Input and system identification of the Hualien soil–structure interaction system using earthquake response data

This paper presents an input and system identification technique for a soil–structure interaction system using earthquake response data. Identification is carried out on the Hualien large‐scale seismic test structure, which was built in Taiwan for international joint research. The identified quantities are the input ground acceleration as well as the shear wave velocities of the near‐field soil regions and Young's moduli of the shell sections of the structure. The earthquake response analysis on the soil–structure interaction system is carried out using the finite element method incorporating the infinite element formulation for the unbounded layered soil medium and the substructured wave input technique. The criterion function for the parameter estimation is constructed using the frequency response amplitude ratios of the earthquake responses measured at several points of the structure, so that the information on the input motion may be excluded. The constrained steepest descent method is employed to obtain the revised parameters. The simulated earthquake responses using the identified parameters and input ground motion show excellent agreement with the measured responses. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Free‐vibration analysis of a three‐dimensional soil–structure system

A procedure which involves a non‐linear eigenvalue problem and is based on the substructure method is proposed for the free‐vibration analysis of a soil–structure system. In this procedure, the structure is modelled by the standard finite element method, while the unbounded soil is modelled by the scaled boundary finite element method. The fundamental frequency, and the corresponding radiation damping ratio as well as the modal shape are obtained by using inverse iteration. The free vibration of a dam–foundation system, a hemispherical cavity and a hemispherical deposit are analysed in detail. The numerical results are compared with available results and are also verified by the Fourier transform of the impulsive response calculated in the time domain by the three‐dimensional soil–structure–wave interaction analysis procedure proposed in our previous paper. The fundamental frequency obtained by the present procedure is very close to that obtained by Touhei and Ohmachi, but the damping ratio and the imaginary part of modal shape are significantly different due to the different definition of damping ratio. This study shows that although the classical mode‐superposition method is not applicable to a soil–structure system due to the frequency dependence of the radiation damping, it is still of interest in earthquake engineering to evaluate the fundamental frequency and the corresponding radiation damping ratio of the soil–structure system. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Probabilistic evaluation of soil–foundation–structure interaction effects on seismic structural response

Complex seismic behaviour of soil–foundation–structure (SFS) systems together with uncertainties in system parameters and variability in earthquake ground motions result in a significant debate over the effects of soil–foundation–structure interaction (SFSI) on structural response. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of foundation flexibility on the structural seismic response by considering the variability in the system and uncertainties in the ground motion characteristics through comprehensive numerical simulations. An established rheological soil‐shallow foundation–structure model with equivalent linear soil behaviour and nonlinear behaviour of the superstructure has been used. A large number of models incorporating wide range of soil, foundation and structural parameters were generated using a robust Monte‐Carlo simulation. In total, 4.08 million time‐history analyses were performed over the adopted models using an ensemble of 40 earthquake ground motions as seismic input. The results of the analyses are used to rigorously quantify the effects of foundation flexibility on the structural distortion and total displacement of the superstructure through comparisons between the responses of SFS models and corresponding fixed‐base (FB) models. The effects of predominant period of the FB system, linear vs nonlinear modelling of the superstructure, type of nonlinear model used and key system parameters are quantified in terms of different probability levels for SFSI effects to cause an increase in the structural response and the level of amplification of the response in such cases. The results clearly illustrate the risk of underestimating the structural response associated with simplified approaches in which SFSI and nonlinear effects are ignored. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic soil–structure interaction effects on the seismic response of suspension bridges

A stochastic approach has been formulated for the linear analysis of suspension bridges subjected to earthquake excitations. The transfer functions of various responses have been formulated while including the effects of dynamic Soil–Structure Interaction (SSI) via the use of the fixed-base modes of the structure. The excitation has been characterized by the ‘equivalent stationary’ processes corresponding to the free-field motions at each support and by an assumed coherency function between these motions. The proposed formulation considers the non-stationarity in the structural response due to sudden application of excitation by considering (i) the time-dependent frequency response functions, and (ii) the order statistics formulation for the peak factors in evolutionary response processes. The formulation has been illustrated by analysing the seismic response of the Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco for two example excitations conforming to USNRC-specified design spectra. The significance of various governing parameters on the dynamic soil–structure interaction effects on the seismic response of suspension bridges has also been studied. It has been found that the contribution of the vertical component of ground motion to the bridge response increases with increasing soil compliance. Also, the extent to which the spatial variation of ground motion affects the bridge response depends on how significant the SSI effects are. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

