A frequency‐dependent and intensity‐dependent macroelement for reduced order seismic analysis of soil‐structure interacting systems

The computational demand of the soil‐structure interaction analysis for the design and assessment of structures, as well as for the evaluation of their life‐cycle cost and risk exposure, has led the civil engineering community to the development of a variety of methods toward the model order reduction of the coupled soil‐structure dynamic system in earthquake regions. Different approaches have been proposed in the past as computationally efficient alternatives to the conventional finite element model simulation of the complete soil‐structure domain, such as the nonlinear lumped spring, the macroelement method, and the substructure partition method. Yet no approach was capable of capturing simultaneously the frequency‐dependent dynamic properties along with the nonlinear behavior of the condensed segment of the overall soil‐structure system under strong earthquake ground motion, thus generating an imbalance between the modeling refinement achieved for the soil and the structure. To this end, a dual frequency‐dependent and intensity‐dependent expansion of the lumped parameter modeling method is proposed in the current paper, materialized through a multiobjective algorithm, capable of closely approximating the behavior of the nonlinear dynamic system of the condensed segment. This is essentially the extension of an established methodology, also developed by the authors, in the inelastic domain. The efficiency of the proposed methodology is validated for the case of a bridge foundation system, wherein the seismic response is comparatively assessed for both the proposed method and the detailed finite element model. The above expansion is deemed a computationally efficient and reliable method for simultaneously considering the frequency and amplitude dependence of soil‐foundation systems in the framework of nonlinear seismic analysis of soil‐structure interaction systems.     

无限元法在深覆盖层土石坝动力分析中的应用

以复杂地质条件的西藏高原地区旁多水电站实际工程为背景,探讨了有限元法与无限元法在深覆盖层悬挂式防渗墙土石坝结构非线性动力分析中的差异,分析和比较了无限元法和有限元法在西藏高原旁多水电站土石坝结构三维模型地震动响应的计算结果,验证了引入无限元法模拟西藏高原地区地基中复杂地质条件下的无限域或半无限域问题的可靠性和精确性。结果表明:在西藏高原地区复杂地质条件下,无限元法相比有限元法能量弥散现象较为明显。通过分析得到了西藏高原具有深覆盖层坝体结构地震动响应的规律性分析结果,为无限元法在西藏高原地区此类工程中的应用提供参考。     

A simplified model for lateral response of large diameter caisson foundations—Linear elastic formulation

The transient response of large embedded foundation elements of length-to-diameter aspect ratio D/B=2–6 is characterized by a complex stress distribution at the pier–soil interface that cannot be adequately represented by means of existing models for shallow foundations or flexible piles. On the other hand, while three-dimensional (3D) numerical solutions are feasible, they are infrequently employed in practice due to their associated cost and effort. Prompted by the scarcity of simplified models for design in current practice, we here develop an analytical model that accounts for the multitude of soil resistance mechanisms mobilized at their base and circumference, while retaining the advantages of simplified methodologies for the design of non-critical facilities. The characteristics of soil resistance mechanisms and corresponding complex spring functions are developed on the basis of finite element simulations, by equating the stiffness matrix terms and/or overall numerically computed response to the analytical expressions derived by means of the proposed Winkler model. Sensitivity analyses are performed for the optimization of the truncated numerical domain size, the optimal finite element size and the far-field dynamic boundary conditions to avoid spurious wave reflections. Numerical simulations of the transient system response to vertically propagating shear waves are next successfully compared to the analytically predicted response. Finally, the applicability of the method is assessed for soil profiles with depth-varying properties. The formulation of frequency-dependent complex spring functions including material damping is also described, while extension of the methodology to account for nonlinear soil behavior and soil–foundation interface separation is described in the conclusion and is being currently investigated.     

Numerical experiments for 3-dimensional flow analysis in a fractured rock with porous matrix

Groundwater flow in a 3-D domain with fracture planes is numerically investigated using the finite element method. A flexible mesh generation method for discretization is proposed in this paper. The method, based on Delaunay triangulation, divides the whole domain into subdomains separated by fracture planes. It then triangulates each subdomain independently into tetrahedra which are further subdivided into hexahedra. By putting together all of the meshes of the subdomain, a finite element mesh of the whole domain is obtained. The appropriateness of the mesh generation method is topologically proved. Several applications of the proposed method are given, and the numerical solutions are in good agreement with those obtained with a structured grid. It is concluded that the proposed mesh generation method can replace the structured grid.     

