Study on the tunnel shape and soil-lining interaction influencing the lining behavior under seismic loading

The response of tunnels subjected to seismic loading is a complex mechanism and depends not only on the seismic nature but also on tunnel structure and surrounding soil properties.The individual behavior of circular,rectangular,and sub-rectangular tunnels subjected to seismic loadings has already been studied in the literature.In the present research,two case scenarios of circular,rectangular tunnels and four sub-rectangular shaped tunnels,with similar cross-section areas,were adopted to perform a comprehensive numerical investigation.The purpose of the study was to determine the mechanical behavior of tunnels of different shapes,depending upon seismic conditions.Analyses were performed by considering the influence of soil-lining interaction,soil parameters,and lining thickness,as well as lining rigidity.Computations were performed for no-slip and full-slip conditions.The results indicate that the tunnel shape design is of great importance when regarding the mechanical behavior of the surrounding soil.This concerns no-slip as well as full-slip soil-lining interaction,especially when the lining is subjected to seismic loading.Moreover,it is shown that changes in incremental bending moments for circular,rectangular and sub-rectangular tunnels that depend upon the soil-lining interaction conditions differ significantly.

Slope stability analysis under seismic load by vector sum analysis method

The vibration characteristics and dynamic responses of rock and soil under seismic load can be estimated with dynamic finite element method （DFEM）. Combining with the DFEM, the vector sum analysis method （VSAM） is employed in seismic stability analysis of a slope in this paper. Different from other conventional methods, the VSAM is proposed based on the vector characteristic of force and current stress state of the slope. The dynamic stress state of the slope at any moment under seismic load can he obtained by the DFEM, thus the factor of safety of the slope at any moment during earthquake can be easily obtained with the VSAM in consideration of the DFEM. Then, the global stability of the slope can be estimated on the basis of time-history curve of factor of safety and reliability theory. The VSAM is applied to a homogeneous slope under seismic load. The factor of safety of the slope is 1.30 under gravity only and the dynamic factor of safety under seismic load is 1.21. The calculating results show that the dynamic characteristics and stability state of the slope with input ground motion can be actually analyzed. It is believed that the VSAM is a feasible and practical approach to estimate the dynamic stability of slopes under seismic load.

Earth slope reliability analysis under seismic loadings using neural network

A new method was proposed to cope with the earth slope reliability problem under seismic loadings. The algorithm integrates the concepts of artificial neural network, the first order second moment reliability method and the deterministic stability analysis method of earth slope. The performance function and its derivatives in slope stability analysis under seismic loadings were approximated by a trained multi-layer feed-forward neural network with differentiable transfer functions. The statistical moments calculated from the performance function values and the corresponding gradients using neural network were then used in the first order second moment method for the calculation of the reliability index in slope safety analysis. Two earth slope examples were presented for illustrating the applicability of the proposed approach. The new method is effective in slope reliability analysis. And it has potential application to other reliability problems of complicated engineering structure with a considerably large number of random variables.

A computational platform for considering the effects of aerodynamic and seismic load combination for utility scale horizontal axis wind turbines

The wide deployment of wind turbines in locations with high seismic hazard has led engineers to take into account a more comprehensive seismic design of such structures. Turbine specific guidelines usually use simplified methods and consider many assumptions to combine seismic demand with the other operational loads effecting the design of these structures. As the turbines increase in size and capacity, the interaction between seismic loads and aerodynamic loads becomes even more important. In response to the need for a computational tool that can perform coupled simulations of wind and seismic loads, a seismic module is developed for the FAST code and described in this research. This platform allows engineers working in this industry to directly consider interaction between seismic and other environmental loads for turbines. This paper details the practical application and theory of this platform and provides examples for the use of different capabilities. The platform is then used to show the suitable earthquake and operational load combination with the implicit consideration of aerodynamic damping by estimating appropriate load factors.

Topology optimization of shear wall structures under seismic loading

A topology optimization formulation is developed to find the stiffest structure with desirable material distribution subjected to seismic loads. Finite element models of the structures are generated and the optimality criteria method is modified using a simple penalty approach and introducing fictitious strain energy to simultaneously consider both material volume and displacement constraints. Different types of shear walls with/without opening are investigated. Additionally, the effects of shear wall-frame interaction for single and coupled shear walls are studied. Gravity and seismic loads are applied to the shear walls so that the definitions provide a practical approach for locating the critical parts of these structures. The results suggest new viewpoints for architectural and structural engineering for placement of openings.