A macro‐element model for non‐linear soil–shallow foundation–structure interaction under seismic loads: theoretical development and experimental validation on large scale tests

In this paper, different formulations of a macro‐element model for non‐linear dynamic soil‐structure interaction analyses of structures lying on shallow foundations are first reviewed, and secondly, a novel formulation is introduced, which combines some of the characteristics of previous approaches with several additional features. This macro‐element allows one to model soil‐footing geometric (uplift) and material (soil plasticity) non‐linearities that are coupled through a stiffness degradation model. Footing uplift is introduced by a simple non‐linear elastic model based on the concept of effective foundation width, whereas soil plasticity is treated by means of a bounding surface approach in which a vertical load mapping rule is implemented. This mapping is particularly suited for the seismic loading case for which the proposed model has been conceived. The new macro‐element is subsequently validated using cyclic and dynamic large‐scale laboratory tests of shallow foundations on dense sand, namely: the TRISEE cyclic tests, the Public Works Research Institute and CAMUS IV shaking table tests. Based on this comprehensive validation process against a set of independent experimental results, a unique set of macro‐element parameters for shallow foundations on dense sand is proposed, which can be used to perform predictive analyses by means of the present model. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vertical earthquake response of megawatt‐sized wind turbine with soil‐structure interaction effects

The dynamic response of a wind turbine on monopile is studied under horizontal and vertical earthquake excitations. The analyses are carried out using the finite element program SAP2000. The finite element model of the structure is verified against the results of shake table tests, and the earthquake response of the soil model is verified against analytical solutions of the steady‐state response of homogeneous strata. The focus of the analyses in this paper is the vertical earthquake response of wind turbines including the soil‐structure interaction effects. The analyses are carried out for both a non‐homogeneous stratum and a deep soil using the three‐step method. In addition, a procedure is implemented which allows one to perform coupled soil‐structure interaction analyses by properly tuning the damping in the tower structure. The analyses show amplification of the ground surface acceleration to the top of the tower by a factor of two. These accelerations are capable of causing damage in the turbine and the tower structure, or malfunctioning of the turbine after the earthquake; therefore, vertical earthquake excitation is considered a potential critical loading in design of wind turbines even in low‐to‐moderate seismic areas. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of non-linear soil–structure interaction on seismic response of tall slender structures

Some structures may be very massive and may have to be located on relatively soft soil. In such cases, the soil adjacent to the structure behaves in a non-linear fashion and affects the response of the structure to the dynamic loading. An approximate hybrid approach to analyse soil–structure systems accounting for soil non-linearities has been developed in this paper. The approach combines the consistent infinitesimal finite-element cell method (CIFECM) and the finite-element method (FEM). The CIFECM is employed to model the non-linear (near-field) zone of the soil supporting the structure as a series of bounded media. The material properties of the bounded media are selected so that they are compatible with the average effective strains over the whole bounded medium during the excitation. The linear zone of soil away from the foundation, the far-field, is modelled as an unbounded medium using the CIFECM for unbounded media. The structure itself is represented by the FEM. The proposed method is used to model the dynamic response of a one-mass structure and a TV-tower supported on a homogenous stratum and excited by an earthquake. It was found that the secondary soil non-linearity might increase or decrease the base forces of tall slender structures depending on the type of structure, frequency content of the input motion and the dynamic properties of the near-field soil.     

Estimating the seismic displacement of friction pendulum isolators based on non‐linear response history analysis

A procedure for developing equations that estimate the isolator displacement due to strong ground motion is applied to buildings isolated with the friction pendulum system. The resulting design equations, based on rigorous non‐linear analysis, offer an alternative to the iterative equivalent‐linear methods used by current U.S. building codes. The governing equations of the system are reduced to a form such that the median normalized displacement of the system due to an ensemble of ground motions is found to depend on only the isolation period—a function of the curvature of the isolator—and the friction force at incipient slip normalized by peak ground velocity. The normalization is effective in minimizing the dispersion of the normalized displacement for an ensemble of ground motions, implying that the median normalized displacement is a reliable estimate of response. The design equations reflect the significant (20 to 38%) increase in displacement when the excitation includes two lateral components of ground motion instead of just one component. Equivalent‐linear methods are shown to underestimate by up to 30% the exact median displacement determined by non‐linear response history analysis for one component of ground motion, and building codes include at most a 4.4% increase for a second component. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A lumped parameter model for time‐domain inertial soil‐structure interaction analysis of structures on pile foundations