Efficient seismic analysis for nonlinear soil-structure interaction with a thick soil layer

The direct finite element method is a type commonly used for nonlinear seismic soil-structure interaction(SSI) analysis. This method introduces a truncated boundary referred to as an artificial boundary meant to divide the soilstructure system into finite and infinite domains. An artificial boundary condition is used on a truncated boundary to achieve seismic input and simulate the wave radiation effect of infinite domain. When the soil layer is particularly thick, especially for a three-dimensional problem, the computational efficiency of seismic SSI analysis is very low due to the large size of the finite element model, which contains an whole thick soil layer. In this paper, an accurate and efficient scheme is developed to solve the nonlinear seismic SSI problem regarding thick soil layers. The process consists of nonlinear site response and SSI analysis. The nonlinear site response analysis is still performed for the whole thick soil layer. The artificial boundary at the bottom of the SSI analysis model is subsequently relocated upward from the bottom of the soil layer(bedrock surface) to the location nearest to the structure as possible. Finally, three types of typical sites and underground structures are adopted with seismic SSI analysis to evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed efficient analysis scheme.     

Stability of the time‐domain analysis method including a frequency‐dependent soil–foundation system

A number of methods have been proposed that utilize the time‐domain transformations of frequency‐dependent dynamic impedance functions to perform a time‐history analysis. Though these methods have been available in literature for a number of years, the methods exhibit stability issues depending on how the model parameters are calibrated. In this study, a novel method is proposed with which the stability of a numerical integration scheme combined with time‐domain representation of a frequency‐dependent dynamic impedance function can be evaluated. The method is verified with three independent recursive parameter models. The proposed method is expected to be a useful tool in evaluating the potential stability issue of a time‐domain analysis before running a full‐fledged nonlinear time‐domain analysis of a soil–structure system in which the dynamic impedance of a soil–foundation system is represented with a recursive parameter model. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于高阶双渐近透射边界的重力坝-层状地基动力相互作用分析

时域高阶双渐近透射边界能够同时模拟层状介质中行波和快衰波的传播,具有很高的计算精度和计算效率.本文将高阶双渐近透射边界推广应用到多层层状地基系统弹性波传播问题的模拟,采用广义特征值分解分析该透射边界的数值稳定性,通过移谱法消除导致数值不稳定的虚假模态.将高阶双渐近透射边界以超单元的形式直接嵌入到近场有限元方程,建立了有限元-高阶双渐近透射边界时域耦合分析模型,并将其应用到重力坝-层状地基动力相互作用分析.数值算例分析结果表明,该时域耦合分析模型具有很高的精度和计算效率,适用于实际重力坝工程的地震响应分析.     

Numerical analysis of nonlinear soil–pile group interaction under lateral loads

A nonlinear p–y element was provided which can simply model the behavior of a pile group foundation subjected to lateral loading. Its elasto-plastic side soil is expressed as a Winkler-type distributed model. Despite the simplification involved in modeling such a complex phenomenon the proposed nonlinear soil model can reproduce the system behavior as computed by more rigorous 3D finite element methods. The numerical results are also compared with those from available physical model data to confirm that our simulations can predict the behavior of pile groups with good accuracy.     

A semi-analytical artificial boundary for time-dependent elastic wave propagation in two-dimensional homogeneous half space

This paper presents a time-dependent semi-analytical artificial boundary for numerically simulating elastic wave propagation problems in a two-dimensional homogeneous half space. A polygonal boundary is considered in the half space to truncate the semi-infinite domain, with an appropriate boundary condition imposed. Using the concept of the scaled boundary finite element method, the wave equation of the truncated semi-infinite domain is represented by the partial differential equation of non-constant coefficients. The resulting partial differential equation has only one spatial coordinate variable and time variable. Through introducing a few auxiliary functions at the truncated boundary, the resulting partial differential equations are further transformed into linear time-dependent equations. This allows an artificial boundary to be derived from the time-dependent equations. The proposed artificial boundary is local in time, global at the truncated boundary and semi-analytical in the finite element sense. Compared with the scaled boundary finite element method, the main advantage in using the proposed artificial boundary is that the requirement for solving a matrix form of Lyapunov equation to obtain the unit-impulse response matrix is avoided, so that computer efforts are significantly reduced. The related numerical results from some typical examples have demonstrated that the proposed artificial boundary is of high accuracy in dealing with time-dependent elastic wave propagation in two-dimensional homogeneous semi-infinite domains.     

