Dynamic Geotechnical Characterization for the Microzonation of the Seismic Area of Catania

The present study is part of a research programme, namely Detailed Scenarios and Actions for Seismic Prevention of Damage in the Urban Area of Catania , financed by the National Department for the Civil Protection and National Research Council – National Group for the Defence Against Earthquake (CNR – GNDT). Among the objectives of the project there are in particular the geotechnical characterisation of soils of the city of Catania and the evaluation of site effects due to local site amplification phenomena. The investigation program was performed in seven different test areas of Catania. One of which is the Plaja beach sand site. The sand soil was also used to study soil-retaining wall interaction by means of the shaking table. These experiments require an accurate definition of geotechnical characterisation of soil. To define the mechanical behaviour of Catania sand a large number of static and dynamic laboratory tests were performed on dry reconstituted specimens. The static tests includes direct shear tests performed on specimens reconstituted by pluvial deposition method with different relative density Dr. To evaluate the equivalent shear modulus Geq and damping ratio D, resonant column tests were performed by mean of Resonant Column apparatus. Particular attention was devoted to the shear modulus at very small strain (γ \u3c 10-3 %) where the soil behaviour is supposed to be elastic and at intermediate strain level (from 10-3 % to 0.5 %) for simulating the prefailure deformation during the shaking table tests. The behaviour of soil at intermediate strain level is relevant for the serviceability limit state according the European Codes (EC7 and EC8). Finally, two expressions to allow the complete shear modulus degradation with strain level and the inverse variation of damping ratio with normalised shear modulus respectively were proposed

Site Response Analysis in the STM-M6 Industrial Area of the City of Catania (Italy)

The paper presents the case history of the geotechnical characterization of a seismic site for the re-use of an industrial building for producing solar panels in the industrial area of Catania (Sicily, Italy). To determine the geological profile and the geotechnical characteristics of the soil, the site was well investigated by means of in situ and laboratory tests. The following in situ geotechnical tests were carried out: Borings, SPT, CPT, PLT and dynamic in situ tests. Among them Down-Hole (D-H), Cross-Hole (C-H), SASW and recently Seismic Dilatometer Marchetti Tests (SDMT) have been carried out, with the aim to evaluate the soil profile of shear waves velocity (Vs). Moreover the following laboratory tests were carried out on undisturbed samples retrieved with a 86 mm diameter Shelby sampler: Oedometer tests, Direct shear tests, Resonant Column and Torsional shear tests. Static and dynamic parameters obtained by in situ and laboratory tests were reported and analyzed. Moreover the Sicilian earthquake of December 13, 1990 (ML= 5.4) heavy damaged the site, also due to soil amplification. Using the recordings of this earthquake, to evaluate the input motion at the conventional bedrock, the ground response analysis has been obtained by the 1-D non-linear code EERA at the industrial building site. In particular the study has regarded the evaluation of site effects in terms of acceleration time history at the surface, soil amplification factors, as well as in terms of time history and response spectra

Dynamic Geotechnical Characterization of San Giuliano Di Puglia Seismic Area

The city of San Giuliano di Puglia (CB), located in the Molise region in Southern Italy, is prone to high seismic risk. For site characterisation of soil deep site investigations have been undertaken. Borings, static and dynamic in situ tests have been performed. Among them Cone Penetration Tests (CPT), Cross-Hole (C-H) Down-Hole (D-H) and Seismic Dilatometer Marchetti Tests (SDMT) have been carried out, with the aim to evaluate the soil profile of shear waves velocity (Vs). Moreover the following laboratory tests were carried out on undisturbed samples: Oedometer tests, undrained Triaxial tests and Resonant Column tests. The available data enabled one to compare the shear waves velocity profile obtained by empirical correlations, Down Hole tests and Seismic Dilatometer Marchetti Tests. The influence of strain level on G-γ and D-γ curves was evaluated by means of laboratory tests. Two expression to allows the complete shear modulus degradation with strain level and the inverse variation of damping ratio with normalized shear modulus respectively were proposed. Finally after evaluating the synthetic accelerograms at the bedrock, the ground response analysis at the surface, in terms of time history and response spectra, has been obtained by two non-linear models GEODIN and EERA

Dynamic Site Characterization by the Seismic Dilatometer Marchetti Test in Central Italy

This paper describes and compares the results of in situ and laboratory investigations performed on two Italian sites: St. Giuliano di Puglia (CB) located in the Molise region and Tito Scalo (PZ) located in the Basilicata Region. The tests were carried out to determine the variation of shear wave velocity with depth and strain level by Seismic Dilatometer Marchetti Test (SDMT), Cone Penetration Test (CPT), Noise Analysis Surface Waves (NASW), Down-Hole (DH) Test and Resonant Column Tests (RCT). Some considerations on shear modulus degradation evaluation by SDMT are proposed. The available data also enabled one to compare the shear modulus profile obtained by empirical correlations based on CPT and NASW or laboratory results with Down Hole Test and Seismic Dilatometer Marchetti Test

Topographic Site Effects Evaluation for the Monte Po Hill in the City of Catania (Italy)