The paper presents a lumped parameter model for the approximation of the frequency‐dependent dynamic stiffness of pile group foundations. The model can be implemented in commercial software to perform linear or nonlinear dynamic analyses of structures founded on piles taking into account the frequency‐dependent coupled roto‐translational, vertical, and torsional behaviour of the soil‐foundation system. Closed‐form formulas for estimating parameters of the model are proposed with reference to pile groups embedded in homogeneous soil deposits. These are calibrated with a nonlinear least square procedure, based on data provided by an extensive non‐dimensional parametric analysis performed with a model previously developed by the authors. Pile groups with square layout and different number of piles embedded in soft and stiff soils are considered. Formulas are overall well capable to reproduce parameters of the proposed lumped system that can be straightforwardly incorporated into inertial structural analyses to account for the dynamic behaviour of the soil‐foundation system. Some applications on typical bridge piers are finally presented to show examples of practical use of the proposed model. Results demonstrate the capability of the proposed lumped system as well as the formulas efficiency in approximating impedances of pile groups and the relevant effect on the response of the superstructure.     

Wave propagation and soil–structure interaction on a cliff crest during the 1999 Athens Earthquake

During the 1999 Athens Earthquake the town of Adàmes, located on the eastern cliff of the Kifissos river canyon, experienced unexpectedly heavy damage. Despite the significant amplification potential of the slope geometry, topography effects cannot alone explain the uneven damage distribution within a 300 m zone behind the crest, characterized by a rather uniform structural quality. This paper illustrates the important role of soil stratigraphy, material heterogeneity, and soil–structure interaction on the characteristics of ground surface motion. For this purpose, we first perform elastic two-dimensional wave propagation analyses utilizing available geotechnical and seismological data, and validate our results by comparison with aftershock recordings. We then conduct non-linear time-domain simulations that include spatial variability of soil properties and soil–structure interaction effects, to reveal their additive contribution in the topographic motion aggravation.     

Dynamic soil–structure interaction effects on the seismic response of asymmetric buildings

An approach is formulated for the linear analysis of three-dimensional dynamic soil–structure interaction of asymmetric buildings in the time domain, in order to evaluate the seismic response behaviour of torsionally coupled buildings. The asymmetric building is idealized as a single-storey three-dimensional system resting on different soil conditions. The soil beneath the superstructure is modeled as linear elastic solid elements. The contact surface between foundation mat and solid elements of soil is discretised by linear plane interface elements with zero thickness. An interface element is further developed to function between the rigid foundation and soil. As an example, the response of soil–structure interaction of torsionally coupled system under two simultaneous lateral components of El Centro 1940 earthquake records has been evaluated and the effects of base flexibility on the response behaviour of the system are verified.     

Effects of seismic isolation on the seismic response of a California high‐speed rail prototype bridge with soil‐structure and track‐structure interactions

With the launch of the high‐speed train project in California, the seismic risk is a crucial concern to the stakeholders. To investigate the seismic behavior of future California High‐Speed Rail (CHSR) bridge structures, a 3D nonlinear finite‐element model of a CHSR prototype bridge is developed. Soil‐structure and track‐structure interactions are accounted for in this comprehensive numerical model used to simulate the seismic response of the bridge and track system. This paper focuses on examining potential benefits and possible drawbacks of the a priori promising application of seismic isolation in CHSR bridges. Nonlinear time history analyses are performed for this prototype bridge subjected to two bidirectional horizontal historical earthquake ground motions each scaled to two different seismic hazard levels. The effect of seismic isolation on the seismic performance of the bridge is investigated through a detailed comparison of the seismic response of the bridge with and without seismic isolation. It is found that seismic isolation significantly reduces the deck acceleration and the force demand in the bridge substructure (i.e., piers and foundations), especially for high‐intensity earthquakes. However, seismic isolation increases the deck displacement (relative to the pile cap) and the stresses in the rails. These findings imply that seismic isolation can be promisingly applied to CHSR bridges with due consideration of balancing its beneficial and detrimental effects through using appropriate isolators design. The optimum seismic isolator properties can be sought by solving a performance‐based optimum seismic design problem using the nonlinear finite‐element model presented herein. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural seismic response analysis based on multiscale approach of computing fault–structure system