Evaluation of the effect of earthquake frequency content on seismic behavior of cantilever retaining wall including soil–structure interaction

A three-dimensional backfill–structure–soil/foundation interaction phenomenon is simulated using the finite element method in order to analyze the dynamic behavior of cantilever retaining wall subjected to different ground motions. Effects of both earthquake frequency content and soil–structure interaction are evaluated by using five different seismic motions and six different soil types. The study mainly consists of three parts. In the first part, following a brief review of the problem, the finite element model with viscous boundary is proposed under fixed-base condition. In the second part, analytical formulations are presented by using modal analysis technique to provide the finite element model verification, and reasonable agreement is found between numerical and analytical results. Finally, the method is extended to further investigate parametrically the effects of not only earthquake frequency content but also soil/foundation interaction, and nonlinear time history analyzes are carried out. By means of changing the soil properties, some comparisons are made on lateral displacements and stress responses under different ground motions. It is concluded that the dynamic response of the cantilever wall is highly sensitive to frequency characteristics of the earthquake record and soil–structure interaction.     

复杂地基条件下桩-土-核岛结构相互作用模型研究

合理有效地模拟桩-土-结构动力相互作用是软土地基条件下核岛厂房结构抗震适应性分析及地基处理的关键环节。以某拟建核岛厂房实际工程为研究背景,结合SuperFLUSH软件平台,以Goodman单元模拟桩与桩周土间的接触效应,采用等价线性法描述近场软土地基非线性特性,并在模型底部和侧面引入黏性边界模拟半无限地基辐射阻尼效应,从而建立土质地基条件下桩-土-核岛结构相互作用分析模型。进而,通过对原状地基和嵌岩桩处理地基条件下核岛厂房的楼层反应谱、结构节点相对位移（绝对值）的对比分析,探讨考虑桩-土间接触效应的嵌岩桩基对核岛厂房结构的影响规律。研究成果可为实际工程中类似土质地基条件下核岛厂房结构的地基处理提供参考。     

Accuracy of three-dimensional seismic ground response analysis in time domain using nonlinear numerical simulations

To provide appropriate uses of nonlinear ground response analysis for engineering practice, a three-dimensional soil column with a distributed mass system and a time domain numerical analysis were implemented on the OpenSees simulation platform. The standard mesh of a three-dimensional soil column was suggested to be satisfied with the specified maximum frequency. The layered soil column was divided into multiple sub-soils with a different viscous damping matrix according to the shear velocities as the soil properties were significantly different. It was necessary to use a combination of other one-dimensional or three-dimensional nonlinear seismic ground analysis programs to confirm the applicability of nonlinear seismic ground motion response analysis procedures in soft soil or for strong earthquakes. The accuracy of the three-dimensional soil column finite element method was verified by dynamic centrifuge model testing under different peak accelerations of the earthquake. As a result, nonlinear seismic ground motion response analysis procedures were improved in this study. The accuracy and efficiency of the three-dimensional seismic ground response analysis can be adapted to the requirements of engineering practice.     

某高精密设备平台基础隔振措施分析

结合某高精密设备平台基础隔振实际工程,基于UPFs(User Programmable Features)二次开发特点,提出考虑基础-地基-基础动力相互作用计算基础隔振分析的三维有限元方法。该方法首先将动力机器、周围地基以及高精密设备平台基础作为完整的研究对象,通过引入三维紧支黏弹性边界单元模拟半无限地基辐射阻尼效应和远场介质的弹性恢复性能,并在通用有限元软件ANSYS中实现。进而基于最小二乘方法回归分析得到振动衰减关系曲线,通过其与数值分析结果的对比验证计算模型的合理性。最后针对此工程场地条件建立隔振沟减振隔振措施的有限元模型,并对隔振沟影响因素的减振效果进行分析。计算结果表明,隔振沟的位置、深度以及长度是实际工程中需要考虑的重要因素,对其进行合理的选取可获得较好的隔振效果。     

Nonlinear seismic response analysis of arch dam-foundation systems- part I dam-foundation rock interaction

The arch dam–foundation rock dynamic interaction and the nonlinear opening and closing effects of contact joints on arch dam are important to the seismic response analysis of arch dams. Up to date, there is not yet a reasonable and rigorous procedure including the two factors in seismic response analysis. The methods for the analysis of arch dam–foundation rock dynamic interaction in frequency domain are not suitable to the problem with nonlinear behaviors, in this paper, so an analysis method in time domain is proposed by combining the explicit finite element method and the transmitting boundary, and the dynamic relaxation technique is adopted to obtain the initial static response for dynamic analysis. Moreover, the influence of arch dam–foundation dynamic interaction with energy dispersion on seismic response of designed Xiaowan arch dam in China is studied by comparing the results of the proposed method and the conventional method with the massless foundation, and the local material nonlinear and nonhomogeneous behaviors of foundation rock are also considered. The reservoir water effect is assumed as Westergaard added mass model in calculation. The influence of the closing–opening effects of contact joints of arch dam on the seismic response will be studied in another paper.     

