Effect of coupling excess pore pressure and soil deformation on nonlinear SSI in liquefiable soil deposits

The current seismic design philosophy is based on nonlinear behavior of structures where the foundation soil is often simplified by a modification of the input acceleration depending on the expected site effects. The latter are generally limited to depend on the shear-wave velocity profile or a classification of the site. Findings presented in this work illustrate the importance of accounting for both soil nonlinearity due to seismic liquefaction and for soil-structure interaction when dealing with liquefiable soil deposits. This paper concerns the assessment of the effect of excess pore pressure (\(\Delta p_{w}\)) and deformation for the nonlinear response of liquefiable soils on the structure’s performance. For this purpose a coupled \(\Delta p_{w}\) and soil deformation (CPD) analysis is used to represent the soil behavior. A mechanical-equivalent fully drained decoupled (DPD) analysis is also performed. The differences between the analyses on different engineering demand parameters are evaluated. The results allow to identify and to quantify the differences between the analyses. Thus, it is possible to establish the situations for which the fully drained analysis might tend to overestimate or underestimate the structure’s demand.     

Probabilistic evaluation of liquefaction potential under earthquake loading

This paper presents a procedure to perform the risk analysis for ground failure by liquefaction. The first part of this study describes the differential equation of a smooth hysteretic model to characterize the behavior of the soil under random loading. The parameters of the proposed model to represent the experimental relationship are discussed. The second part of this study is to develop a method to calculate the probability that a specified volume of soil will liquefy at a given depth in the deposit. The liquefaction is defined as the result of cumulative damage caused by seismic loading. The fatigue life of soil can be determined on the basis of the N---S relationship and Miner's cumulative damage law. The rain-flow method is used to count the number of cycles of stress response of the soil deposit. Finally, the probability of liquefaction is obtained by integration over all the possible ground motion and the fragility curves of liquefaction potential. The sensitivity of the reliability against liquefaction to soil system parameters is also examined.     

Shake table test of soil-pile groups-bridge structure interaction in liquefiable ground

<正>This paper describes a shake table test study on the seismic response of low-cap pile groups and a bridge structure in liquefiable ground.The soil profile,contained in a large-scale laminar shear box,consisted of a horizontally saturated sand layer overlaid with a silty clay layer,with the simulated low-cap pile groups embedded.The container was excited in three E1 Centra earthquake events of different levels.Test results indicate that excessive pore pressure(EPP) during slight shaking only slightly accumulated,and the accumulation mainly occurred during strong shaking.The EPP was gradually enhanced as the amplitude and duration of the input acceleration increased.The acceleration response of the sand was remarkably influenced by soil liquefaction.As soil liquefaction occurred,the peak sand displacement gradually lagged behind the input acceleration;meanwhile,the sand displacement exhibited an increasing effect on the bending moment of the pile,and acceleration responses of the pile and the sand layer gradually changed from decreasing to increasing in the vertical direction from the bottom to the top.A jump variation of the bending moment on the pile was observed near the soil interface in all three input earthquake events.It is thought that the shake table tests could provide the groundwork for further seismic performance studies of low-cap pile groups used in bridges located on liquefiable groun.     

Numerical simulation of mitigation of liquefaction seismic risk by preloading and its effects on the performance of structures

The present paper deals with the influence of soil non-linearity, introduced by soil liquefaction, on the soil-foundation–structure interaction phenomena. Numerical simulations are carried out so as to study an improvement method to reduce the liquefaction potential in a sandy soil profile subjected to a shaking. The efficiency of the preloading in both the mitigation of a liquefiable soil and the reduction of induced structure relative settlements is showed. However, the intervention at the foundation soil modifies the dynamic characteristics of soil–structure system and it seems to increase the induced seismic forces during earthquake. In addition, a numerical parametric analysis is performed so as to quantify the impact of the uncertainties associated with the input signal on both the ground motion and the apparition of liquefaction phenomena.     

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.     

