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.

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.

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.

Numerical analysis on seismic performance of underground structures in liquefiable interlayer sites from centrifuge shaking table test

When an underground structure passes through a liquefiable soil layer,the soil liquefaction may pose a significant threat to the structure.A centrifuge shaking table test was performed to research the seismic response of underground structures in liquefiable interlayer sites,and a valid numerical model was obtained through simulation model test.Finally,the calibrated numerical model was used to perform further research on the influence of various distribution characteristics of liquefiable interlayers on the seismic reaction of underground structures.The key findings are as follows.The structure faces the most unfavorable condition once a liquefiable layer is located in the middle of the underground structure.When a liquefiable layer exists in the middle of the structure,the seismic reactions of both the underground structure and model site will increase with the rise of the thickness of the liquefiable interlayer.The inter-story drift of the structure in the non-liquefiable site is much smaller than that in the liquefiable interlayer site.The inter-story drift of the structure is not only associated with the site displacement and the soil-structure stiffness ratio but also closely associated with the slippage of the soil-structure contact interface under the condition of large deformation of the site.

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.

Reduction of peak ground velocity by nonlinear soil response–Ⅱ:excitation by a P-wave pulse

We study the reduction of peak velocity on the ground surface of a soil valley caused by loss of wave energy by large nonlinear strains and strain localization inside the valley,for excitation by a half-sine P-wave pulse.This study is a follow up to our previous study of out of plane response for excitation by an SH-pulse.In this paper,we consider the in-plane response,and assume that the soil material does not support tension,but the normal stress at a point in the soil can be compression(negative)or zero.A point in the soil with zero stress behaves as a stress-free point,it does not transmit normal stress and appears as a crack point.Because of this,along with the nonlinear response associated with compression and shear,the in-plane response in this study is more complex than that of the out-of-plane SH response.We study the interplay of two opposing effects:(i)jump in impedance from a higher value(half-space)to a lower value(valley),which amplifies the linear motions at the free surface of the valley,and(ii)the occurrence of nonlinear zones in the valley,which reduce the motion at the valley surface.

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.

Cursory seismic drift assessment for buildings in moderate seismicity regions

This paper outlines a methodology to assess the seismic drift of reinforced concrete buildings with limited structural and geotechnical information. Based on the latest and the most advanced research on predicting potential near-field and far field earthquakes affecting Hong Kong, the engineering response spectra for both rock and soil sites are derived. A new step-by-step procedure for displacement-based seismic hazard assessment of building structures is proposed to determine the maximum inter-storey drift demand for reinforced concrete buildings. The primary information required for this assessment is only the depth of the soft soil above bedrock and the height of the building. This procedure is further extended to assess the maximum chord rotation angle demand for the coupling beam of coupled shear wall or frame wall structures, which may be very critical when subjected to earthquake forces. An example is provided to illustrate calibration of the assessment procedure by using actual engineering structural models.

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.

The Paradigm of the Seismic Zonation Continuality

Basic concepts of seismic zonation in Russia are the degree of intensity and soil categories that correspond to discrete structure in the ratio “seismic impact-ground reaction”. Meanwhile, the parameters of seismic effects, and the parameters of soil properties are continuous in the space. The report expounds the basic theory, adequately representing the above mentioned continuality. Thus, many the concepts of seismic zonation, used now, become either more correct, or unnecessary.

Effect of Lead-Rubber Bearing Isolators in Reducing Seismic Damage for a High-Rise Building in Comparison with Normal Shear Wall System

Seismic earthquakes are a real danger for the construction evolution of high rise buildings.The rate of earthquakes around the world is noteworthy in a wide range of construction areas.In this study,we present the dynamic behavior of a high-rise RC building with dynamic isolators(lead-rubber-bearing),in comparison with a traditional shear wall system of the same building.Seismic isolation has been introduced in building construction to increase the structural stability and to protect the non-structural components against the damaging effects of an earthquake.In order to clarify the influence of incorporating lead rubber bearing isolators in the seismic response and in reducing seismic damages;a comparative study is performed between a fixed base system(shear wall system)and an isolated base system(Lead Rubber Bearing)on an irregular high rise reinforced concrete(RC)building located in Beirut consisting of 48 storeys almost asymmetric orthogonally.For this purpose,a non-linear analysis of a real earthquake acceleration record(EI Centro seismic signal)is conducted,so that the mode shapes,the damping ratio and the natural frequencies of the two models are obtained using ETABS software.The results prove a substantial elongation of the building period,as well as a reduction in the building displacement,the roof acceleration,the inter-storey drift ratio and the base shear force of isolated building relative to fixed-base building.This study proves that this technology is applicable to high rise buildings with acceptable results.