Semiparametric regression models for spatial prediction and uncertainty quantification of soil attributes

In many studies, the distribution of soil attributes depends on both spatial location and environmental factors, and prediction and process identification are performed using existing methods such as kriging. However, it is often too restrictive to model soil attributes as dependent on a known, parametric function of environmental factors, which kriging typically assumes. This paper investigates a semiparametric approach for identifying and modeling the nonlinear relationships of spatially dependent soil constituent levels with environmental variables and obtaining point and interval predictions over a spatial region. Frequentist and Bayesian versions of the proposed method are applied to measured soil nitrogen levels throughout Florida, USA and are compared to competing models, including frequentist and Bayesian kriging, based an array of point and interval measures of out-of-sample forecast quality. The semiparametric models outperformed competing models in all cases. Bayesian semiparametric models yielded the best predictive results and provided empirical coverage probability nearly equal to nominal.     

Energy-based dynamic parameter identification for Pasternak foundation model

Parameter identification of Pasternak foundation models(PFM) is never satisfactory, which discourages the application and popularization of PFM. In the present study, an energy-based model to predict the dynamic foundation coefficients was proposed using the vibration kinetic energy and potential energy of a Pasternak foundation-rigid plate system. On the basis of the Pasternak foundation, the relationship among the natural frequency, dynamic foundation coefficients, rigid plate configuration, and vibrating soil equivalent mass per unit area was considered. To obtain the natural frequencies of the Pasternak foundation-rigid plate system, dynamic tests were performed. Using two or more dynamic test results of various rigid plates on a foundation, a set of equations of dynamic foundation coefficients was set up to directly identify the foundation coefficients and equivalent mass per unit area of vibrating soil. The feasibility of the proposed method was verified by comparing it with the outdoor and indoor test results and finite element analysis results. When the proposed method is used to obtain the dynamic parameters, PFM can be generalized and applied more widely in engineering practice.     

Analytical and numerical analysis of pressure drawdown in a poroelastic reservoir with complete overburden effect considered

Starting from an analytical reservoir model that incorporates full interaction with an elastic overburden, a new hybrid mathematical approach is developed by combining two numerical discretization methods. A tabular reservoir (petroleum reservoir or an aquifer) in an infinite or semi-infinite domain is viewed as a macroscopic displacement discontinuity, allowing use of the efficient displacement discontinuity mathematical method to calculate stresses and displacements that arise because of pressure changes. A 3-D finite element method using a poroelastic formulation is used to discretize the reservoir itself. By coupling the displacement discontinuity and finite element methods, a 3-D large-scale poroelastic reservoir can be simulated within an infinite or semi-infinite domain. The numerical model has been verified through comparison to known solutions, and some time-dependent pressure drawdown problems are analyzed. Results indicate that including the complete overburden (reservoir surroundings) response has a significant effect on pressure drawdown in a poroelastic reservoir during pumping, and should be incorporated in appropriate applications such as well test equations and subsidence analyses.     

Flow toward periodic tile drains

The method of conformal mapping is applied to the analysis of transient flow toward parallel periodic drains in a semi-infinite aquifer taking into consideration the non-linear boundary conditions on the free surface. The mapping function is expressed as a power series in time and the seepage domain is mapped onto a domain of an auxiliary complex variable. Mapping is performed in such a manner that the free surface will always remain the real axis. Calculations are carried out for different ratios of drain depth to drain spacing using various drain diameter to depth ratios.     

A model study of tidal distributions in the Celtic and Irish Sea regions determined with finite volume and finite element models

An unstructured mesh tidal model of the west coast of Britain, covering the Celtic Sea and Irish Sea is used to compare tidal distributions computed with finite element (FE) and finite volume (FV) models. Both models cover an identical region, use the same mesh, and have topography and tidal boundary forcing from a finite difference model that can reproduce the tides in the region. By this means, solutions from both models can be compared without any bias towards one model or another. Two-dimensional calculations show that for a given friction coefficient, there is more damping in the FV model than the FE model. As bottom friction coefficient is reduced, the two models show comparable changes in tidal distributions. In terms of mesh resolution, calculations show that for the M₂ tide, the mesh is sufficiently fine to yield an accurate solution over the whole domain. However, in terms of higher harmonics of the tide, in particular the M₆ component, its small-scale variability in near-shore regions which is comparable to the mesh of the model, suggests that the mesh resolution is insufficient in the near-coastal regions. Even with a finer mesh in these areas, without detailed bottom topography and a spatial varying friction depending on bed types and bed forms, which is not available, model skill would probably not be improved. In addition in the near-shore region, as shown in the literature, the solution is sensitive to the form of the wetting/drying algorithm used in the model. Calculations with a 3D version of the FV model show that for a given value of k, damping is reduced compared to the 2D version due to the differences in bed stress formulation, with the 3D model yielding an accurate tidal distribution over the region.