Dynamic response of a flexible plate on saturated soil layer

An analytical approach is developed to study the dynamic response of a flexible plate on single-layered saturated soil. The analysis is based on Biot's two-phased theory of poroelasticity and also on the classical thin-plate theory. First, the governing differential equations for saturated soil are solved by the use of Hankel transform. The general solutions of the skeleton displacements, stresses, and pore pressures, derived in the transformed domain, are subsequently incorporated into the imposed boundary conditions, which leads to a set of dual integral equations describing the corresponding mixed boundary value problem. These governing integral equations are finally reduced to the Fredholm integral equations of the second kind and solved by standard numerical procedures. The accuracy of the present solution is validated via comparisons with existing solutions for an ideal elastic half-space. Furthermore, some numerical results are presented to show the influences of the layer depth, the plate flexibility, and the soil porosity on the dynamic compliances.     

Dynamic stress wave reflections/attenuation: Earthquake simulation in centrifuge soil models

In this investigation, the feasibility of earthquake simulation in centrifuge soil experiments is studied. The strong detrimental effect of standing waves for such an endeavour is clearly shown. A modest degree of success toward producing a model earthquake is reported via two devices—a certain kind of physically tuned internal excitor and an effective absorbent material at the walls.     

轨道附近地面振动模型中的饱和地层动力格林函数

列车引起场地振动的建模需要能够表达地层的动力格林函数.本文兼顾饱和土的流固两相耦合性、场地土的分层性和波动的三维传播性,构建了半解析的场地动力格林函数.首先,基于Biot方程,在傅里叶变换域求解固体骨架和流体的位移和应力.然后采用传递矩阵方法建立地表位移和应力间的关系,得到格林函数矩阵.进而讨论矩阵的一些固有特征,提出改善竖向位移计算效率的措施.最后利用推导的格林函数计算了几个典型算例.数值结果与文献中其他方法得到的结果十分接近,与场地振动的现场观测试验基本符合.软土场地振动的计算结果高于饱和砂土场地,高速列车场地振动强度高于低速列车.当车速接近场地瑞利波速,模拟结果中显示出马赫锥.数值结果还显示,即使车速略低于瑞利波速,马赫锥也可能出现.本文推导的格林函数将有助于深入理解列车等移动激励作用下层状饱和土场地的振动特征.     

层状饱水软土地基三维非轴对称动力响应分析方法

将饱水软土地基视为两相介质、考虑水的渗流和土骨架9变形的耦合作用，用Fourier展开和Hankel积分变换分析三维非称对称饱和弹性土层波动方程，用刚度矩阵方法，建立了层状饱和软土地基三维非轴对称动力响应的解析分析方法。以数值算例对比分析了单相土介质与两相饱和土介质三维非轴对称稳态动力响应，结果表明：在饱水软土地基动力响应分析中应该考虑土体中孔隙流体的影响。     

Strain effects on kinematic pile bending in layered soil

The kinematic bending of single piles in two-layer soil is explored to account for soil stiffness degradation and associated damping increase with increasing levels of shear strain, a fundamental aspect of soil behaviour which is not incorporated in current simplified seismic design methodologies for pile foundations.A parametric study of a vertical cylindrical pile embedded in a two-layer soil profile to vertically-propagating S waves, carried out in the time domain by a pertinent beam-on-dynamic-Winkler-foundation (BDWF) model, is reported. Strain effects are treated by means of the equivalent-linear procedure which provides soil stiffness and damping ratio as function of shear strain level. Whereas the approach still represents a crude representation of the actual soil behaviour to dynamic loading, it is more realistic than elementary solutions based on linear visco-elasticity adopted in earlier studies.The paper highlights that soil nonlinearity may have either a detrimental or a beneficial effect on kinematic pile bending depending on the circumstances. The predictive equations for kinematic pile bending in visco-elastic soil recently developed by the Authors are extended to encompass strain effects. Numerical examples and comparisons against experimental data from case histories and shaking table tests are presented.     

Dynamic response of partially sealed circular tunnel in viscoelastic saturated soil

Based on Biot's wave equation, dynamic response of a circular tunnel with partially sealed liner in viscoelastic saturated soil is investigated. By introducing two scalar potential functions, the analytical solutions of stresses, displacements and pore pressure induced by axisymmetric gradually applied step load are derived in Laplace transform domain. Numerical results are obtained by inverting Laplace transform presented by Durbin and used to analyze the influences of partial permeable property of boundary and viscoelastic damping coefficient of soil on dynamic response of the tunnel. It is shown that the attenuation of radial displacement appeared with the increase of viscoelastic damping coefficient of soil, and relative rigidity of liner and soil, and the influence of partial sealing property of boundary on stresses, displacements and pore pressure is remarkable. The available solutions of permeable and impermeable boundary conditions are only two extreme cases of this paper.     

