Neural network model for liquefaction potential in soil deposits using Turkey and Taiwan earthquake data

Simplified methods have been practiced by researchers to assess nonlinear liquefaction potential of soil. Derived from several field and laboratory tests, various simplified procedures such as stress-based, strain-based, Chinese criteria, etc. have been developed by utilizing case studies and undisturbed soil specimens. In order to address the collective knowledge built up in conventional liquefaction engineering, an alternative general regression neural network model is proposed in this paper.To meet this objective, a total of 620 sets of data including 12 soil and seismic parameters are introduced into the model. The data includes the results of field tests from the two major earthquakes that took place in Turkey and Taiwan in 1999 and some of the desired input parameters are obtained from correlations existing in the literature.The proposed GRNN model was developed in four phases, mainly: identification phase, collection phase, implementation phase, and verification phase. An iterative procedure was followed to maximize the accuracy of the proposed model. The case records were divided randomly into testing, training, and validation datasets.Generating a model that takes into account of 12 soil and seismic parameters is not feasible by using simplified techniques; however, the proposed GRNN model effectively explored the complex relationship between the introduced soil and seismic input parameters and validated the liquefaction decision obtained by simplified methods. The proposed GRNN model predicted well the occurrence/nonoccurrence of soil liquefaction in these sites. The model provides a viable tool to geotechnical engineers in assessing seismic condition in sites susceptible to liquefaction.     

Analysis of the liquefaction phenomena in the village of Vittorito (L��Aquila)

This paper describes a case-history of liquefaction occurred near the village of Vittorito after the April 6, 2009 L’Aquila earthquake (moment magnitude M_w = 6.3), approximately 45 km far from the epicentre. In the document, first, an estimation of the seismic motion in the area has been made. Thereafter, the performed geotechnical investigation is described, followed by the application of some fast assessment criteria for the occurrence of liquefaction, recently proposed by the new Italian Building Code. A careful assessment of all the parameters involved in conventional Seed and Idriss (1971) liquefaction analyses is considered. The cyclic resistance ratio CRR is evaluated by cone penetration tests CPT and by in situ seismic dilatometer tests SMDT; in the latter case CRR is evaluated by different empirical correlations with shear wave velocity V_s and horizontal stress index K_D. Analytical data confirmed the observed occurrence of the liquefaction in Vittorito, even if the acceleration field in the area, produced by the L’Aquila earthquake, was very low.     

International standard (ISO) on seismic actions for designing geotechnical works–An overview

The seismic performance of geotechnical works is significantly affected by ground displacement. In particular, soil–structure interaction and effects of liquefaction play major roles and pose difficult problems for engineers. An International Standard, ISO23469, is being developed for addressing these issues in a systematic manner within a consistent framework. The objective of this paper is to give an overview of this International Standard.In this International Standard, the seismic actions are determined through two stages. The first stage determines basic seismic action variables, including the earthquake ground motion at the site, the potential for earthquake-associated phenomena such as liquefaction and induced lateral ground displacement. These basic variables are used, in the second stage, for specifying the seismic actions for designing geotechnical works. In the second stage, the soil–structure interaction plays a major role. Types of analyses are classified based on a combination of static/dynamic analyses and the procedure for soil–structure interaction classified as follows:

– simplified: soil–structure interaction of a global system is modeled as an action on a substructure;

– detailed: soil–structure interaction of a global system is modeled as a coupled system.

CPT site characterization for seismic hazards in the New Madrid seismic zone

A series of cone penetration tests (CPTs) were conducted in the vicinity of the New Madrid seismic zone in central USA for quantifying seismic hazards, obtaining geotechnical soil properties, and conducting studies at liquefaction sites related to the 1811–1812 and prehistoric New Madrid earthquakes. The seismic piezocone provides four independent measurements for delineating the stratigraphy, liquefaction potential, and site amplification parameters. At the same location, two independent assessments of soil liquefaction susceptibility can be made using both the normalized tip resistance (q_c1N) and shear wave velocity (V_s1). In lieu of traditional deterministic approaches, the CPT data can be processed using probability curves to assess the level and likelihood of future liquefaction occurrence.     