Site classification using equivalent soil profiles for building-liquefaction interaction

The seismic behaviour of a building on a liquefiable deposit is a complex interaction which involves quantifying both shaking induced damage and permanent ground deformation-related damage. In this paper the key parameters that influence both surface shaking and foundation settlements have been identified as the depth, thickness and liquefaction resistance of an equivalent liquefiable layer. These parameters can be used to develop an ‘equivalent soil profile’ that is analogous to the equivalent single degree-of-freedom that reduces the complexity of the dynamic response of a building into comparable and easily understood quantities. The equivalent soil profile is quantified independent of the seismic hazard, making it compatible with performance based design and assessment frameworks such that the building and soil profile can be directly assessed at different levels of seismic hazard. Several numerical studies are presented that demonstrate the influence of these key parameters on the ground surface shaking and foundation settlement. A set of criteria are proposed for classifying soil profiles into 22 different soil classes for regional loss assessment. An algorithm was developed for automatically fitting the equivalent soil profile to a cone penetration test trace and issues with the fitting are discussed. Field reconnaissance was undertaken to collect additional data to support existing datasets on the performance of buildings in Adapazari, during the 1999 Kocaeli, Turkey, earthquake (Mw = 7.4). The field case history data was used to investigate the correlation between the depth, thickness and liquefaction resistance of an equivalent liquefiable layer, on the extent of foundation permanent deformation. The case history data showed that in general a shallow, thick and weak liquefiable layer near the surface results in significant settlement but a lack of data for buildings on non-liquefiable deposits and the additional complexities involved with real buildings and soil deposits, meant that the trends observed in the idealised numerical models could not identified in the field case history data set.

     

地震反应分析中输入界面的选取对地表地震动参数的影响

地震反应分析中输入界面选取合理与否对设计地震动参数有重要影响。基于唐山地区钻孔剖面,分别选取剪切波速为500m/s的硬黏土和800m/s的岩石顶面作为基岩输入界面,采用一维等效线性化方法讨论中硬场地输入界面的选取对地表地震动参数的影响,结果表明:(1)地表峰值加速度放大倍数及地表加速度反应谱特征周期都随输入界面深度的增加而递增,且这种递增与输入地震动的强度及频谱特性都有密切联系;(2)随着输入界面深度的增加,地表加速度反应谱几乎全频段内增大,仅在短周期内出现减小的情况,但幅度十分有限;(3)中硬场地地震反应分析中基岩输入界面宜取剪切波速为800m/s的土层顶面。     

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.     

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.     

Rock-physics-based carbonate pore type characterization and reservoir permeability heterogeneity evaluation, Upper San Andres reservoir, Permian Basin, west Texas

The use of the shear wave velocity data as a field index for evaluating the liquefaction potential of sands is receiving increased attention because both shear wave velocity and liquefaction resistance are similarly influenced by many of the same factors such as void ratio, state of stress, stress history and geologic age. In this paper, the potential of support vector machine (SVM) based classification approach has been used to assess the liquefaction potential from actual shear wave velocity data. In this approach, an approximate implementation of a structural risk minimization (SRM) induction principle is done, which aims at minimizing a bound on the generalization error of a model rather than minimizing only the mean square error over the data set. Here SVM has been used as a classification tool to predict liquefaction potential of a soil based on shear wave velocity. The dataset consists the information of soil characteristics such as effective vertical stress (σ′_v0), soil type, shear wave velocity (V_s) and earthquake parameters such as peak horizontal acceleration (a_max) and earthquake magnitude (M). Out of the available 186 datasets, 130 are considered for training and remaining 56 are used for testing the model. The study indicated that SVM can successfully model the complex relationship between seismic parameters, soil parameters and the liquefaction potential. In the model based on soil characteristics, the input parameters used are σ′_v0, soil type, V_s, a_max and M. In the other model based on shear wave velocity alone uses V_s, a_max and M as input parameters. In this paper, it has been demonstrated that Vs alone can be used to predict the liquefaction potential of a soil using a support vector machine model.     

