Elastic wave propagation in an irregularly layered medium

The indirect boundary element method (IBEM) is used to simulate wave propagation in two-dimensional irregularly layered elastic media for internal line sources. The method is based on the integral representation for scattered elastic waves using single layer boundary sources. Fulfillment of the boundary conditions leads to a system of integral equations. Results are obtained in the frequency domain and seismograins are computed through Fourier synthesis. In order to test and validate the method we present various comparisons between our results and the time series obtained analytically for a buried line source in a half-space and by using the recently developed spectral element method (SEM).     

Diffraction of seismic waves in an elastic, cracked halfplane using a boundary integral formulation

The presence of subsurface cracks in a halfspace excited by elastic waves may give rise to scattered body and surface waves. For many engineering applications, such as non-destructive testing or oil exploration, the scattered field may yield valuable information to detect cracks and other scatterers. We use the Indirect Boundary Element Method (IBEM) to study the diffraction of P, SV waves with various incidence angles and Rayleigh surface waves. This approximate boundary integral technique is based upon the integral representation for scattered elastic waves using single-layer boundary sources. Our approach is usually called indirect BEM as the sources' strengths should be obtained as an intermediate step. This indirect formulation can give to the analyst a deep physical insight on the generated diffracted waves because it is closer to the physical reality and can be regarded as a realization of Huygens' Principle. In any event, mathematically it is fully equivalent to the classical Somigliana's representation theorem. In order to gauge accuracy we test our method by comparing with previous results in the literature. Various crack configurations, including multiple cracks, are investigated. Results in frequency and time domains are displayed. Under certain conditions the amplitude spectra of those waves clearly show conspicuous resonance peaks.     

An indirect boundary element method applied to simulate the seismic response of alluvial valleys for incident P,S and Rayleigh waves

A boundary integral formulation is presented and applied to model the ground motion on alluvial valleys under incident P, S and Rayleigh waves. It is based on integral representations for the diffracted and the refracted elastic waves using single-layer boundary sources. This approach is called indirect BEM in the literature as the sources' strengths should be obtained as an intermediate step. Boundary conditions lead to a system of integral equations for boundary sources. A discretization scheme based on the numerical and analytical integration of exact Green's functions for displacements and tractions is used. Various examples are given for two-dimensional problems of diffraction of elastic waves by soft elastic inclusion models of alluvial deposits in an elastic half-space. Results are displayed in both frequency and time domains. These results show the significant influence of locally generated surface waves in seismic response and suggest approximations of practical interest. For shallow alluvial valleys the response and its resonant frequencies are controlled by a coupling mechanism that involves both the simple one-dimensional shear beam model and the propagation of surface waves.     

Earthquake site effect modeling in the Granada basin using a 3-D indirect boundary element method

In this work, we develop the indirect boundary element method (IBEM) to simulate the seismic site response in a realistic, large-scale 3-D sedimentary basin. Most previous applications of boundary element method have used full-space Green’s functions for wave propagation between element points. We use half-space Green’s functions, which include the seismic wavefield interactions at the free surface and require only the boundary elements of the basin interface. In this way, the size of the matrix equation for solution in the IBEM can be reduced to approximately a quarter of that using full-space Green’s functions. The site response modeling of the Granada basin in southern Spain using the IBEM shows that the basin-induced scattering waves were identified as propagating back and forth inside the basin. The scattered waves also generate surface waves that are weakly propagated outside of the basin. The wave propagation inside and outside of the basin shows different patterns. We observe that the scattered wave is locally amplified, and its propagation direction deviates from that of the incident waves propagation direction. Therefore, the computed seismic response in the basin could provide us with good estimates of the seismic motion.     

The scattering of plane P_1 wave by a 3-D sedimentary basin in a fluid-saturated poroelastic half-space using IBEM

The indirect boundary element method(IBEM) is applied to investigate the scattering of elastic waves around a 3-D sedimentary basin filled with fluidsaturated poroelastic medium. Based on this method, the free field and scattered field can be solved according to the boundary conditions. And the numerical accuracy has been verified. The effects of parameters on elastic wave scattering are studied, such as boundary condition, incident frequency,incident angle and porosity of medium. Numerical results illustrate that the amplification effect of surface displacement near poroelastic sedimentary basin is notable. In addition, for the case of large porosity the drainage condition has a significant impact on the response amplitude. Due to the fluid exchange at the interface under the drained condition, the displacement amplitude can be much larger than that under the undrained condition in present study. The study can provide a theoretical basis for the anti-seismic design of engineering structures located in sedimentary basin.     