Seismic Microzonation Study of South Asian Cities and Its Implications to Urban Risk Resiliency under Climate Change Scenario

In this study, an attempt has been made to review the existing framework of earthquake risk resiliency for the urban agglomerates of South Asian earthquake-prone countries (Afghanistan;Bangladesh;Bhutan, India, and Pakistan) with aim of suggesting a plausible model for earthquake risk resiliency for urban agglomerates of the region under the influence of uncontrollable climate change scenario. We demonstrated that the existing infrastructures can be retrofitted to mitigate and reduce the nature and extent of damages to structures to the greater extent whilst site response based comprehensive seismic microzonation is very much required for new settlements and for long-term sustainable urban planning by adopting multi-disciplinary investigations using integrated tools consisted of geophysical, geological, and geotechnical methodologies, which in turn help understand how and why underneath sub-surface layers get amplified to cause destruction of buildings and severe damages to critical infrastructures of South Asian Cities. It is inferred that implementation of fourth level comprehensive seismic Micro, Nano, Pico and Femto zonation study for almost all strategic cities of South Asia is a need of an hour in particular, and of the seismically prone regions of the world, in general, which would be helpful for generating a series of new parameters for development of multi-dimensional risk resilient building design codes for the safer and sustainable infrastructures of urban settlement. The methodology has wide-scale applicability to different kinds of structures and typology of the buildings.

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）.

液化场地大直径变截面单桩动力响应研究

为研究不同地震动强度下液化场地大直径变截面单桩的动力响应规律,基于振动台试验,选取5010波,在地震动强度0.10g~0.45g作用下,研究液化场地砂土孔压比和大直径变截面单桩桩顶水平位移、桩身弯矩、桩身加速度时程响应及桩基损伤等变化规律.试验结果表明:饱和砂土孔压比随着地震动强度的增大上升明显,地震动强度≥0.30g时,饱和砂土孔压比稳定值在0.9附近,此时砂土完全液化;在0.45g地震动强度作用下,桩身加速度、桩顶水平位移及桩身弯矩均达到最大;桩身不同位置处加速度峰值出现时刻均滞后于输入地震波加速度峰值出现时刻,且桩顶及变截面的加速度响应比桩端的响应更弱;不同地震动强度作用下,桩身弯矩最大值均出现在液化土层和非液化土层分界处,且变截面处弯矩小于土层分界面处;地震动强度达到0.30g时,大直径变截面单桩桩身发生损伤.因此,液化场地下大直径变截面桥梁单桩基础抗震设计时,应该重点考虑饱和砂土层分界处、变截面处的抗弯能力,以确保单桩桩身强度满足抗震要求.

基于易损性分析的可液化场地单桩基础抗震性能研究

桩基础是可液化场地中常用的深基础形式,广泛应用于近海港口、大型建筑等,资料表明可液化场地中地震引起的桩基础损伤破坏案例屡见不鲜。为了评估单桩基础的抗震性能,针对可液化场地单桩基础离心机试验,借助OpenSees计算平台建立了动力相互作用有限元数值模型,并将结果与已有的试验进行比较,验证了模型的有效性。基于此,重点分析了场地液化、上覆硬土层、上部结构对体系地震响应及桩基础抗震性能的影响。以桩头位移及曲率作为抗震性能指标并采用推覆分析获取桩在不同损伤状态下地震易损性抗震性能指标的界限值,以PGA作为地震动强度指标,基于云图法建立了概率地震需求模型,进而绘制了桩基础的地震易损性曲线,评估了不同性能状态的损伤概率。结果表明:土体液化、上覆硬土层及上部结构均增加了桩的曲率、位移需求和桩基础的损伤破坏概率。