Dynamic response of a tunnel buried in a saturated poroelastic soil layer to a moving point load

The dynamic response of a tunnel buried in a two-dimensional poroelastic soil layer subjected to a moving point load was investigated theoretically. The tunnel was simplified as an infinite long Euler–Bernoulli beam, which was placed parallel to the traction-free ground surface. The saturated layer was governed by Biot’s theory. Combined with the specified boundary conditions along the beam and saturated poroelastic layer, the coupled equations of the system were solved analytically in the frequency–wavenumber domain based on Fourier transform. The time domain responses were obtained by the fast inverse Fourier transform. The critical velocity of the considered structure was determined from the dispersion curves. The different dynamic characteristics of the elastic soil medium and the saturated poroelastic medium subjected to the underground moving load were investigated. It is concluded that, for coarse materials or fine materials subjected to the high-velocity loading, models ignoring the coupling effects between the pore fluid and the soil skeleton may cause errors. The shear modulus and the permeability coefficients of the saturated soil as well as the load moving velocity had significant influence on the displacement and pore pressure responses.     

Micro-scale modeling of saturated sandy soil behavior subjected to cyclic loading

Liquefaction induced damage to the built environment is one of the major causes of damage in an earthquake. Since Niigata earthquake in 1964, it has been popularly recognized that the liquefaction induced ground failures caused severe damage in various forms such as sand boiling, ground settlement, lateral spreading, landslide, etc. Since then, understanding the mechanism of liquefaction phenomena became very important to take measures against the liquefaction induced ground failures. To understand the mechanism of liquefaction, it is important to consider the soil as an assemblage of particles. A continuum approach may fail to explain some of the phenomena associated with liquefaction. Discrete approach, such as distinct/discrete element method (DEM), is an effective method that can simulate the mechanism of liquefaction and associated phenomena well at the microscopic level.     

Dynamic centrifuge testing of a cantilever retaining wall

Two correctly-scaled model cantilever retaining walls of different stiffnesses were tested under dynamic loading conditions in a centrifuge. A medium-dense fine sand was retained with a range of backfill slopes. For the centrifuge model, an earthquake-generating mechanism was designed to produce seismic shaking equivalent to that generated at ground surface in the epicentral area of an earthquake of approximate magnitude 5–5. The response of the model retaining walls to the input dynamic motion was measured by strain gauges, pressure transducers and accelerometers. From the measurements plots were constructed of moment, shear, pressure and displacement over the height of the walls as a function of time. The results are compared with calculations based on the quasi-static Mononobe-Okabe theory. Although the calculated resultant force is in reasonable agreement with the experiments, the moments can be substantially different. Residual values of all parameters at the end of shaking are considerably greater than the initial static values. It is recommended that dynamic behaviour be incorporated in the earthquake design of retaining walls.     

半球形饱和土沉积谷场地对入射平面Rayleigh波的三维散射问题的解析解

用Biot饱和多孔介质动力学理论模拟半球形两相饱和土沉积谷,用单相介质弹性动力学理论模拟周围半空间场地.利用Fourier-Bessel 级数展开法,在频域内给出了半空间中半球形饱和土沉积谷场地在平面Rayleigh波入射下三维散射问题的解析解.利用这一解析解计算分析了入射波频率、场地特征（包括孔隙比）对地表位移幅值的影响,并与已有的三维半球形沉积谷场地在单相介质中的散射问题进行了对比分析.     

Mode-based equivalent multi-degree-of-freedom system for one-dimensional viscoelastic response analysis of layered soil deposit

Discrete models such as the lumped parameter model and the finite element model are widely used in the solution of soil amplification of earthquakes. However, neither of the models will accurately estimate the natural frequencies of soil deposit, nor simulate a damping of frequency independence. This research develops a new discrete model for one-dimensional viscoelastic response analysis of layered soil deposit based on the mode equivalence method. The new discrete model is a one-dimensional equivalent multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) system characterized by a series of concentrated masses, springs and dashpots with a special configuration. The dynamic response of the equivalent MDOF system is analytically derived and the physical parameters are formulated in terms of modal properties. The equivalent MDOF system is verified through a comparison of amplification functions with the available theoretical solutions. The appropriate number of degrees of freedom (DOFs) in the equivalent MDOF system is estimated. A comparative study of the equivalent MDOF system with the existing discrete models is performed. It is shown that the proposed equivalent MDOF system can exactly present the natural frequencies and the hysteretic damping of soil deposits and provide more accurate results with fewer DOFs.     

Dynamic stiffness of foundation on layered soil half-space using cone frustums

Approximate dynamic-stiffness coefficients of a disk on the surface of a single layer on a half-space may be calculated using cone models. This concept is generalized to the case of a horizontally stratified site consisting of many layers on a homogeneous half-space. After constructing the so-called ‘backbone cone’ determining the radii of the disks at all interfaces, the dynamic-stiffness matrices of the layers (modelled as cone frustums) and the dynamic-stiffness coefficient of the underlying half-space (modelled as a cone) are assembled to that of the site. The dynamic-stiffness matrix of a layer is a complex-valued function of frequency because radiation of energy in the horizontal direction is considered. In this model of the layered half-space the properties of the cone reproduce themselves (cloning). The advantages of using cone models are also present for the layered half-space; in particular, no transformation to the wave-number domain is performed.     