Structural System to Resist Seismic Loads on High Rise Reinforced Concrete Structures

The forces of nature represent the biggest challenge for engineering work in general and perhaps the most prominent of these forces. This generated by earthquake where engineering structure is exposed abnormal loads and stresses which places areal burden on structural engineers to find solutions and structural systems to increase resistance and effectiveness of engineering structure especially high rise concrete structures.

Behaviour of Earth Dam under Seismic Load Considering Nonlinearity of the Soil

The stability and safety are very important issues for the dam structure which are built in seismic regions. The dam body consists of soil materials that behave nonlinearly modelled with finite elements. The numerical investigation employs a fully nonlinear finite element analysis considering linear and elastic-plastic constitutive model to describe the material properties of the soil. In this paper, seismic analysis of an earthen dam is carried out using Geo-Studio software based on finite element method. Initially, the in-situ stress state analysis has been done before the earthquake established, and then its results are used in the seismic analysis as a parent analysis. A complete parametric study is carried out to identify the effects of input motion characteristics, soil behaviour and strength of the shell and core materials on the dynamic response of earthen dams. The real earthquake record is used as input motions. The analysis gives the overall pattern of the dam behaviour in terms of contours of displacements and stresses.

Dynamic behavior of single-layer latticed cylindrical shells subjected to seismic loading

The single-layer latticed cylindrical shell is one of the most widely adopted space-fl'amed structures.In this paper,free vibration properties and dynamic response to horizontal and vertical seismic waves of single-layer latticed cylindrical shells are analyzed by the finite element method using ANSYS software.In the numerical study,where hundreds of cases were analyzed,the parameters considered included rise-span ratio,length-span ratio,surface load and member section size.Moreover,to better define the actual behavior of single-layer latticed shells,the study is focused on the dynamic stress response to both axial forces and bending moments.Based on the numerical results,the effects of the parameters considered on the stresses are discussed and a modified seismic force coefficient method is suggested.In addition,some advice based on these research results is presented to help in the future design of such structures.

STABILITY ANALYSIS OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL LANDSLIDES SUBJECTED TO SEISMIC LOADS

In the past, the pseudo-static method used to be the most common for evaluating the stability of landslides under seismic loads, in which static forces acting on the center of gravity of a sliding body are used to consider the effects of earthquake. However, seismic loads of rock and soil differ from time and location to time and location. Obviously, it is irrational for the pseudo-static approach to be applied to solving dynamic problems. In this paper, a displacement- pseudo-dynamic model is proposed to assess seismic stability of landslides, in which the sinusoidal- cosinusoidal wave is applied to simulating earthquake displacement, and an ＂amplification factor＂ of peak seismic displacement is referred to as the amplification of seismic wave when it propagates from the bottom to the top of the landslide. The effects of physico-mechanical behaviors of a sliding body on seismic stability of soil slopes are taken into account as well as inertia forces and damping forces. The sensitivity analyses on the permanent displacement and the dynamic factor of safety of landslides are studied in detail. Moreover, a large-scale Tangjiashan landslide that occurred in Wenchuan earthquake is investigated to verify the robustness and precision of the present method. It is found that the results from the present method is in good agreement with those from the previous method.

Hysteretic Model for Corroded Rectangular Reinforced Concrete Bridge Column Under Seismic Loading

Additional hysteretic experiments for corroded rectangular reinforced concrete(RC)columns with an axial load ratio of 0.27 were implemented.A quasi-static cyclic lateral loading with constant axial force was subjected to tests.Herein,a modified ductility factor model for corroded RC column is developed on the basis of the previous work and additional experiments.The model involves the influence of both the corrosion ratio of longitudinal rebar and the axial load ratio.A four-linear envelope curve model concerning lateral load and displacement is proposed in a combination of determination rules of the peak point and the failure strength point.The hysteretic model of corroded RC columns is developed by considering both degraded unloading stiffness and reloading stiffness on the history peak point.The hysteretic model can predict the residual life of corroded RC columns under seismic loading.