The Monte Po Hill is located in the North-eastern part of the city of Catania; this area is prone to high seismic risk due to the presence of several constructions, including a school, in the vicinity of a toe of a slope, characterized by precarious stability conditions. The study has regarded the evaluation of site effects in correspondence of the site, to which corresponds a different value of the Seismic Geotechnical Hazard. In the beginning of 2007 a seismic station has been also located into the school building, with the aim of recording seismic events. Seismograms obtained by the seismic station have been also used to evaluate the ground response analysis at the surface. Finally the 1-D computer code EERA was also used to model the equivalent-linear earthquake site response analyses of layered soil deposits of the hill. The detail with which the hill has been studied has allowed the construction of a detailed 2-D model of its structure. It has been explored the differences between the computed ground motion for different Vs profiles using QUAD4M and QUAKE/W 2-D codes. It has been also possible to compare the results from different 1-D models reflecting current approaches to the determination of site response

Telemedicine and home care: controversies and opportunities

Summary This review focuses on the prospects, and possible drawbacks, of a new innovative instrument of care known as "home telehealth", "telecare" or "telemedicine". The main results from utilising telemedicine in respiratory diseases (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as the illustrative conditions) are presented. A principal goal of telemedicine is to improve access to healthcare services. During this process, savings in time and travel costs should be achieved, thereby rationalising access to medical care. The field of telemedicine is relatively new and expanding. In order to establish evidencebased guidelines for the design and implementation of disease management plans that employ telemedicine, further research is required. Telemedicine is not simply "technology" but an innovative medical approach (based more on a dedicated healthcare team than on high-tech instruments) that will help the medical team to care for patients and their families. In the future, it is hoped that telemedicine will form a valuable part of the disease management process, because, when used intelligently, home telehealth should supplement conventional delivery techniques and not replace them

Static and dynamic soil characterization at Roio Piano (AQ)

Following the 6 April 2009 earthquake which hit the Abruzzo region, numerous static and dynamic field soil characterizations have been performed, in order to analyze the seismic response of soils (GRASSO et al. 2005, LANZO et al., 2011, MAUGERI et al., 2011) and recover or retrofit buildings and important historical monuments. Among the numerous on-site investigations which took place in different parts of L'Aquila province, this paper reports the site investigations at Roio Piano. In particular, the results from in situ Seismic Dilatometer Marchetti Tests (SDMT) and soil laboratory tests are reported. As regards dynamic laboratory tests, the resonant column test was used to evaluate the soil geotechnical parameters in terms of the shear modulus G-γ and damping ratio D-γ

Soil Liquefaction and Risk Analysis From in Situ Tests for the City of Trapani (Italy)

The paper deals with a microzoning criterion based on CPT data to define liquefaction risk of the city of Trapani, Sicily (Italy). Zonation for liquefaction is a fundamental issue to prevent from seismic disasters since, as lessons of past earthquakes teach, liquefaction of sandy soils has been a major cause of damage to buildings. For the evaluation of the seismic risk of the municipal area of Trapani it has been chosen a scenario earthquake which may represent a possible repetition of the 1968 event. For this earthquake a Richter magnitude M= 6.0 and a maximum ground acceleration amax-= 0.30g have been estimated. While new tools and refinements continue to be developed on the subjects of pore pressure build-up due to earthquake shaking and of liquefaction triggering, reliable evaluation methods already exist for liquefaction microzonation purposes. This study focuses on the application of a method for the evaluation of the liquefaction potential to several sites of the city of Trapani, by means of relationships between liquefaction resistance and corrected cone penetration tests (CPT) resistance

Geotechnical Characterization of a Soft Clay Soil Subjected to a Preloading Embankment

The paper presents the geotechnical characterization of a clay soil subjected to a preloading embankment for the construction of an industrial electronics building in the industrial area (STM M6) of Catania (Sicily, Italy). To determine the geological profile and the geotechnical characteristics of the soil, the site was well investigated by means of in situ and laboratory tests. The following in situ geotechnical tests were carried out: Borings, SPT, CPT, PLT and dynamic in situ tests have been performed. Among them Down-Hole (D-H), Cross-Hole (C-H), SASW and recently Seismic Dilatometer Marchetti Tests (SDMT) have been carried out, with the aim to evaluate the soil profile of shear waves velocity (Vs). Moreover the following laboratory tests were carried out on undisturbed samples retrieved with a 86 mm diameter Shelby sampler: Oedometer tests, Direct shear tests, Triaxial Tests, Resonant Column and Torsional shear tests. Static and dynamic parameters were compared by in situ and laboratory tests. A significantly correspondence between the values of the geotechnical parameters derived from laboratory and in situ tests was observed. The in situ and laboratory geotechnical analysis gives the parameters to evaluate the performance of soil subjected to soil embankment by mathematical modeling

Observational and Modelling Study of a Major Downburst Event in Liguria : the 14 October 2016 Case

Downbursts are very disruptive weather events that can produce large amounts of damage. The most studied downbursts are those occurring in the United States and continental Europe, but they can happen globally. This work is an observational and modelling analysis of a major downburst event that occurred on 14 October 2016 over eastern Liguria (Italy). This downburst affected an area 30 km long and 10 km wide, producing observed wind gusts of 40 m/s with major impacts to railways, trees, and houses, with more than 2.5 million euros of damage. First, the general environment influencing this downburst is identified and analyzed, then the event is reproduced with a small multi-physics high-resolution ensemble using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-advanced research WRF (ARW) model, with 1 km horizontal grid spacing. The event was poorly predicted beforehand, and the difficulty in forecasting this event is confirmed by the fact that so few ensemble members suggested the occurrence of damaging winds over eastern Liguria. However, one of the eight members performed well and its output helped to reveal the primary mechanisms for the downburst, suggesting that high-resolution ensembles using mixed physics may be a useful tool for improving the prediction of similar extreme events in the Mediterranean region in the future