Fragility estimation and sensitivity analysis of an idealized pile-supported wharf with batter piles

The main objective of the present study is to develop seismic fragility curves of an idealized pile-supported wharf with batter piles through a practical framework. Proposing quantitative limit states, analytical fragility curves are developed considering three engineering demand parameters (EDPs), including displacement ductility factor (µ_d), differential settlement between deck and behind land (DS) and normalized residual horizontal displacement (NRHD). Analytical fragility curves are generated using the results of a numerical model. So, the accuracy and reliability of resulted fragility curves directly depend on how accurate the seismic demand quantities are estimated. In addition, the seismic performance of pile-supported wharves is highly influenced by geotechnical properties of the soil structure system. Hence, a sensitivity analysis using the first-order second-moment (FOSM) method is performed to evaluate the effects of geotechnical parameters uncertainties in the seismic performance of the wharf.Herein, the seismic performance of the wharf structure is simulated using the representative FLAC2D model and performing nonlinear time history analyses under a suit of eight ground motion records. Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) is used to estimate the seismic demand quantities. As a prevailing tool, adopted fragility curves are useful to seismic risk assessment. They can also be used to optimize wharf-retrofit methods. The results of sensitivity analysis demonstrate that uncertainties associated with the porosity of loose sand contribute most to the variance of both NRHD and µ_d. While in the case of differential settlement, the friction angle of loose sand contributes most to the variance.     

Development of fragility functions for geotechnical constructions: Application to cantilever retaining walls

Fragility curves constitute an emerging tool for the seismic risk assessment of all constructions at risk. They describe the probability of a structure being damaged beyond a specific damage state for various levels of ground shaking. They are usually represented as two-parameter (median and log-standard deviation) cumulative lognormal distributions. In this paper a numerical approach is proposed for the construction of fragility curves for geotechnical constructions. The methodology is applied to cantilever bridge abutments on surface foundation often used in road and railway networks. The response of the abutment to increasing levels of seismic intensity is evaluated using a 2D nonlinear FE model, with an elasto-plastic criterion to simulate the soil behavior. A calibration procedure is followed in order to account for the dependency of both the stiffness and the damping on the soil strain level. The effect of soil conditions and ground motion characteristics on the global soil and structural response is taken into account considering different typical soil profiles and seismic input motions. The objective is to assess the vulnerability of the road network as regards the performance of the bridge abutments; therefore, the level of damage, is described in terms of the range of settlement that is observed on the backfill. The effect of backfill material to the overall response of the abutment wall is also examined. The fragility curves are estimated based on the evolution of damage with increasing earthquake intensity. The proposed approach allows the evaluation of new fragility curves considering the distinctive features of the structure geometry, the input motion and the soil properties as well as the associated uncertainties. The proposed fragility curves are verified based on observed damage during the 2007 Niigata-Chuetsu Oki earthquake.     

土-结构动力相互作用问题分析中地震动输入的一种新方法

为实现地震作用下土-结构动力相互作用问题的有限元模拟,需要在人工边界上完成地震动的有效输入,目前工程和科研中常用的地震动输入方法有两种:波动输入方法和振动输入方法。波动输入方法的模拟精度高,但实施上相对复杂且耗时,而振动输入方法处理简单,但模拟精度较低。针对应力型人工边界提出一种在人工边界上实现地震动输入的新方法,该方法通过对土-结构有限元模型中由人工边界节点及相邻节点组成的局部子结构施加自由波场位移时程并进行动力分析,从而直接获得可实现地震波动有效输入的等效地震荷载,然后在土-结构有限元模型的人工边界节点上施加等效输入地震荷载并完成动力计算,由此完成土-结构动力相互作用问题的地震动输入和地震反应计算。与原有波动输入方法相比,新方法避免了原方法需分别计算人工边界上自由场应力和由引入人工边界条件引起的附加力,以及需要根据不同人工边界面的外法线方向确定荷载作用方向等较为复杂的处理过程,具有等效地震荷载计算简便、地震动输入过程更易于实施的特点。采用均匀弹性半空间和成层弹性半空间一维地震反应算例初步验证新方法的正确性和可靠性。     

Analytical fragility analysis of southern Illinois wall pier supported highway bridges

An analytical fragility analysis was conducted in order to characterize the seismic vulnerability of existing southern Illinois wall pier supported highway bridges to potential earthquakes. To perform this fragility analysis, a detailed inventory survey was first taken of the wall pier bridges identified in an earlier random sampling of southern Illinois priority emergency route bridges. From the survey three types of wall pier bridges were identified. Of those identified, hammerhead and regular wall pier supported bridges represented nearly 90% of the population. Incorporating structural variations determined from the random sample survey, nearly 100 three‐dimensional nonlinear finite element models were constructed. Each model was subjected to a randomly assigned synthetic earthquake representative of those that could potentially occur within the region. From these analyses, a series of wall pier supported bridge fragility curves were produced. In addition, a liquefaction fragility analysis was conducted in order to characterize the seismic vulnerability of southern Illinois wall pier supported highway bridge sites to liquefaction in potential earthquakes. To perform this second fragility analysis, wall pier bridges within the southern Illinois random sample that may be susceptible to liquefaction were identified. A soil profile from each of these susceptible bridge sites was then subjected to randomly assigned bedrock motions, and an Arias intensity liquefaction analysis was carried out. From these analyses, a fragility curve for the potentially liquefiable wall pier supported bridge sites was produced. Overall results of this study indicate that southern Illinois wall pier supported bridges are moderately vulnerable to structural damage in a 2% probability of exceedance in 50 year earthquake, and in some cases they could also be highly vulnerable to on‐site liquefaction events. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