Numerical modeling of a tunnel in jointed rocks subjected to seismic loading

The studies on the performance of tunnels under static loads are reported extensively in the literature but their performances under dynamic loads are limited.The present study highlights some of the important aspects of jointed rock tunnels during seismic loading.The literature review provides a shake table experimental study of a jointed rock tunnel.A Universal Distinct Element Code(UDEC)model is developed from this shake table experiment.The model tunnel is subjected to a scaled input motion of the 1985 Mexico earthquake.The numerical results are validated systematically with the findings of the shake table experiment.Further,the developed numerical model is used to perform parametric studies to understand the effect of in-situ stress,joint angles,joint stiffness,and joint friction angle on the deformation and stability of the tunnel under the same earthquake input motion.It is observed that some joint angle combinations form a wedge that yields excessive deformation and subsequently a complete failure.An exponential decrease in deformation occurred in the tunnel as the joint stiffness increases.It is found that the shallow tunnels are more susceptible to damage under the action of earthquake loads.

Probabilistic analysis of tunnel face seismic stability in layered rock masses using Polynomial Chaos Kriging metamodel

Face stability is an essential issue in tunnel design and construction.Layered rock masses are typical and ubiquitous;uncertainties in rock properties always exist.In view of this,a comprehensive method,which combines the Upper bound Limit analysis of Tunnel face stability,the Polynomial Chaos Kriging,the Monte-Carlo Simulation and Analysis of Covariance method(ULT-PCK-MA),is proposed to investigate the seismic stability of tunnel faces.A two-dimensional analytical model of ULT is developed to evaluate the virtual support force based on the upper bound limit analysis.An efficient probabilistic analysis method PCK-MA based on the adaptive Polynomial Chaos Kriging metamodel is then implemented to investigate the parameter uncertainty effects.Ten input parameters,including geological strength indices,uniaxial compressive strengths and constants for three rock formations,and the horizontal seismic coefficients,are treated as random variables.The effects of these parameter uncertainties on the failure probability and sensitivity indices are discussed.In addition,the effects of weak layer position,the middle layer thickness and quality,the tunnel diameter,the parameters correlation,and the seismic loadings are investigated,respectively.The results show that the layer distributions significantly influence the tunnel face probabilistic stability,particularly when the weak rock is present in the bottom layer.The efficiency of the proposed ULT-PCK-MA is validated,which is expected to facilitate the engineering design and construction.

Optimal seismic design of reinforced concrete structures under timehistory earthquake loads using an intelligent hybrid algorithm

A reliable seismic-resistant design of structures is achieved in accordance with the seismic design codes by designing structures under seven or more pairs of earthquake records. Based on the recommendations of seismic design codes, the average time-history responses （ATHR） of structure is required. This paper focuses on the optimal seismic design of reinforced concrete （RC） structures against ten earthquake records using a hybrid of particle swarm optimization algorithm and an intelligent regression model （IRM）. In order to reduce the computational time of optimization procedure due to the computational efforts of time-history analyses, IRM is proposed to accurately predict ATHR of structures. The proposed IRM consists of the combination of the subtractive algorithm （SA）, K-means clustering approach and wavelet weighted least squares support vector machine （WWLS-SVM）. To predict ATHR of structures, first, the input-output samples of structures are classified by SA and K-means clustering approach. Then, WWLS-SVM is trained with few samples and high accuracy for each cluster. 9- and 18-storey RC frames are designed optimally to illustrate the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed IRM. The numerical results demonstrate the efficiency and computational advantages of IRM for optimal design of structures subjected to time-history earthquake loads.

Contribution of tuned liquid column gas dampers to the performance of offshore wind turbines under wind, wave, and seismic excitations

The main intention of the present study is to reduce wind, wave, and seismic induced vibrations of jacket- type offshore wind turbines （JOWTs） through a newly developed vibration absorber, called tuned liquid column gas damper （TLCGD）. Using a Simulink-based model, an analytical model is developed to simulate global behavior of JOWTs under different dynamic excitations. The study is followed by a parametric study to explore efficiency of the TLCGD in terms of nacelle acceleration reduction under wind, wave, and earthquake loads. Study results indicate that optimum frequency of the TLCGD is rather insensitive to excitation type. In addition, while the gain in vibration control from TLCGDs with higher mass ratios is generally more pronounced, heavy TLCGDs are more sensitive to their tuned frequency such that ill-regulated TLCGD with high mass ratio can lead to destructive results. It is revealed that a well regulated TLCGD has noticeable contribution to the dynamic response of the JOWT under any excitation.

