jiuzhaigou bridge at the Chengdu-Lanzhou Railway,a 3-D simulation model was established on the basis of the shaking table model test,and the rationality of the dynamic analysis model was verified by indicators such as the bending moment of the bridge piles,peak soil pressure,and PGA amplification factors. The results show that the inertia force of the bridge pier has an important influence on the deformation of the pile foundation. The bending moment and shearing force are larger in lateral bridge piles,and the maximum value is near the pile top. The PGA amplification factor is stronger in the back of the rear anti-slide piles and so is it in front of the bridge pier,and the soil is prone to slip and damage. The bedrock is rigid and the dynamic response is maintained at a low level. The anti-slide piles in the rear row play a major role in the anti-seismic reinforcement design,and the anti-slide piles in the front row can be used as an auxiliary support structure.

Earthquake response of wrap faced embankment on soft clay soil in Bangladesh

A wrap-faced embankment model on soft clay soil subjected to earthquake motion was investigated in this study.The study was conducted both experimentally using a shaking table and numerically using PLAXIS 3D software.The amplification of acceleration,displacement,pore water pressure,and strain response were measured while varying input accelerations and surcharge pressures.Time histories of the Kobe record of the 1995 Hanshin earthquake were used as the input seismic motion.The input acceleration was 0.05 g,0.1 g,0.15 g,and 0.2 g,and different surcharge pressures were 0.70 kPa,1.12 kPa,and 1.72 kPa with relative density of Sylhet sand fixed to 48%.The output data from the shaking table tests and the numerical analysis performed through the PLAXIS 3D software were compared,and these findings were also compared with some earlier similar studies.The acceleration amplification,displacement,pore water pressure,and strain(%)changed along the elevation of the embankment and acceleration response increased with the increase in base acceleration.The increase was more noticeable at higher elevations.These findings enrich the knowledge of predicting the dynamic behavior of wrap-faced embankments and enable the design parameters to be adjusted more accurately.

Effect of burial depth of a new tunnel on the seismic response of an existing tunnel

Burial depth is a crucial factor affecting the forces and deformation of tunnels during earthquakes.One key issue is a lack of understanding of the effect of a change in the buried depth of a single-side tunnel on the seismic response of a double-tunnel system.In this study,shaking table tests were designed and performed based on a tunnel under construction in Dalian,China.Numerical models were established using the equivalent linear method combined with ABAQUS finite element software to analyze the seismic response of the interacting system.The results showed that the amplification coefficient of the soil acceleration did not change evidently with the burial depth of the new tunnel but decreased as the seismic amplitude increased.In addition,the existing tunnel acceleration,earth pressure,and internal force were hardly affected by the change in the burial depth;for the new tunnel,the acceleration and internal force decreased as the burial depth increased,while the earth pressure increased.This shows that the earth pressure distribution in a double-tunnel system is relatively complex and mainly concentrated on the arch spandrel and arch springing of the relative area.Overall,when the horizontal clearance between the center of the two tunnels was more than twice the sum of the radius of the outer edges of the two tunnels,the change in the burial depth of the new tunnel had little effect on the existing one,and the tunnel structure was deemed safe.These results provide a preliminary understanding and reference for the seismic performance of a double-tunnel system.

Stability of bedded rock slopes subjected to hydro-fluctuation and associated strength deterioration

Reservoir-induced earthquakes(RIEs)occur frequently in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area(TGRA)and the rock mass strength of the hydro-fluctuation belt(HFB)deteriorates severely due to the reservoirinduced seismic loads.Three models of typical bedded rock slopes(BRSs),i.e.gently(GIS),moderately(MIS),and steeply(SIS)inclined slopes,were proposed according to field investigations.The dynamic response mechanism and stability of the BRSs,affected by the rock mass deterioration of the HFB,were investigated by the shaking table test and the universal distinct element code(UDEC)simulation.Specifically,the amplification coefficient of the peak ground acceleration(PGA)of the slope was gradually attenuated under multiple seismic loads,and the acceleration response showed obvious“surface effect”and“elevation effect”in the horizontal and vertical directions,respectively.The“S-type”cubic function and“steep-rise type”exponential function were used to characterize the cumulative damage evolution of the slope caused by microseismic waves(low seismic waves)and high seismic waves,respectively.According to the dynamic responses of the acceleration,cumulative displacement,rock pressure,pore water pressure,damping ratio,natural frequency,stability coefficient,and sliding velocity of the slope,the typical evolution processes of the dynamic cumulative damage and instability failure of the slope were generalized,and the numerical and experimental results were compared.Considering the dynamic effects of the slope height(SH),slope angle(SA),bedding plane thickness(BPT),dip angle of the bedding plane(DABP),dynamic load amplitude(DLA),dynamic load frequency(DLF),height of water level of the hydro-fluctuation belt(HWLHFB),degradation range of the hydro-fluctuation belt(DRHFB),and degradation shape of the hydro-fluctuation belt(DSHFB),the sensitivity of factors influencing the slope dynamic stability using the orthogonal analysis method(OAM)was DLA>DRHFB>SA>SH>DLF>HWLHFB>DSHFB>DABP>BPT.

Dynamic response of a slope reinforced by double-row antisliding piles and pre-stressed anchor cables

Large-scale shaking table tests were conducted to study the dynamic response of a slope reinforced by double-row anti-sliding piles and prestressed anchor cables. The test results show that the reinforcement suppressed the acceleration amplification effectively. The axial force time histories are decomposed into a baseline part and a vibration part in this study. The baseline part of axial force well revealed the seismic slope stability, the peak vibration values of axial force of the anchor cables changed significantly in different area of the slope under seismic excitations. The peak lateral earth pressure acting on the back of the anti-sliding pile located at the slope toe was much larger than that acting on the back of the anti-sliding pile located at the slope waist. The test results indicate an obvious load sharing ratio difference between these two anti-slide piles, the load sharing ratio between the two anti-sliding piles located at the slope toe and the slope waist varied mainly in a range of 2-5. The anti-slide pile at the slope waist suppressed the horizontal displacement of the slope surface.

Vertical shaking table tests on the structure with viscoelastic multi-dimensional earthquake isolation and mitigation devices

The viscoelastic multi-dimensional earthquake isolation and mitigation device is a new kind of passive control device, which can perform its "name-giving" task of earthquake isolation and earthquake mitigation simultaneously. In order to quantify its vertical earthquake isolation and mitigation effect on structures, firstly, shaking table tests on steel frame structures with and without the devices were carried out; secondly, analysis on dynamic characteristics and dynamic responses of the structures was also performed; furthermore, the finite element analytical results and the experimental results were compared. It can be shown from the analytical and experimental results that the devices have noticeable earthquake isolation and mitigation effect in the vertical direction.