Structural safety for earthquake waves emitted from a nearby fault is a major concern. For a large complex structure, it might be desired to estimate its seismic response by analyzing a fault–structure system: a full three‐dimensional model in which a source fault and a target structure are modeled so that fault processes, wave propagation and amplification processes, and resulting dynamic responses of the structure can be computed numerically. To analyze this fault–structure system, this paper proposes an efficient approach based on multiscale analysis, i.e. waves emitted from the source fault are computed in the entire system in the geological length‐scale; then they are refined in a small part of the system that includes the structure, and the seismic response of the structure is accurately computed in the engineering length‐scale. Using a long highway tunnel as an example, this paper examines the validity of the proposed approach. The usefulness and applicability of the proposed approach to estimate the structural seismic responses are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nonlinear response of surface soil and NTT building due to soil–structure interaction during the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu (Kobe) earthquake

The 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu (Kobe) earthquake brought about enormous damage to structures in the Hanshin and Awaji areas. In this paper the importance of investigating the relationship between ground motion and structural damage is pointed out.

Strong seismic motion was observed at the NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) Building during this earthquake. The structural damage to this building was relatively slight. In order to evaluate the relationship between ground motion and structural damage, it is necessary to assess the effects of the soil–structure interaction. In this study, the seismic response of the building and of the surface soil were evaluated by means of a nonlinear soil–structure interaction analysis using FEM.

It was found that, the nonlinearity of surface soil near the building had a great effect on the soil–structure interaction, especially the rocking of the building.     

Influence of dynamic soil–structure interaction on the nonlinear response and seismic reliability of multistorey systems

A set of reinforced concrete structures with gravitational loads and mechanical properties (strength and stiffness) representative of systems designed for earthquake resistance in accordance with current criteria and methods is selected to study the influence of dynamic soil–structure interaction on seismic response, ductility demands and reliability levels. The buildings are considered located at soft soil sites in the Valley of Mexico and subjected to ground motion time histories simulated in accordance with characteristic parameters of the maximum probable earthquake likely to occur during the system's expected life. For the near‐resonance condition the effects of soil–structure interaction on the ductility demands depend mainly on radiation damping. According to the geometry of the structures studied this damping is strongly correlated with the aspect ratio, obtained by dividing the building height by its width. In this way, for structures with aspect ratio greater than 1.4 the storey and global ductility demands increase with respect to those obtained with the same structures but on rigid base, while for structures with aspect ratio less than 1.4 the ductility demands decrease with respect to those for the structures on rigid base. For the cases when the fundamental period of the structure has values very different from the dominant ground period, soil–structure interaction leads in all cases to a reduction of the ductility demands, independently of the aspect ratio. The reliability index β is obtained as a function of the base shear ratio and of the seismic intensity acting on the nonlinear systems subjected to the simulated motions. The resulting reliability functions are very similar for systems on rigid or on flexible foundation, provided that in the latter case the base rotation and the lateral displacement are removed from the total response of the system. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Probabilistic analysis of soil‐structure interaction effects on the seismic performance of structures

This paper revisits the phenomenon of dynamic soil‐structure interaction (SSI) with a probabilistic approach. For this purpose, a twofold objective is pursued. First, the effect of SSI on inelastic response of the structure is studied considering the prevailing uncertainties. Second, the consequence of practicing SSI provisions of the current seismic design codes on the structural performance is investigated in a probabilistic framework. The soil‐structure system is modeled by the sub‐structure method. The uncertainty in the properties of the soil and the structure is described by random variables that are input to this model. Monte Carlo sampling analysis is employed to compute the probability distribution of the ductility demand of the structure, which is selected as the metrics for the structural performance. In each sample, a randomly generated soil‐structure system is subjected to a randomly selected and scaled ground motion. To comprehensively model the uncertainty in the ground motion, a suite of 3269 records is employed. An extensive parametric study is conducted to cover a wide range of soil‐structure systems. The results reveal the probability that SSI increases the ductility demand of structures designed based on the conventional fixed‐based assumption but built on flexible soil in reality. The results also show it is highly probable that practicing SSI provisions of modern seismic codes increase the ductility demand of the structure. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wavelet‐based non‐stationary response analysis of a friction base‐isolated structure