Comparison of seismic stability for slopes with tensile strength cut-off and cracks

The strength of geomaterials is typically predicted by the Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion in slope stability analysis.The tensile strength of soils in this yield criterion,which is an extrapolation of the triaxial compression test results,is usually overestimated.Generally,the influences of tensile stresses in slopes are evaluated by two approaches:1)introducing cracks to eliminate the tensile stresses in slopes,and 2)truncating the strength envelope to reduce the tensile strength of the soils.However,comparative analyses of the two approaches have not been fully implemented,especially under dynamic conditions.In this study,three slope failure mechanisms corresponding to the predictions of slope stability by the mentioned two approaches subjected to seismic loadings are systematically evaluated.The stability factor considering the pre-existing crack,crack formation,and tension cut-off are compared one another.The most unfavorable crack locations corresponding to the different mechanisms are evaluated.The influence of tensile strength on the factor of safety of slopes is estimated as well.Further,the critical acceleration and the permanent displacement of slopes with pre-existing crack,and tension cut-off are derived in the framework of the kinematic theorem of limit analysis.The vertical effects of seismic coefficient on critical acceleration and permanent displacement are discussed.Conclusions can be drawn that the consideration of tension zone effects can sharply reduce the stability factor of slopes,especially for steep slopes and large horizontal seismic loads;different from the static condition,the slope with pre-existing crack is not always the most vulnerable to collapse,the tension cut-off mechanism in steep slopes may predict the lowest stability factor.In addition,the calculation shows that an evidently increase in the slope displacement is induced by the increasing downward vertical loads,while a decrease occurs if the vertical loads are upward.

Seismic stability analysis of slopes with pre-existing slip surfaces

In analyzing seismic stability of a slope with upper bound limit analysis method, the slip surface is often assumed as a log-spiral or plane slip surface. However, due to the presence of a weak layer and unfavorable geological structural surface or a bedrock interface with overlying soft strata, the preexisting slip surface of the slope may be irregular and composed of a series of planes rather than strictly logspiral or plane shape. A computational model is developed for analyzing the seismic stability of slopes with pre-existing slip surfaces. This model is based on the upper bound limit analysis method and can consider the effect of anchor bolts. The soil or rock is deemed to follow the Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion. The slope is divided into multiple block elements along the slip surface. According to the displacement compatibility and the associated flow rule, a kinematic velocity field of the slope can be obtained computationally. The proposed model allows not only calculation of the rate of external work owing to the combined effect of self-weight and seismic loading, but also that of the energy dissipation rate caused by the slip surface, interfaces of block elements and anchorage effect of the anchors. Considering a direct relationship between the rate of external work and the energy dissipation rate, the expressions of yield acceleration and permanent displacement of anchored slopes can be derived. Finally, the validity of this proposed model is illustrated by analysis on three typical slopes. The results showed that the proposed model is more easily formulated and does not need to solve complex equations or time consuming iterations compared with previous methods based on the conditions of force equilibrium.

Generalized response displacement methods for seismic analysis of underground structures with complex cross section

The response displacement method(RDM)is recommended for the seismic analysis of underground structures in the transverse direction for many codes,including bases for design of structures-seismic actions for designing geotechnical works(ISO 23469)and code for seismic design of urban rail transit structures(GB 50909-2014).However,there are some obvious limitations in the application of RDM.Springs and the shear stress of the soil could be approximately evaluated for the structures having a simple cross section,such as rectangular and circular structures.It is necessary to propose simplified seismic analysis methods for structures with complex cross sections.This paper refers to the idea of RDM and proposes three generalized response displacement methods(GRDM).In GRDM1,a part of the soil surrounding a structure is selected to generate a generalized underground structure with a rectangular cross section,and the same analysis model as RDM is applied to analyze the responses of the structure.In GRDM2,a hollow soil model without a generalized structure is used to compute the equivalent load caused by the relative displacement of the soil,and the soil-structure interaction model is applied to calculate the responses of the structure.In GRDM3,a continuous soil model is applied to compute the equivalent load caused by the relative displacement and shear stress of the soil,and the soil-structure interaction model is applied to analyze the responses of the structure,which is the same as the model used in GRDM2.The time-history analysis method(THAM)is used to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed simplified methods.Results show that the error of GRDM1 is about 20%,while the error is only 5%for GRDM2 and GRDM3.Among the three proposed methods,GRDM3 has obvious advantages regarding calculation efficiency and accuracy.Therefore,it is recommended to use GRDM3 for the seismic response analysis of underground structures that have conventional simple or complex cross sections.