Non-linear site response simulations in Chang-Hwa region during the 1999 Chi–Chi earthquake, Taiwan

The destructive 1999 Chi–Chi earthquake (M_w 7.5) was the largest inland earthquake in Taiwan in the 20th century. Several observations witness the non-linear seismic soil response in sediments during the earthquake. In fact, large settlements as well as evidence of liquefaction attested by sand boils and unusual wet ground surface were observed at some sites. In this paper, we present a seismic response simulation performed with CyberQuake software on a site located within the Chang-Hwa Coastal Industrial Park during the 1999 Chi–Chi earthquake in Taiwan. A non-linear multi-kinematic dynamic constitutive model is implemented in the software. Computed NS, EW and UP ground accelerations obtained with this model under undrained and two-phase assumptions, are in good agreement with the corresponding accelerations recorded at seismic station TCU117, either for peak location, amplitudes or frequency content. In these simulations, liquefaction occurs between depths 1.3 and 11.3 m, which correspond to the observed range attested by in place penetration tests and other liquefaction analyses. Moreover, the computed shear wave velocity profile is very close to post-earthquake shear wave velocity profile derived from correlations with CPT and SPT data. Finally, it is shown that in non-linear computations, even though a 1D geometry is considered, it is necessary to take into account the three components of the input motion.     

Risk assessment of an interacting structure–soil system due to liquefaction

The present study deals with the non‐linear stochastic dynamic analysis of a soil–structure interacting system. The ultimate objective is to determine the risk of damage to the system due to liquefaction under a wide range of earthquake intensities. A Monte Carlo simulation approach is followed in conjunction with advanced finite element procedures. The stochastic spatial variability of soil properties and the randomness of the seismic excitation are taken into account in order to estimate the statistics of the response, measured in terms of uniform foundation settlement and tilting. Specifically, soil properties are modelled as non‐Gaussian random fields and seismic excitations as non‐stationary random processes. The probabilistic characteristics of the stochastic field modelling soil properties are established from in situ tests. The risk of damage to the soil–structure system due to liquefaction is assessed by establishing fragility curves, which are of paramount importance for risk assessment and management studies of such systems. Fragility curves express the probability of exceeding various thresholds in the response. The relative effect of the variability of various soil parameters on the variability of the response is also examined. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variability of seismic response of soils using stochastic finite element method

The evaluation of seismic response of soil sites constitutes an important problem with respect to groundmotion amplification and soil instability because of liquefaction. The base motion generated during earthquake is a random process. In addition, the soil sites are usually homogenous with randomly varying characteristics. The uncertainties associated with the input motion and site characteristics may lead to a wide range of variability of the site response. In this paper, a Monte-Carlo based stochastic finite element method is used to study the variability of seismic response.     

Identification and modeling of earthquake ground response - II. Site liquefaction

Downhole records of seismically-induced soil liquefaction are a valuable source of information on the associated mechanisms of stiffness degradation and lateral spreading. In this paper, free-field downhole array seismic records are employed to identify and model the recorded response at Wildlife Refuge (California, USA) and Port Island (Kobe, Japan) sites. The Wildlife Refuge site was instrumented in 1982 with a two-accelerometer array and six piezometers that recorded a case of seismically induced site liquefaction. At Port Island, a four-accelerometer down-hole array recorded strong motion during the recent 1995 Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake. This earthquake resulted in widespread liquefaction and major ground deformations at Port Island. Using the recorded downhole accelerations at these two sites, the actual seismic shear stress-strain histories are directly evaluated. These histories provide valuable insight into the mechanisms of site liquefaction and associated loss of stiffness and strength. Based on the identified dynamic soil behaviors, computational simulations of the observed seismic response are performed. Optimization techniques are employed to estimate the necessary computational modeling parameters. This document constitutes the second part of a set of two companion papers about site amplification and liquefaction.     

考虑地基土液化影响的高层建筑地震反应分析

为了研究地基土液化对高层建筑地震反应的影响，本文简要介绍了分时段等效线性有效应力动力分析方法，且将其中的等效线性化方法改进为逐步迭代非线性方法，并利用ANSYS程序的参数化设计语言将这一分析方法并入ANSYS程序中，最后分析了考虑液化时桩基-高层建筑体系的地震反应。认为对于单层砂土-桩基-高层建筑体系来说，砂土的液化对上部结构地震反应有较大的影响；而对于本文采用的上海土-桩基-高层建筑体系来说，砂土层的液化未对上部结构的地震反应产生明显的影响。     

Probabilistic seismic performance and loss assessment of a bridge–foundation–soil system

