Validation of a three‐dimensional constitutive model for nonlinear site response and soil‐structure interaction analyses using centrifuge test data

The capability of a bounding surface plasticity model with a vanishing elastic region to capture the multiaxial dynamic hysteretic responses of soil deposits under broadband (eg, earthquake) excitations is explored by using data from centrifuge tests. The said model was proposed by Borja and Amies in 1994 (J. Geotech. Eng., 120, 6, 1051‐1070), which is theoretically capable of representing nonlinear soil behavior in a multiaxial setting. This is an important capability that is required for exploring and quantifying site topography, soil stratigraphy, and kinematic effects in ground motion and soil‐structure interaction analyses. Results obtained herein indicate that the model can accurately predict key response data recorded during centrifuge tests on embedded specimens—including soil pressures and bending strains for structural walls, structures' racking displacements, and surface settlements—under both low‐ and high‐amplitude seismic input motions, which was achieved after performing only a basic material parameter calibration procedure. Comparisons are also made with results obtained using equivalent linear models and a well‐known pressure‐dependent multisurface plasticity model, which suggested that the present model is generally more accurate. The numerical convergence behavior of the model in nonlinear equilibrium iterations is also explored for a variety of numerical implementation and model parameter options. To facilitate broader use by researchers and practicing engineers alike, the model is implemented as a “user material” in ABAQUS Standard for implicit time stepping.     

Impact of local site conditions on portfolio earthquake loss estimation for different building types

This article presents a sensitivity analysis investigating the impact of using high-resolution site conditions databases in portfolio earthquake loss estimation. This article also estimates the effects of variability in the site condition databases on probabilistic earthquake loss ratios and their geographical pattern with respect to structural characteristics of different building types. To perform the earthquake loss estimation here, the OpenQuake software developed by Global Earthquake Model is implemented in Clemson University’s supercomputer. The probabilistic event-based risk analysis is employed considering several notional portfolios of different building types in the San Francisco area as the inventory exposure. This analysis produces the stochastic event sets worth for 10,000 years including almost 8000 synthetically simulated earthquakes. Then, the ground motion prediction equations are used to calculate the ground motion per event and incorporate the effect of five site conditions, on amplifying or de-amplifying the ground motions on notional building exposure locations. Notional buildings are used to account for various building characteristics in conformance with the building taxonomy represented in HAZUS software. The HAZUS damage functions are applied to model the vulnerability of various structural types of buildings. Finally, the 50-year average mean loss and probabilistic loss for multiple values for probability of exceedance (2, 10, 20, and 40%) in 50 years are calculated, and the impact of different site condition databases on portfolio loss ratios is investigated for different structural types and heights of buildings. The results show the aggregated and geographical variation of loss and loss ratio throughout the region for various site conditions. Comparing the aggregated loss and loss ratio, while considering different databases, represents normalized differences that are limited to 6% for all building taxonomy with various heights and for all PoEs. However, site-specific loss ratio errors are significantly greater and in some cases are more than 20%.     

Combining Arc-GIS and OWA model in flooding potential analysis (case study: Meshkinshahr city)

Natural Hazards - “Streets have been turned into rivers”; this is a news headline which we have been hearing more often recently and refers to the floodwaters flowing into cities....