隧道工程地震易损性分析研究综述与展望

易损性分析是隧道工程领域防震减灾研究的重要方法。首先,详细综述了国内外隧道地震易损性研究历史与现状;其次,归纳了国内外隧道地震易损性分析主要方法,并总结了各种方法的实际适用性;接着,提出了隧道地震易损性评估步骤,并且讨论了以数值模拟为主要手段的理论易损性曲线建立中的3个关键内容:(1)输入参数确定;(2)破坏状态分级;(3)相关不确定性参数计算;最后,指出该领域一些亟待解决的问题和未来研究发展的方向。结果表明:隧道地震易损性分析能通过考虑相关不确定性因素,反映了隧道在地震荷载作用下的性能,有利于未来的风险评估和损失估算,对基于性能的隧道抗震设计的发展具有重要意义。     

考虑内力状态的大跨高墩连续刚构桥地震易损性分析

为研究考虑内力状态的连续刚构桥的地震反应及易损性情况,以一座非规则大跨高墩连续刚构桥为对象,基于MIDAS/Civil和OpenSees平台分别进行施工过程模拟和非线性动力分析,并采用等效荷载法将内力等效荷载附加到OpenSees模型上,使其处于对应的等效内力状态;选取40组典型的速度脉冲型近断层地震动记录为输入,采用增量动力分析法进行考虑内力状态的地震易损性分析,对比分析了考虑内力状态与否对连续刚构桥地震易损性的影响。结果表明:所采用的内力等效荷载方法能够较好地考虑成桥内力状态;考虑内力状态与否对成桥阶段主墩和引桥墩的地震易损性具有很大影响,不考虑内力状态时将严重低估主墩和引桥墩的地震损伤概率。     

不同地震激励方向下隔震曲线梁桥易损性分析

为进一步评估隔震曲线梁桥在地震激励下的抗震性能,从地震易损性角度出发并兼顾考虑地震激励方向对其易损性的影响。利用APDL建立采用板式橡胶支座的隔震曲线梁桥有限元模型,从PEER中选取同一地震事件中的近断层地震动,按规范规定比例输入水平双向地震动进行非线性动力时程分析,结合地震响应与损伤指标计算得到各构件地震易损性曲线;考虑地震激励方向的变化,通过MATLAB编程绘制得到桥梁结构构件(桥墩与支座)以及整体系统的地震易损性曲面,分析探讨地震激励方向对隔震曲线梁桥易损性的影响。结果表明：不同极限状态下各桥墩切向损伤条件概率明显大于其径向,各支座的切向与径向易损性相差不大,但仍是各支座的切向易损性略大于径向易损性;桥梁各构件(桥墩与支座)切向易损性对地震激励方向均表现出很强依赖性,而径向易损性对其的依赖性相对较弱,且伴随损伤等级的提高,构件易损性对地震激励方向更加敏感;桥梁整体系统易损性对地震激励方向的变化不太敏感,且因各构件响应之间的相关性较高,其系统易损性更接近于易损性最大的构件——易损性下限;当进行隔震曲线梁桥抗震性能评估时,应考虑不同地震激励方向对其地震易损性的影响,从而使得易损性分析...     

考虑填充墙影响的钢筋混凝土厂房结构地震易损性分析

采用对角斜撑模拟纵向填充墙的作用,建立考虑填充墙和不考虑填充墙厂房结构模型,采用拉丁超立方抽样技术建立考虑材料不确定性的结构分析样本,基于随机Pushover分析确定结构不同破坏状态下的统计参数。综合考虑结构材料强度及输入地震动不确定性的影响,通过非线性时程分析开展单层钢筋混凝土厂房结构易损性研究,在此基础上比较结构横、纵向易损性的差异,研究填充墙对结构易损性的影响。研究结果表明:钢筋混凝土厂房结构体系横向地震易损性显著大于纵向地震易损性;对纵向结构体系而言,加入填充墙会明显降低结构易损性,但在相同强度的地震动作用下,填充墙破坏程度比主体结构严重,这与厂房结构的实际震害特征相符。     