Complex of general seismic zoning maps OSR-2017 of Uzbekistan

The quantitative assessment of seismic hazard of Uzbekistan has been examined,and new maps of seismic zoning has been developed.Quasihomogeneous seismological areas and seism-generating zones are considered as seismic sources,based on the analysis of seismotectonic data.The seismological parametrization of seismic sources has been carried out,including determination of parameters of earthquake’s reoccurrence for different power levels,seismic potential and a predominant type motion in the source of occurring earthquakes.The reoccurrence parameters of seismic sources were both determined by directly from Gutenberg-Richter dependence law and using summation and distribution methods.Setting were conducted separately for a sample of strong(M≥5)and weak(M<5)earthquakes.The seismic potential Mmax of seismic active zones was determined by seismological and seismotectonic methods.The predominant type of movement in the faulting for each seismic source is reverse fault.Regional regularities of seismic intensity attenuation with distance of different power levels are determined.The seismic hazard is expressed in points of a macro seismic scale,in velocities and accelerations of ground motions,and it is characterized by calculated seismic intensity with the set probability(P=0.9,P=0.95,P=0.98 and P=0.99)not exceed within 50 years in the constructed maps.In seismic zoning map,the seismic intensity was in average soil conditions.The developed complex of maps considers a number of uncertainties of the input parameters in relation to both incompleteness of initial seismological and seismotectonic data,as well the probabilistic nature of seismic process and seismic intensity.The factors of uncertainty of the input parameters are taken into account by constructing a logic tree.The constructed maps of the general seismic zoning are intended for imple menting antiseismic actions in Uzbekistan.

Comparative Analysis of High-Rise Reinforced Concrete Structures According to International Seismic Design Codes

The field of earthquake engineering and seismology is of great importance to structural engineers around the world. The location, size and consequences of an earthquake are variable depending on several conditions. Surface conditions, boundary/fault type, distance from the boundary and hypocenter are all elements that dictate the outcome of a seismic event. The paper presents a comparison of seismic provisions of two seismic design codes--EC8 （Eurocode 8） and IBC （International Building Code） 2006, to a high-rise reinforced concrete building. The building is irregular and composes of 20 floors. The equivalent lateral force analysis was performed using the well-known structure program--ETABS （Extended 3D Analysis of Building Systems）. Based on the analysis results （inter-storey index, global damage index, storey displacement, inter-storey drift ratio and base shear）, EC8 was found to be conservative when compared with IBC 2006. The conclusion is that for the design and analysis of high-rise reinforced concrete buildings with certain irregularity, EC8 provisions were considered to be conservative.

Seismic Performance Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Box Culverts under Near and Far Fault Seismic Ground Motion Records

Studying the critical response characteristics of reinforced concrete box culverts with diverse geometrical configurations under seismic excitations is a necessary step to develop a reasonable design method. In this work, numerical analysis and assessment of reinforced concrete box culverts for seismic loading in addition to standard static loading from dead and live loads is conducted, aiming to highlight the critical difference in the seismic performances between two and three cell box culverts under near and far-fault ground motion. The results show how and where the seismic loading alters the responses of seismic loading of the models including the effect on safety and failure. The geometrical configurations of the culvert combined with the loading scenarios also significantly influence the magnitude and distribution of the seismic responses. The findings of this work shed light on the critical role of the geometrical configurations and shaking event in the seismic responses of reinforced concrete box culverts and this procedure can be applied as seismic assessment method to any culvert shape, size, and material.