饱和层状场地中任意凹陷地形对入射SV波的散射

利用饱和土层的精确动力刚度矩阵和动力格林(Green)函数,采用间接边界元法,在频域内求解了层状饱和场地中任意凹陷地形对入射SV波的散射问题.通过自由场反应分析,求得凹陷地形表面各点的位移和各单元的应力响应;同样计算了虚拟分布荷载的格林影响函数,求得相应的位移和应力响应;根据边界条件确定虚拟分布荷载,将自由场位移响应和...     

Experimental study of vertical and batter pile groups in saturated sand using a centrifuge shaking table

To study the dynamic response of vertical and batter pile groups in saturated sand, dynamic tests of these pile groups in saturated sand were carried out using the ZJU400 geotechnical centrifuge at Zhejiang University. The following results were obtained.(1) As the motion intensity increased, the peak acceleration in soil layers at different depths significantly decreased, indicating that the soil stiffness was significantly reduced.(2) During the motion process, the instantaneous bending moment...     

Dynamic interaction between rigid foundations in a layered half-space

A computationally efficient boundary integral equation technique to calculate the dynamic response of a group of rigid surface foundations bonded to a layered viscoelastic half-space and subjected to external forces and seismic waves is presented. The technique relies on an iterative scheme which minimizes in-core memory requirements and takes advantage of any geometrical symmetry of the foundations. Extensive results for the case of two rigid square foundations placed at different separations and bonded to a viscoelastic half-space are presented. It was found that the choice of discretization of the foundations has a marked effect on the calculated impedance functions for extremely small separations. Illustrative results for a case of several closely-spaced foundations bonded to a layered half-space are also presented.     

Boundary effects of a laminar container in centrifuge shaking table tests

Two dynamic centrifuge model tests were performed to simulate dry or saturated sand deposits subjected to 1 Hz base shaking. This experimental study investigated the boundary effects of a laminar container on the seismic response acquired from accelerometers and from pore pressure transducers, both of which were embedded in the sand bed at various depths and distances from the end walls. Under the tested configurations and the employed input motion used in the study, the test results revealed minimal boundary effects on the seismic responses. The measured maximum amplitude, main frequencies, phase lags of acceleration, and the profiles of the calculated RMS acceleration amplification factor were not affected by the boundaries if the instruments were positioned at a distance of more than one-twentieth of the model length from the end walls and were not positioned on the ground surface. No obvious discrepancies were observed in the time histories of excess pore water pressure, measured at a distance of one-fourth of the model length from the end walls. These results infer that variations in the seismic response at the end walls were minimal; hence the laminar container used in the study may be used effectively to simulate 1D shear wave propagation in centrifuge shaking table tests. However, for other testing configurations, a similar study should be undertaken for evaluating the boundary effect of the laminar container on the seismic responses.     

Modal identification of a centrifuge soil model using subspace state space method

In this paper, modal parameters of a layered soil system comprising of a soft clay layer overlying a dense sand layer are identified from accelerometer recordings in a centrifuge test. For the first time, the subspace state space system identification (4SID) method was employed to identify the natural frequencies, damping ratios, and complex valued mode shapes while considering the non-proportional damping in a soil system. A brief review of system identification concepts needed for application of the 4SID techniques to structural modal identification is provided in the paper. The identified natural frequencies were validated against those estimated by transfer function spectra. The computed normal mode shapes were compared with closed-form solutions obtained from the one-dimensional shear wave propagation equation. The identified modal parameters were then employed to synthesize state space prediction models which were subsequently used to simulate the soil response to three successive base motions. The identified models captured acceleration time-histories and corresponding Fourier spectra reasonably well in the small and moderate shaking events. In the stronger third shaking event, the model performed well at greater soil depths, but was less accurate near the surface where nonlinearities dominated.     

Dynamic soil parameters determination by geophysical prospecting in Mexico City: implication for site effect modeling

Seismic experiments were conducted in Mexico City in order to determine the dynamic characteristics of the soft clay layer present at the surface in the lake bed zone. In-situ measurements of V_p, V_s, Q_p and Q_s were performed in the Texcoco lake area. Q_s values ranging from 8 to 60 have been found from the surface down to 30 m depth, while V_s values are between 30 and 115 m/s for the same depths. These relatively low Q values support the idea that surface waves generated at the edges of the Mexico basin cannot propagate very far in the structure. During this study, the elastic characteristics of the surficial basalt layers outcropping in the hill zone have also been investigated. Very low P-wave velocity values (500–800 m/s) have been found in the basalt. In the hill zone where basalts are interbedded with soil, numerical modeling has shown that such low values can only be partially explained by the relation between wavelength and basalt thickness and that other mechanisms, like fracturation, must be involved.