A wavelet‐based stochastic formulation has been presented in this paper for the seismic analysis of a base‐isolated structural system which is modelled as a two‐degree‐of‐freedom (2‐DOF) system. The ground motion has been modelled as a non‐stationary process (both in amplitude and frequency) by using modified Littlewood–Paley basis wavelets. The proposed formulation is based on replacing the non‐linear system by an equivalent linear system with time‐dependent damping properties. The expressions of the instantaneous damping and the power spectral density function (PSDF) of the superstructure response have been obtained in terms of the functionals of input wavelet coefficients. The proposed formulation has been validated by simulating a ground motion process. The effect of the frequency non‐stationarity on the non‐linear response has also been studied in detail, and it has been clearly shown how ignoring the frequency non‐stationarity in the ground motion leads to inaccurate non‐linear response calculations. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of frequency‐dependent soil–structure interaction on the fragility of R/C bridges

Bridge performance under earthquake loading can be significantly influenced by the interaction between the structure and the supporting soil. Even though the frequency dependence of the interaction mentioned in this study has long been documented, the simplifying assumption that the dynamic stiffness is dominated by the mean or predominant excitation frequency is still commonly made, primarily as a result of the associated numerical difficulties when the analysis has to be performed in the time domain. This study makes use of the advanced lumped parameter models recently developed 1 in order to quantify the impact of the assumption on the predicted fragility of bridges mentioned in this study. This is achieved by comparing the predicted vulnerability for the case of a reference, well studied, actual bridge using both conventional, frequency‐independent, Kelvin–Voigt models and the aforementioned lumped parameter formulation. Analysis results demonstrate that the more refined consideration of frequency dependence of soil–structure interaction at the piers and the abutments of a bridge not only leads to different probabilities of failure for given intensity measures but also leads to different hierarchy and distribution of damage within the structure for the same set of earthquake ground motions even if the overall probability of exceeding a given damage state is the same. The paper concludes with the comparative assessment of the effect for different soil conditions, foundation configurations, and ground motion characteristics mentioned in this study along with the relevant analysis and design recommendations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

RC pile–soil interaction analysis using a 3D‐finite element method with fibre theory‐based beam elements

To evaluate the overall response of a structural system including its foundation and surrounding soil, an equivalent finite element model with reduced degrees of freedom using fibre theory‐based beam element was proposed. The proposed model was based on investigations of the subgrade soil reaction of a single‐layer model, and was verified for the cyclic behaviour of a laterally loaded single RC pile in terms of the load–displacement relationship, pile deformation, and soil pressures on the pile surface. Also investigated was the effect of the interfacial element between pile and soil on the behaviour of the laterally loaded pile. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Earthquake soil‐structure interaction of nuclear power plants,differences in response to 3‐D, 3 × 1‐D,and 1‐D excitations

In soil‐structure interaction modeling of systems subjected to earthquake motions, it is classically assumed that the incoming wave field, produced by an earthquake, is unidimensional and vertically propagating. This work explores the validity of this assumption by performing earthquake soil‐structure interaction modeling, including explicit modeling of sources, seismic wave propagation, site, and structure. The domain reduction method is used to couple seismic (near‐field) simulations with local soil‐structure interaction response. The response of a generic nuclear power plant model computed using full earthquake soil‐structure interaction simulations is compared with the current state‐of‐the‐art method of deconvolving in depth the (simulated) free‐field motions, recorded at the site of interest, and assuming that the earthquake wave field is spatially unidimensional. Results show that the 1‐D wave‐field assumption does not hold in general. It is shown that the way in which full 3‐D analysis results differ from those which assume a 1‐D wave field is dependent on fault‐to‐site geometry and motion frequency content. It is argued that this is especially important for certain classes of soil‐structure systems of which nuclear power plants subjected to near‐field earthquakes are an example.