Seismic performance of two-story subway station structures with different isolating systems

When the sliding bearing is fixed only at the top of the middle column of the underground structure,the cracks at the side end of the middle plate should be aggravated while the seismic damage of the mid-column should be alleviated.To enhance the seismic performance of the mid-plate,a new isolation design method has been mentioned while the elastic sliding bearings are set at the top of the mid-columns and between the side end of the mid-plate and the side wall at the same time.By establishing a nonlinear finite element analysis model for the static-dynamic coupling interaction system,the seismic response characteristics of the cast-in-place station structure without a sliding bearing have been analyzed and compared with those of the station structure with the sliding bearing fixed only at the top of the middle columns,and those of the station structure with sliding bearing be fixed between the mid-plate and the sidewall at the same time.The results show that the new isolation station structures suffer fewer earthquake damages at the mid-plate and mid-columns at the same time,which can improve the overall seismic performance of the subway station structure.

Shaking table test and cumulative deformation evaluation analysis of a tunnel across the hauling sliding surface

To explore the cumulative deformation effect of the dynamic response of a tunnel crossing the hauling sliding surface under earthquakes,the shaking table test was conducted in this study.Combined with the numerical calculations,this study proposed magnification of the Arias intensity(MIa)to characterize the overall local deformation damage of the tunnel lining in terms of the deformation characteristics,frequency domain,and energy.Using the time‐domain analysis method,the plastic effect coefficient(PEC)was proposed to characterize the degree of plastic deformation,and the applicability of the seismic cumulative failure effect(SCFE)was discussed.The results show that the low‐frequency component(f1 and f2≤10 Hz)and the high‐frequency component(f3 and f4>10 Hz)acceleration mainly cause global and local deformation of the tunnel lining.The local deformation caused by the high‐frequency wave has an important effect on the seismic damage of the lining.The physical meaning of PEC is more clearly defined than that of the residual strain,and the SCFE of the tunnel lining can also be defined.The SCFE of the tunnel lining includes the elastic deformation effect stage(<0.15g),the elastic–plastic deformation effect stage(0.15g–0.30g),and the plastic deformation effect stage(0.30g–0.40g).This study can provide valuable theoretical and technical support for the construction of traffic tunnels in high‐intensity earthquake areas.

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.

Locating the Source Regions of the Single and Double-Frequency Microseisms to Investigate the Source Effects on HVSR in Site Effect Analysis

Evaluating the seismic site effect by the ambient noise based horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio(HVSR)method is strongly affected by the spatial and temporal variations of the ambient noise sources.Therefore,it is necessary to locate the source regions of ambient noise and investigate the relationships between the source energy and HVSR values at the predominant frequency(HVSRf_(0))of the site.The generation mechanisms of the single-and double-frequency microseisms(SFMs,0.05-0.085 Hz and DFMs,0.1-0.5 Hz)in ambient noise are better understood than the noise in other frequency bands and they are dominantly composed of fundamental Rayleigh(Rg)waves.With this advantage,the recordings of SFMs and DFMs at 30 stations in the east coast region of the United States are used to demonstrate a study on locating their source regions with reasonable certainty and constructing the functional relationship between the HVSRf_(0) and the source energy of SFMs and DFMs.The recordings are processed in four sub-frequency bands(Fs)of SF and DF bands and a polarization analysis is carried out to select the ellipsoids approximating the particle motions of Rg waves.Then the probability density functions of the back azimuths of the ellipsoids’semi-major axes are computed for each F and station,and are projected on the ocean to determine their possible source regions.These regions are further constrained by(1)the correlation coefficients between the SFMs and the WAVEWATCHⅢ(WWⅢ)hindcasts of ocean wave spectra in the SF band,or between the DFMs and the modeled DF energy on ocean surface in the selected time windows in the DF band,(2)the energy contribution defined by(i)the average WWⅢocean wave energy and the ocean bottom topographical gradient in the SF band,or(ii)the average modeled DF energy on ocean surface and a frequency and water depth dependent coefficient measuring the conversion efficiency of DF energy from water to solid earth in the DF band,and(3)the percentile retained energy of Rg waves in both the SF and DF bands.Results of source regions reveal that(1)the SFMs recorded in eastern US result from the interactions of low frequency(0.05-0.085 Hz)ocean waves with the continental slope and shelf of western North Atlantic Ocean;(2)the source regions for long-(0.1-0.2 Hz)period DFMs are located in the deep ocean close to the continental slope;and(3)the short-(0.2–0.5 Hz)period DFMs are generated in the continental shelf.Finally,the correlation analyses between the simulated source energy and the HVSRf_(0) values at the stations whose f_(0) s fall in DF band are carried out revealing significant source effect on thick sediments at low frequencies.