平面SV波在层状半空间中沉积谷地周围的散射

采用间接边界元方法求解了入射平面SV波在层状半空间中沉积谷地周围的散射问题.问题的解答包含自由场和散射场两部分.自由场可由直接刚度法求得,散射场由层状半空间中斜线荷载动力格林函数来模拟.文中以入射平面SV波在基岩上单一土层中沉积谷地周围散射为例研究了土层和沉积谷地周围的影响.结果表明,由于考虑了土层的动力特性,平面SV...     

The discrete wave number formulation of boundary integral equations and boundary element methods: A review with applications to the simulation of seismic wave propagation in complex geological structures

We review the application of the discrete wave number method to problems of scattering of seismic waves formulated in terms of boundary integral equation and boundary element methods. The approach is based on the representation of the diffracting surfaces and interfaces of the medium by surface distributions of sources or by boundary source elements, the radiation from which is equivalent to the scattered wave field produced by the diffracting boundaries. The Green's functions are evaluated by the discrete wave number method, and the boundary conditions yield a linear system of equations. The inversion of this system allows the calculation of the full wave field in the medium. We investigate the accuracy of the method and we present applications to the simulation of surface seismic surveys, to the diffraction of elastic waves by fractures, to regional crustal wave propagation and to topographic scattering.     

Finite-difference modeling of surface waves in poroelastic media and stress mirror conditions

During seismic wave propagation on a free surface, a strong material contrast boundary develops in response to interference by P- and S- waves to create a surfacewave phenomenon. To accurately determine the effects of this interface on surface-wave propagation, the boundary conditions must be accurately modeled. In this paper, we present a numerical approach based on the dynamic poroelasticity for a space–time-domain staggeredgrid finite-difference simulation in porous media that contain a free-surface boundary. We propose a generalized stess mirror formulation of the free-surface boundary for solids and fluids in porous media for the grid mesh on which lays the free-surface plane. Its analog is that used for elastic media, which is suitable for precise and stable Rayleigh-type surface-wave modeling. The results of our analysis of first kind of Rayleigh (R1) waves obtained by this model demonstrate that the discretization of the mesh in a similar way to that for elastic media can realize stable numerical solutions with acceptable precision. We present numerical examples demonstrating the efficiency and accuracy of our proposed method.     

Dynamic interaction between 3-D rigid surface foundations and comparison with the ATC-3 provisions

The dynamic behaviour of a system of three-dimensional, massless, rigid, surface foundations of arbitrary shape perfectly bonded to the elastic half-space is numerically studied with the frequency domain boundary element method. This method employs the dynamic Green's function for the surface of the half-space and this results in a discretization of only the soil-foundation interfaces. In addition, use of isoparametric quadratic quadrilateral boundary elements increases the accuracy of the method, which is confirmed by comparison with other known numerical solutions. Externally applied loads, harmonically varying with time, are considered. The through the soil coupling effect between the foundations as a function of distance and frequency is assessed through extensive parametric studies involving two and four rigid foundations being isolated or interconnected. It is found that the assertion of ATC-3 regulations that omission of coupling effects leads to conservative results is not always correct for all frequencies.     

交错网格高阶差分法三维弹性波数值模拟

本文应用交错网格高阶有限差分方法模拟弹性波在三维各向同性介质中的传播。采用时间上二阶、空间上高阶近似的交错网格高阶差分公式求解三维弹性波位移-应力方程,并在计算边界处应用基于傍轴近似法得到的三维弹性波方程吸收边界条件。在此基础上进行了三维盐丘地质模型的地震波传播数值模拟试算。试算结果表明该方法模拟精度高,在很大程度上减小了数值频散,绕射波更加丰富,而且适用于介质速度具有纵向变化和横向变化的情况。     

Harmonic wave response of two 3-D rigid surface foundations

A boundary element methodology is developed for studying the response of a system of two rigid, massless or massive, surface foundations of arbitrary plan-forms to various harmonic waves under three-dimensional conditions. The method employs the frequency domain Green's function for the surface of the elastic half-space, thereby restricting the discretization only to the soil-foundation interfaces, and isoparametric quadratic quadrilateral boundary elements for increased accuracy. Extensive comparison studies with other known numerical solutions confirm the high accuracy of the proposed method. Detailed parametric studies are conducted in order to study the harmonic wave response of two square foundations as a function of the kind of incident wave, the angles of wave incidence, the wave frequency, the separation distance between the foundations and the amount of mass in each foundation and compare it against that of a single foundation for assessing the through the soil coupling effect.     

