Modeling seismic wave propagation and amplification in 1D/2D/3D linear and nonlinear unbounded media

To analyze seismic wave propagation in geological structures, it is possible to consider various numerical approaches: the finite difference method, the spectral element method, the boundary element method, the finite element method, the finite volume method, etc. All these methods have various advantages and drawbacks. The amplification of seismic waves in surface soil layers is mainly due to the velocity contrast between these layers and, possibly, to topographic effects around crests and hills. The influence of the geometry of alluvial basins on the amplification process is also know to be large. Nevertheless, strong heterogeneities and complex geometries are not easy to take into account with all numerical methods. 2D/3D models are needed in many situations and the efficiency/accuracy of the numerical methods in such cases is in question. Furthermore, the radiation conditions at infinity are not easy to handle with finite differences or finite/spectral elements whereas it is explicitely accounted in the Boundary Element Method. Various absorbing layer methods (e.g. F-PML, M-PML) were recently proposed to attenuate the spurious wave reflections especially in some difficult cases such as shallow numerical models or grazing incidences. Finally, strong earthquakes involve nonlinear effects in surficial soil layers. To model strong ground motion, it is thus necessary to consider the nonlinear dynamic behaviour of soils and simultaneously investigate seismic wave propagation in complex 2D/3D geological structures! Recent advances in numerical formulations and constitutive models in such complex situations are presented and discussed in this paper. A crucial issue is the availability of the field/laboratory data to feed and validate such models.Comment: of International Journal Geomechanics (2010) 1-1

Advanced computation methods for soil-structure interaction analysis of structures resting on soft soils

© 2017, © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Adopting the most accurate and realistic modelling technique and computation method for treatment of dynamic soil–structure interaction (SSI) effects in seismic analysis and design of structures resting on soft soil deposits is one of the most discussed and challenging issues in the field of seismic design and requalification of different structures. In this study, a comprehensive critical review has been carried out on available and well-known modelling techniques and computation methods for dynamic SSI analysis. Discussing and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of employing each method, in this study, the most precise and reliable modelling technique as well as computation method have been identified and proposed to be employed in studying dynamic SSI analysis of structures resting on soft soil deposits

Seismic site effects in a deep alluvial basin: numerical analysis by the boundary element method

The main purpose of the paper is the numerical analysis of seismic site effects in Caracas (Venezuela). The analysis is performed considering the boundary element method in the frequency domain. A numerical model including a part of the local topography is considered, it involves a deep alluvial deposit on an elastic bedrock. The amplification of seismic motion (SH-waves, weak motion) is analyzed in terms of level, occurring frequency and location. In this specific site of Caracas, the amplification factor is found to reach a maximum value of 25. Site effects occur in the thickest part of the basin for low frequencies (below 1.0 Hz) and in two intermediate thinner areas for frequencies above 1.0 Hz. The influence of both incidence and shear wave velocities is also investigated. A comparison with microtremor recordings is presented afterwards. The results of both numerical and experimental approaches are in good agreement in terms of fundamental frequencies in the deepest part of the basin. The boundary element method appears to be a reliable and efficient approach for the analysis of seismic site effects

SEISMIC RESPONSE OF R/C FRAMES CONSIDERING DYNAMIC SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION

In spite of the extensive research in dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI), there still exist miscon-ceptions concerning the role of SSI in the seismic performance of structures, especially the ones founded on soft soil. This is due to the fact that current analytical SSI models that are used to evaluate the influence of soil on the overall structural behavior are approximate models and may involve creeds and practices that are not always precise. This is especially true in the codified approaches which in-clude substantial approximations to provide simple frameworks for the design. As the direct numerical analysis requires a high computational effort, performing an analysis considering SSI is computationally uneconomical for regular design applications. This paper outlines the set up some milestones for evaluating SSI models. This will be achieved by investigating the different assumptions and involved factors, as well as varying the configurations of R/C moment-resisting frame structures supported by single footings which are subject to seismic excita-tions. It is noted that the scope of this paper is to highlight, rather than fully resolve, the above subject. A rough draft of the proposed approach is presented in this paper, whereas a thorough illustration will be carried out throughout the presentation in the course of the conference

A simplified nonlinear sway-rocking model for evaluation of seismic response of structures on shallow foundations

This paper presents a simplified Nonlinear Sway-Rocking model as a preliminary design tool for seismic soil-structure interaction analysis. The proposed model is intended to capture the nonlinear load-displacement response of shallow foundations during strong earthquake events where foundation bearing capacity is fully mobilised. Emphasis is given to heavily-loaded structures resting on a saturated clay half-space. The variation of soil stiffness and strength with depth, referred to as soil non-homogeneity, is considered in the model. Although independent springs are utilised for each of the swaying and rocking motions, coupling between these motions is taken into account by expressing the load-displacement relations as functions of the factor of safety against vertical bearing capacity failure (FSv) and the moment-to-shear ratio (M/H). The simplified model has been calibrated and validated against results from a series of static push-over and dynamic analyses performed using a more rigorous finite-difference numerical model. Despite some limitations of the current implementation, the concept of this model gives engineers more degrees of freedom in defining their own model components, providing a good balance between simplicity, flexibility and accuracy

A time-domain approach for the simulation of three-dimensional seismic wave propagation using the scaled boundary finite element method

A direct time-domain approach to simulate seismic wave propagation in three-dimensional unbounded media is proposed based on the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM). A domain of interest is commonly partitioned into a far field and a near field. The far field is modelled by the semi-analytical SBFEM satisfying rigorously the radiation conditions at infinity. Separate scaled boundary finite elements are employed to reach a balance between computational efficiency and accuracy. The near field is discretized into arbitrarily-shaped scaled boundary finite elements without the occurrence of hanging nodes. This advantage of the SBFEM in mesh generation is leveraged by incorporating the automatic octree-based meshing technique. By exploiting the geometrical similarity of both bounded and unbounded SBFE subdomains the computational cost is reduced. Inspired by the Domain Reduction Method (DRM), seismic waves are introduced to the system via a single layer of elements in the near field. This formulation of seismic input is mathematically convenient as it avoids the direct participation of the formulation of the far field. The proposed approach is attractive in a reliable simulation of the far field, flexible mesh generation of the near field and simple formulation of the seismic excitations. These merits are demonstrated through numerical simulations of seismic wave propagation in a free field and different examples featuring complex geometries in the near fields

Optimal implementation of frequency domain impedances in time domain simulations of building structures on embedded foundations

Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) have been studied the last decades, and proper analysis for the linear elastic case in frequency domain has been established successfully. However, SSI is rarely considered in the seismic design of building structures. Regardless of its importance as a significant source of flexibility and energy dissipation, buildings are analyzed using a rigid base assumption, and the design is based on a response spectrum analysis, for which not only the soil, but also time are totally ignored. In a first attempt to improve and to incentivize time domain analyzes compatible with standard finite element packages for the engineering community, the state-of-practice introduces two major simplifications to transform the frequency domain analysis into a time domain analysis: (a) it assumes the frequency at which the impedance value should be read is the flexible-base frequency, and (b) it also assumes that the foundation input motion preserves the phase of the free field motion. Upon these simplifications, the following questions may arise: How does NIST recommendations perform in overall against a full finite element model? Are the embedment effects for shallow foundation not important so that the phase angle can be neglected? What is the best dimensionless frequency to estimate the soil impedance? Is it possible to make a better estimation of the dimensionless frequency to increase the NIST accuracy? In this study, we attempt to address these questions by using an inverse problem formulation