Recording-based identification of site liquefaction

Reconnaissance reports and pertinent research on seismic hazards show that liquefaction is one of the key sources of damage to geotechnical and structural engineering systems. Therefore, identifying site liquefaction conditions plays an important role in seismic hazard mitigation. One of the widely used approaches for detecting liquefaction is based on the time-frequency analysis of ground motion recordings, in which short-time Fourier transform is typically used. It is known that recordings at a site with liquefaction are the result of nonlinear responses of seismic waves propagating in the liquefied layers underneath the site. Moreover, Fourier transform is not effective in characterizing such dynamic features as time-dependent frequency of the recordings rooted in nonlinear responses. Therefore, the aforementioned approach may not be intrinsically effective in detecting liquefaction. An alternative to the Fourier-based approach is presented in this study, which proposes time-frequency analysis of earthquake ground motion recordings with the aid of the Hilbert-Huang transform （HHT）, and offers justification for the HHT in addressing the liquefaction features shown in the recordings. The paper then defines the predominant instantaneous frequency （PIF） and introduces the PiF-related motion features to identify liquefaction conditions at a given site. Analysis of 29 recorded data sets at different site conditions shows that the proposed approach is effective in detecting site liquefaction in comparison with other methods.     

Seismic behavior and zoning of the sabkha soils in Jubail industrial city,Saudi Arabia

This study aimed at the micro-level seismic behavior and zoning of the saline sabkha strata in Jubail industrial area in Eastern Saudi Arabia. It encompasses the evaluation of the site-specific seismic response parameters and the liquefaction potential for various possible subsurface conditions under the probable seismic event(s). The approach to achieve the objectives of this study included the following: analysis of geologic, hydrologic, and geotechnical data of the area; performance of field and laboratory dynamic testing; and dynamic modeling and analysis of the subsurface profiles. The results of the simulation have been used to develop liquefaction potential maps and site-specific spectra of the study area, consisting of ten seismic zones under a range of probable peak horizontal ground acceleration (PHA). Results do not show significant probability of liquefaction of the loose soil layers in the study area at the maximum possible design PHA of 0.035 g; however, liquefaction is anticipated at higher PHA values. Site-specific spectral response resulted in values of S _s and S ₁ spectral accelerations to be different as compared to those suggested by local standards. The resulting seismic micro-zonation maps and the corresponding parameters are very useful for the stability analysis of the existing and planned structures in the Jubail area.     

The seismic microzonation of the city of Catania (Italy) for the maximum expected scenario earthquake of January 11, 1693

Safety against earthquake hazards presents two aspects: structural safety against potentially destructive dynamic forces and site safety related to geotechnical phenomena, such as amplification, landsliding and soil liquefaction. The correct evaluation of seismic hazard is, therefore, highly affected by risk factors due to geological nature and geotechnical properties of soils. In response to these new developments, several attempts have been made to identify and appraise geotechnical hazards and to represent them in the form of zoning maps, in which locations or zones with different levels of hazard potential are identified. The geotechnical zonation of the subsoil of the city of Catania (Italy) suggests a high vulnerability of the physical environment added to site amplification of the ground motion phenomena. The ground response analysis at the surface, in terms of time history and response spectra, has been obtained by some 1D equivalent linear models and by a 2D linear model, using a design scenario earthquake as input at the conventional bedrock. In particular, the study has regarded the evaluation of site effects in correspondence of the database of about 1200 boreholes and water-wells available in the data-bank of the Catania area. According to the response spectra obtained through the application of the 1D and 2D models, the city of Catania has been divided into some zones with different peak ground acceleration at the surface, to which corresponds a different value of the Seismic Geotechnical Hazard. A seismic microzoning map of the urban area of the city of Catania has been obtained. The map represents an important tool for the seismic improvement of the buildings, indispensable for the mitigation of the seismic risk.     