西北季节性冻土场地地震反应特性研究

我国西北地区被季节冻土全覆盖,且近年来该区域地震频发。为研究我国西北地区季节性冻土场地的地震反应特性,开展了季节性冻土场地振动台试验,并建立了不同冻结深度的三维实体有限差分模型,对比分析了不同地震激励作用下的季节性冻土场地的地震反应特征和土体的动剪应力—动剪应变规律。结果表明:在地震激励下,冻土层的存在虽然有效抑制了地震动能量,但冻结期场地的水平位移与非冻结期相比明显较大,且竖向位移呈显著的层状震陷特征;冻土场地的峰值放大系数呈先增大后减小然后再增大的规律,并且冻土层深度越大其峰值放大系数越小。此外,通过土体的动剪应力—动剪应变关系可以发现,冻土场地地震反应具有明显的非线性特征,且冻土层的存在对地震能量具有一定的削弱作用。

近直下型断层的地铁车站结构地震响应

目前在近断层场地中地下地铁车站抗震性能水平认识方面相对匮乏,鉴于此,提出了一种考虑发震断层-地下结构全过程地震响应的IBE-FEM联合求解分析方法。首先,基于运动学有限断层模型,采用间接边界元方法(IBE)求解直下型走滑断层错动作用下上覆软土沉积层场地内的地震波场,并验证了有限元法(FEM)间接求解地震波场的可行性;在此基础上,通过建立土-地下连续墙-主体结构非线性静-动力耦合的二维整体时域有限元模型,初步探究了断层-软土场地耦合效应对地铁车站抗震性能的影响规律。结果表明:在近断层区域,地铁车站结构震害具有典型的断层上盘效应和震害集中效应,更容易进入塑性变形发展阶段;在远断层区域,由于断层-场地效应耦合作用,断层下盘场地内地震波场衰减较缓,其内车站结构整体震害略大于断层上盘。本文研究方法为近断层场地条件下地下结构地震响应分析开辟新思路,也可为相关场地区域内的地下结构抗震设计提供技术参考。

复杂地震动作用下底部框架砌体结构抗震性能研究

针对复杂三维震动特性下底框砌体结构的抗震性能,在太平洋地震工程研究中心的地震动数据库中,选取了六类复杂特性地震动记录,输入到两种不同层数的底框砌体结构及其隔震结构数值模型,计算得到动力弹塑性时程下的地震响应参数,评估其复杂地震动下的抗震性能.结果表明:对于底框砌体结构,脉冲型地震能对结构造成更剧烈的地震响应;底框砌体隔震结构中,软土脉冲型地震能给结构造成更大的地震响应.从速度脉冲影响的角度分析,速度脉冲效应会降低各层数底框砌体隔震结构的减震率.基础隔震对于提高底框砌体结构的抗震性能具有一定的作用,考虑到抗震性能和经济合理性,对于低矮的底框砌体结构,不建议采用基础隔震设计,而对于较高的底框砌体结构,基础隔震能有效减少结构上部的砖砌体受拉破坏.

远海岛礁与场地地震反应研究现状

本文从岛礁地质构造、岛礁地震反应数值模拟方法和岛礁场地效应等方面总结了海域岛礁地震反应的研究现状,对比并且分析了海域岛礁数值模拟方法中的流固耦合模拟方法、固体边界模拟方法和地震动输入方法;总结了现有海域岛礁地震反应的场地效应相关的研究成果。相关研究表明:海水对岛礁场地的放大系数有明显影响,岛礁表面砂层对水平向地震动加速度峰值放大显著,随着输入地震动峰值的增大,岛礁场地的PGA放大效应趋于减小;海域岛礁场地对中低频段的地震动反应较为显著,加速度峰值放大系数一般介于1.5到4.0之间。为满足岛礁工程的抗震设计,需要进一步解决岛礁工程合理地震动输入、岛礁场地地震反应规律与岛礁工程的设计地震动参数等关键科学问题。