Shaking Table Model Test of Isolated Structure on Soft Site and Analysis on Its Isolation Efficiency

Adopting a soft site model built on soft interlayer soil foundation,a shaking table test for soft interlayer soil-isolated structure interaction is conducted to investigate the seismic response of isolated structure on soft site,and analyze its isolation effect.Test results show that the test can reflect the earthquake response characteristics of isolated structure on soft site.It is on soft site that the dynamic characteristics of isolated structure,acceleration magnification factor(AMF)of isolated structure and isolation efficiency of the isolation layer differ from those on rigid foundation with an soil-structure interaction(SSI)effect,represented by the reduction in fundamental vibration frequency of isolated structure and the increase of damping ratio with changes of the SSI effect.SSI can either increase or decrease AMF of isolated structure on soft site,depending on the characteristics of earthquake motion input.Furthermore,the isolation efficiency of isolation layer on soft site is decreased with the SSI effect,which is related to the peak ground acceleration(PGA)and the characteristics of earthquake motion input.

Study on soil-pile-structure-TMD interaction system by shaking table model test

The success of the tuned mass damper (TMD) in reducing wind-induced structural vibrations has been well established. However, from most of the recent numerical studies, it appears that for a structure situated on very soft soil, soil-structure interaction (SSI) could render a damper on the structure totally ineffective. In order to experimentally verify the SSI effect on the seismic performance of TMD, a series of shaking table model tests have been conducted and the results are presented in this paper. It has been shown that the TMD is not as effective in controlling the seismic responses of structures built on soft soil sites due to the SSI effect. Some test results also show that a TMD device might have a negative impact if the SSI effect is neglected and the structure is built on a soft soil site. For structures constructed on a soil foundation, this research verifies that the SSI effect must be carefully understood before a TMD control system is designed to determine if the control is necessary and if the SSI effect must be considered when choosing the optimal parameters of the TMD device.

Test and numerical simulation of a new type of hybrid control technique

In this paper, a new hybrid control technique, based on a combination of base-isolation and semi-active variable stiffness/damping in a superstructure, is presented. To illustrate the efficiency of the proposed control system, model tests on a mini-electromagnetic shaking table and a numerical simulation were performed. The test and numerical calculation results indicate that this new hybrid control mode with additional damping and smaller additional stiffness can achieve a better control efficiency.

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.

Dynamic response characteristics of super high-rise buildings subjected to long-period ground motions

Spectrum characteristics of different types of seismic waves and dynamic response characteristics of super high-rise building structures under long-period ground motions were comparatively analyzed. First, the ground response wave （named LS-R wave） of a soft soil site with deep deposit, taking long-period bedrock seismic record as input, was calculated by wave propagation method. After that, a TOMAKOMAI station long-period seismic record from the Tokachi-Oki earthquake and conventional E1-Centro wave were also chosen. Spectrum characteristics of these waves were analyzed and compared. Then, a series of shaking table tests were performed on a 1：50 scale super high-rise structural model under these seismic waves. Furthermore, numerical simulation of the prototype structure under these excitations was conducted, and structure damages under different intensive ground motions were discussed. The results show that： 1） Spectrum characteristics of ground response wave are significantly influenced by soft soil site with deep deposit, and the predominant period has an increasing trend. 2） The maximum acceleration amplification factor of the structure under the TOM wave is two times that under the E1-Centro wave; while the maximum displacement response of the structure under the TOM wave is 4.4 times that under the E1-Centro wave. Long-period ground motions show greater influences on displacement responses than acceleration responses for super high-rise building structures. 3） Most inelastic damage occurs at the upper 1/3 part of the super high-rise building when subjected to long-period ground motions.

Analysis of the stability and seismic behavior of the geosynthetic-reinforced embankments under earthquake

The stability and seismic behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced embankments during the earthquake is not well known.In this paper,the damage types of embankments were summarized,and the seismic stability of reinforced embankment were analyzed through an earthquake damage investigation in the Wenchuan earthquake region.Then,large-scale shaking table model tests were performed on the geosynthetic-reinforced embankment.The results show that the damage level of the reinforced embankment was almost less than that of the unreinforced embankment.The peak seismic earth pressure was nonlinear along the height of the embankment,the largest peak seismic earth pressure was roughly in the middle of the embankment slope.The peak ground accelerations(PGA)amplification factor first showed an increasing pattern and then a decreasing pattern with the increase of elevation,but there was a final increasing trend along the height of the reinforced embankment.The results can help to establish the proper design of the reinforcement embankments under earthquake conditions.