核电厂考虑结构参数不确定的 地震易损性分析

为考虑核电厂结构参数不确定对结构地震易损性的影响,基于一次二阶矩法(First-Order Second-Moment, FOSM)进行地震易损性分析。以核电结构中混凝土材料的密度、弹性模量,泊松比和抗拉强度为不确定参数,建立有限元模型,并与试验结果对比,以验证模型的准确性。基于有限元数值模拟方法,通过增量动力法计算核电厂模型在多条地震记录下不同峰值加速度的动力响应,同时基于FOSM得到参数不确定下的对数标准差,进而得到核电厂结构考虑参数不确定的地震易损性曲线。结果表明,结构参数的不确定对核电结构有一定的影响,未考虑参数不确定的地震易损性结果会低估结构的失效概率。该方法可为核电结构基于参数不确定下的易损性分析提供一定的理论依据与实用价值。     

Threshold seismic energy and liquefaction distance limit during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

Estimating the possible region of liquefaction occurrence during a strong earthquake is highly valuable for economy loss estimation, reconnaissance efforts and site investigations after the event. This study identified and compiled a large amount of liquefaction case histories from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, China, to investigate the relationship between the attenuation of seismic wave energy and liquefaction distance limit during this earthquake. Firstly, we introduced the concept of energy absorption ratio, which is defined as the absorbed energy of soil divided by the imparted energy of seismic waves at a given site, and the relationship between the energy absorption ratio and the material damping ratio was established based on shear stress–strain loop of soil element and the seismic wave propagation process from the source to the site. Secondly, the threshold imparted seismic energy of liquefaction was obtained based on existing researches of absorbed energy required to trigger liquefaction of sandy soils and the ground motion attenuation characteristics of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, and the liquefaction distance limit of this earthquake was estimated according to the proposed magnitude–energy–distance relationship. Finally, the field liquefaction database of 209 sites of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake was used to validate such an estimation, and the field observed threshold imparted seismic energy to cause liquefaction in recent major earthquakes worldwide was back-analyzed to check the predictability of the present method, and several possible mechanisms were discussed to explain the discrepancy between the field observations and the theoretical predictions. This study indicates that seismic energy attenuation and liquefaction distance limit are regional specific and earthquake dependent, and 382 J/m³ is the average level of threshold imparted seismic energy to cause liquefaction for loose saturated sandy soils, and the corresponding liquefaction distance limit is approximately 87.4 km in fault distance for a M_w?=?7.9 event in the Chengdu Plain. The proposed regional energy attenuation model and threshold imparted seismic energy may be considered as an approximate tool in evaluating the liquefaction hazard during potential earthquakes in this area.     

Towards probabilistic seismic performance of vehicle-bridge interaction systems: From stochastic dynamic model to fragility analysis

This paper aims to assess the seismic fragility of vehicle-bridge-interaction (VBI) systems considering the effects of vehicle types, traffic conditions, and road surface qualities. A stochastic nonlinear mechanical model for the earthquake-VBI system is developed, and the fragility functions for the proposed VBI model are derived by considering the relevant probabilistic seismic demand parameters. On the basis of a typical four-span continuous prestressed concrete highway bridge in China, a complete numerical model for the VBI system is built considering multiple uncertainties from bridge and vehicle parameters, as well as the road surface qualities. A total of 120 real ground motion records with different combinations of magnitude-source-to-site distance (M-R) and earthquake intensity characteristics are selected. Meanwhile, 80 scenarios in terms of different combinations of vehicle types, vehicle speeds, and road surface irregularities are defined. In this context, 96,000 nonlinear time-history analyses are performed, and the developed fragility models are applied to the VBI system at both component and system levels. Results indicate that the fragilities of pier drift, bearing shear strain, and the overall VBI system increase with the increase of the vehicle weight or the decrease of the vehicle speed, while the vertical deck displacement is dominated by the vehicle weight. It is also found that the road surface quality has a negligible effect on both component and system fragilities.     

Evaluation of liquefaction potential of soil based on standard penetration test using multi-gene genetic programming model

This paper discusses the evaluation of liquefaction potential of soil based on standard penetration test (SPT) dataset using evolutionary artificial intelligence technique, multi-gene genetic programming (MGGP). The liquefaction classification accuracy (94.19%) of the developed liquefaction index (LI) model is found to be better than that of available artificial neural network (ANN) model (88.37%) and at par with the available support vector machine (SVM) model (94.19%) on the basis of the testing data. Further, an empirical equation is presented using MGGP to approximate the unknown limit state function representing the cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) of soil based on developed LI model. Using an independent database of 227 cases, the overall rates of successful prediction of occurrence of liquefaction and non-liquefaction are found to be 87, 86, and 84% by the developed MGGP based model, available ANN and the statistical models, respectively, on the basis of calculated factor of safety (F _s ) against the liquefaction occurrence.     

A stochastic model for predicting seismic failure in a soil deposit

Liquefaction of saturated sand deposits under seismic excitation is studied on the basis of a fatigue failure approach. The model includes a stochastic treatment of the input, of the soil response and of the cumulative pore pressure effects produced by cycling stresses in the soil. A method of establishing safety factors against liquefaction is also considered. Results obtained from analysis of a case history confirm the applicability of the model for engineering purposes.