Dynamic soil-tunnel interaction in layered half-space for incident plane SH waves

The dynamic soil-tunnel interaction is studied by indirect boundary element method (IBEM), using the model of a rigid tunnel in layered half-space, which is simplified to a single soil layer on elastic bedrock, subjected to incident plane SH waves. The accuracy of the results is verified through comparison with the analytical solution. It is shown that soil-tunnel interaction in layered half-space is larger than that in homogeneous half-space and this interaction mechanism is essentially different from that of soil-foundation-superstructure interaction.     

Boundary element simulation of scattering of elastic waves by 3-D cracks

Numerical modelling techniques are now becoming common for understanding the complicated nature of seismic wave propagation in fractured rock. Here the Indirect Boundary Element Method (IBEM) is applied to study scattering of elastic waves by cracks. The problem addressed in this paper is the diffraction of P and S waves by open 3-D cracks of arbitrary shape embedded in a homogeneous isotropic medium. The IBEM yields the value of the jump of displacements between opposite surfaces of the crack, often called Crack Opening Displacement (COD). This is used to evaluate the solution away from the crack. We use a multi-regional approach which consists of splitting a surface S into two identical surfaces S⁺ and S⁻ chosen such that the crack lies at the interface. The resulting integral equations are not hyper-singular and wave propagation within media that contain open cracks can be rigorously solved. In order to validate the method, we compare results of displacements of a penny-shaped crack for a vertical incident P-wave with the classic results by Mal (1970) obtaining excellent agreement. This comparison gives us confidence to study cases where no analytic solutions exist. Some examples of incidence of P or S waves upon cracks with various shapes are depicted and the salient aspects of the method are also discussed. Both frequency and time-domain results are included.     

2.5D scattering of incident plane SV waves by a canyon in layered half-space

This paper presents a 2.5D scattering of incident plane SV waves by a canyon in a layered half-space by using the indirect boundary element method (IBEM). A free field response analysis is performed to provide the displacements and stresses on the boundary of the canyon where fictitious uniform moving loads are applied to calculate the Green’s functions for the displacements and stresses. The amplitudes of the loads are determined by the boundary conditions. The free field displacements are added to the fic...     

A hybrid indirect boundary element—discrete wave number method applied to simulate the seismic response of stratified alluvial valleys

A hybrid indirect boundary element – discrete wavenumber method is presented and applied to model the ground motion on stratified alluvial valleys under incident plane SH waves from an elastic half-space. The method is based on the single-layer integral representation for diffracted waves. Refracted waves in the horizontally stratified region can be expressed as a linear superposition of solutions for a set of discrete wavenumbers. These solutions are obtained in terms of the Thomson–Haskell propagators formalism. Boundary conditions of continuity of displacements and tractions along the common boundary between the half-space and the stratified region lead to a system of equations for the sources strengths and the coefficients of the plane wave expansion. Although the regions share the boundary, the discretization schemes are different for both sides: for the exterior region, it is based on the numerical and analytical integration of exact Green's functions for displacements and tractions whereas for the layered part, a collocation approach is used. In order to validate this approach results are compared for well-known cases studied in the literature. A homogeneous trapezoidal valley and a parabolic stratified valley were studied and excellent agreement with previous computations was found. An example is given for a stratified inclusion model of an alluvial deposit with an irregular interface with the half-space. Results are displayed in both frequency and time domains. These results show the significant influence of lateral heterogeneity and the emergence of locally generated surface waves in the seismic response of alluvial valleys.     