This paper presents the probabilistic seismic performance and loss assessment of an actual bridge–foundation–soil system, the Fitzgerald Avenue twin bridges in Christchurch, New Zealand. A two-dimensional finite element model of the longitudinal direction of the system is modelled using advanced soil and structural constitutive models. Ground motions at multiple levels of intensity are selected based on the seismic hazard deaggregation at the site. Based on rigorous examination of several deterministic analyses, engineering demand parameters (EDP's), which capture the global and local demand, and consequent damage to the bridge and foundation are determined. A probabilistic seismic loss assessment of the structure considering both direct repair and loss of functionality consequences was performed to holistically assess the seismic risk of the system.It was found that the non-horizontal stratification of the soils, liquefaction, and soil–structure interaction had pronounced effects on the seismic demand distribution of the bridge components, of which the north abutment piles and central pier were critical in the systems seismic performance. The consequences due to loss of functionality of the bridge during repair were significantly larger than the direct repair costs, with over a 2% in 50 year probability of the total loss exceeding twice the book-value of the structure.     

Energy-based probabilistic evaluation of soil liquefaction

This paper presents a seismic wave energy-based method with back-propagation neural networks to assess the liquefaction probability. An empirical equation and Fourier spectrum of acceleration are employed, respectively, to calculate the seismic wave energy. Discriminant analysis is used to determine the equation of the boundary curve separating the data points with and without liquefaction. The proposed method shows capability in evaluating the probability of soil liquefaction based on the boundary curve and a logarithm normal distribution.     

Modeling granular soils liquefaction using coupled lattice Boltzmann method and discrete element method

In this paper, a novel coupled pore-scale model of pore-fluid interacting with discrete particles is presented for modeling liquefaction of saturated granular soil. A microscale idealization of the solid phase is achieved using the discrete element method (DEM) while the fluid phase is modeled at a pore-scale using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The fluid forces applied on the particles are calculated based on the momentum exchange between the fluid and particles. The presented model is based on a first principles formulation in which pore-pressure develops due to actual changes in pore space as particles׳ rearrangement occurs during shaking. The proposed approach is used to model the response of a saturated soil deposit subjected to low and large amplitude seismic excitations. Results of conducted simulations show that at low amplitude shaking, the input motion propagates following the theory of wave propagation in elastic solids. The deposit response to the strong input motion indicates that liquefaction took place and it was due to reduction in void space during shaking that led to buildup in pore-fluid pressure. Soil liquefaction was associated with soil stiffness degradation and significant loss of interparticle contacts. Simulation results also indicate that the level of shaking-induced shear strains and associated volumetric strains play a major role in the onset of liquefaction and the rate of pore-pressure buildup.     

渤海海域软土层土对地震动参数的影响研究

渤海海域软土层土对场地设计地震动参数取值具有显著影响。选取渤海中部钻孔剖面作为计算场地模型基础,分别构建软土和硬土场地模型,并通过改变软土层厚度,构造新的场地模型。采用等效线性化方法（EL法）和非线性计算方法（NL法）分别对场地模型进行地震反应分析,分析了海底软土层土对地震动参数的影响。研究结果表明：海底软土层土对地震动峰值加速度的影响显著,随着地震动输入增加,软土层放大效应减弱,减震作用逐渐增强;EL法中,软土层土对基岩反应谱的高频部分具有明显滤波作用,而NL法中,滤波作用较弱,海底面反应谱随地震动输入的增大先放大后减小;软土层土会降低设计地震动地震最大影响系数,增大特征周期。对于海域工程,特别是深基础工程抗震设计地震动参数的确定,从保守角度考虑,建立场地模型时建议删除软土层。     

场地地震反应分析中的不确定性及其处理方法

以上海地区作为深厚覆盖层地区代表,在丰富的地质资料基础上,全面、系统地分析了100 m以深地层的土层分布、剪切波速、土动力特性参数、密度和地震输入界面这5个不确定因素可能的分布范围,并采用逻辑树分析方法,利用等效线性化土层地震反应分析,计算得到了这5种不确定因素在23种工况下3个超越概率、4个典型地质孔的地表峰值加速度和反应谱结果。经分析表明,100 m以深地层的土动力特性参数、剪切波速、土层分布、密度属于低敏感性因素,其不确定性对地表地震动参数影响较小,峰值加速度差异基本在5%以内;地震输入界面属于高敏感性参数,对地表地震动参数（尤其是低频段）影响较大,最大差异可达30%—40%。地震安全性评价工作中应合理设定地震输入界面,以避免可能对工程抗震设防参数带来的不利影响。