Two-dimensional scattering and diffraction of P- and SV-waves around a semi-circular canyon in an elastic half-space: An analytic solution via a stress-free wave function

A well-defined boundary-valued problem of wave scattering and diffraction in elastic half-space should have closed-form analytic solutions. This two-dimensional (2-D) scattering around a semi-circular canyon in elastic half-space subjected to seismic plane and cylindrical waves has long been a challenging boundary-value problem. In all cases, the diffracted waves will consist of both longitudinal (P-) and shear (S-) rotational waves. Together at the half-space surface, these in-plane longitudinal P- and shear SV-waves are not orthogonal over the infinite half-space flat-plane boundary. Thus, to simultaneously satisfy both the zero normal and shear stresses at the flat-plane boundary, some approximation of the geometry and/or wave functions often has to be made, or in some cases, relaxed (disregarded). This paper re-examines this two-dimensional (2-D) boundary-value problem from an applied mathematics points of view and redefines the proper form of the orthogonal cylindrical-wave functions for both the longitudinal P- and shear SV-waves so that they can together simultaneously satisfy the zero-stress boundary conditions at the half-space surface. With the zero-stress boundary conditions satisfied at the half-space surface, the most difficult part of the problem will be solved, and the remaining boundary conditions at the finite-canyon surface are then comparatively less complicated to solve. This is now a closed-form analytic solution of the 2-D boundary-valued problem satisfying the half-space zero-stress boundary conditions exactly.     

Earthquake induced hydrodynamic pressure on axisymmetric offshore structures

The horizontal earthquake induced hydrodynamic pressure acting on the surface of axisymmetric offshore and coastal structures is explored. A semi-analytical and semi-numerical approach based on the use of a complete and non-singular set of Trefftz functions is developed. Using this method, one can model accurately the compressibility of the sea water and gravity waves on the water surface. The proposed method shows a relatively simple and efficient approach. This is because the number of degrees of freedom in the matrix equation depends only on the number of selected Trefftz functions and because the discretization of the fluid domain into boundary elements is restricted to the structural surface only. This method is also easy to apply in engineering analysis of hydrodynamic pressure induced by an actual earthquake acceleration. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the results obtained from this method. Several special interesting topics, such as the effects of the water compressibility, the gravity waves on the water surface and the geometrical shape of the structural surface, are also discussed.     

层状半空间中洞室对平面SH波的放大作用

利用间接边界元法,求解了弹性层状半空间中洞室对入射平面SH波的放大作用问题,并以基岩上单一土层中洞室对入射平面SH波的放大作用为例进行了数值计算分析。本文模型的特点之一是考虑了层状场地的动力特性,因而更接近于实际工程;特点之二是计算精度非常高。研究表明,层状半空间中洞室对波的放大作用与均匀半空间中情况有着本质的差别;层状半空间中洞室附近地表动力响应由土层动力特性和洞室对波的散射二者共同决定。土层动力特性不仅影响洞室附近地表位移的幅值,还会影响地表位移的频谱。在土层的前几阶共振频率附近,随着基岩与土层剪切波速比的增大,土层的影响随之增大,而随着土层厚度的增加,土层的影响随之减小,并逐渐趋于均匀半空间情况。     

VTI介质起伏地表地震波场模拟

起伏地表下地震波场模拟有助于解释主动源和被动源地震探测中穿过山脉和盆地的测线所获得的资料.然而传统的有限差分法处理起伏的自由边界比较困难,为了克服这一困难,我们将笛卡尔坐标系的各向异性介质弹性波方程和自由边界条件变换到曲线坐标系中,采用一种稳定的、显式的二阶精度有限差分方法离散(曲线坐标系)VTI介质中的弹性波方程;对...     

Influence of scattering of SH-waves in dynamic interaction of shear wall with soil layers

The dynamic soil-structure interaction of a shear wall embedded in elastic isotropic and homogeneous soil layers underlain by bedrock, subjected to SH waves, is modeled in the present article. The soil layers consist of irregular interfaces and it has been shown that the scattering due to the roughness of the layers has significant effect on the displacement of both the foundation and the shear wall. To demonstrate the phenomena indirect boundary element method(IBEM) has been used on the basis of its validation in previous problems of similar type. The system response is compared with the analytical solution of the same type of model for vertically propagating incident SH waves. It is observed that for the low frequency of wave, displacement is abruptly high, and as a result the combination of shear wall and foundation perceives resonance. The thickness of the soil layer, mass of the shear wall, stiffness of the bedrock and the soil layers all affects the system frequency and displacement.