American Journal of Civil Engineering

| Peer-Reviewed |

Numerical Modelling of Seismic Site Response at Large Strains: A Parametric Study

Received: 02 October 2020    Accepted: 22 October 2020    Published: 11 November 2020
Views:       Downloads:

Share This Article

Abstract

The numerical analysis of seismic site response at large strains should adopt constitutive models able to guarantee not only a correct modelling of stiffness and damping properties but also a compatibility with the shear strength of the materials. The traditional hyperbolic models used in nonlinear analyses are generally calibrated on stiffness and damping curves and therefore does not necessarily match the soil shear strength. An inaccurate modelling of shear strength can lead to unrealistic predictions of the seismic site response with results that are not necessarily conservative: underestimation or overestimation of the computed surface response depends on the difference between the maximum shear stress implied by the adopted hyperbolic nonlinear model and the real soil shear strength. In this paper, over 1900 one-dimensional parametric analyses on ideal sand and clay deposits were executed with DEEPSOIL software. A first comparison was undertaken between equivalent linear and nonlinear analyses; then the nonlinear analyses were addressed to study the influence of shear strength as an input parameter on the results of numerical site response analyses. In particular two strategies to take into account the soil shear strength were considered: an adjustment procedure associated to the standard MKZ hyperbolic model and the GQ/H model which allows the shear strength to be explicitly defined as input parameter of the analyses. This parametric study made it possible to define preliminary threshold shear strain values, beyond which it is necessary to execute numerical analyses with more advanced models or procedures, able to capture the real behavior of the soil at large strains. Indicatively above shear strains of 0.1%, traditional nonlinear models neglecting soil strength can provide unrealistic results, with important overestimation of the seismic motion (up to 30% in terms of PGA at the surface).

DOI 10.11648/j.ajce.20200805.12
Published in American Journal of Civil Engineering (Volume 8, Issue 5, September 2020)
Page(s) 117-127
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Constitutive Models, Large Strains, Numerical Analysis, Shear Strength, Site Effects

References
[1] Pagliaroli A. (2018). Key issues in Seismic Microzonation studies: lessons from recent experiences in Italy. Rivista Italiana di Geotecnica - Italian Geotechnical Journal, n. 1/2018, pp. 5-48, DOI: 10.19199/2018.1.0557-1405.05.
[2] Regnier J. et al. (2016) – International benchmark on numerical simulations for 1D, nonlinear site response (PRENOLIN): verification phase based on canonical cases. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 106 (5): 2112-2135. Doi: 10.1785/0120150284.
[3] Hashash Y. M. A., Phillips, C., and Groholski, D. R.; 2010. “Recent advances in non-linear site response analysis.” 5th Int. Conf. in Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics, Missouri Univ. of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO.
[4] Prevost, J. H. 1989. DYNA1D: A computer program for nonlinear site response analysis, technical documentation. National Center of Earthquake Engineering Research, Sunny at Buffalo, NY.
[5] Schanz, T., P. A. Vermeer, and P. G. Bonnier 1999. The hardening soil model: Formulation and verification, in Beyond 2000 in Computational Geotechnics, Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 281–296.
[6] Pisanò, F., and B. Jeremić 2014. Simulating stiffness degradation and damping in soils via a simple visco-elastic–plastic model. Soil Dynam. Earthq. Eng. 63, 98–109.
[7] Elgamal, A., Yang, Z., and Lu, J. 2006. Cyclic1D: A Computer Program for Seismic Ground Response. Report No. SSRP-06/05, Department of Structural Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA.
[8] Hashash Y. M. A., Musgrove M. I. Harmon J. A., Okan I., Groholski D. R., Phillips C. A., Park D.; 2017. DEEPSOIL 7.0, User Manual.
[9] Matasović, N., and G. A. Ordóñez 2010. D-MOD2000: A computer program for seismic response analysis of horizontally layered soil deposits, earthfill dams, and solid waste landfills, in User’s Manual, GeoMotions, LLC, Lacey, Washington, D. C.
[10] Hashash, Y. M. A., Dashti, S., Romero, M. I., Ghayoomi, M., & Musgrove, M. 2015. Evaluation of 1-D seismic site response modeling of sand using centrifuge experiments. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 78, 19-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soildyn.2015.07.003
[11] Shi J, Asimaki D (2017) From stiffness to strength: formulation and validation of a hybrid hyperbolic nonlinear soil model for site-response analyses. Bull Seismol Soc Am 107 (3): 1336–1355.
[12] Aaqib M., Sadiq S., Park D., Hashash Y. M. A., Pehelivan M. (2018). Importance of Implied Strength Correction for 1D Site Response at Shallow Sites at a Moderate to Low Seismicity Region. Proc. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics V, Austin, Texas, US, DOI: 10.1061/9780784481462.043.
[13] Groholski, D. R. et al. (2016) "Simplified Model for Small-Strain Nonlinearity and Strength in 1D Seismic Site Response Analysis", Journal of Geotechnical and Geo.
[14] Hardin, B. O., and Drnevich, V. P. (1972). Shear modulus and damping in soils: Design equations and curves. J. Soil Mech. Found. Eng. Div., 98 (SM7), 667–692.
[15] Conti R., Angelini M., Licata V. (2020). Nonlinearity and strength in 1D site response analyses: a simple constitutive approach. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering (2020) 18: 4629–4657, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-020-00873-5
[16] Darendeli, M. B. (2001) Development of a New Family of Normalized Modulus Reduction and Material Damping, IEEE Transactions on Communications. doi: 10.1109/TCOM.1977.1093818.
[17] Seed, H. B., Idriss, I. M.; 1970. Soil moduli and damping factors for dynamic response analyses. Report No. EERC 70-10, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, Univ. of California, Berkeley, California, 40p.
[18] Robertson P. K., Campanella R. G.; 1983. Interpretation of cone penetration tests. Part I: Sand. Canadian geotechnical journal, 20 (4), 718-733.
[19] Simonini P., Cola S.; 2000. Use of piezocone to predict maximum stiffness of Venetian soils. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 126 (4), 378-382.
[20] Dickenson SE; 1994. Dynamic Response of Soft and Deep Cohesive Soils during the Loma Prieta Earthquake of October 17, 1989. PhD thesis, Dept. of Civil and Enviro. Eng., University of California, Berkeley, CA.
[21] Masing, G. (1926). Eigenspannungen und Verfestigung beim Messing. 2nd Int. Congress on Applied Mechanics, Orell Füssli Zurich, Switzerland.
[22] Phillips, C., and Hashash, Y. M. (2009). Damping formulation for nonlinear 1D site response analyses. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 29 (7), 1143–1158.
[23] Ishihara, K., and Kasuda, K. (1984). Dynamic strength of cohesive soil. Proceedings of the Sixth Budapest Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Budapest, Hung.
[24] Finn W. D. L., Martin G. R. & Lee M. K. W. (1978). Comparison of dynamic analysis of saturated sand. Proc. ASCE, GT Special Conference: 472-491.
[25] Yoshida N. (1994). Applicability of Conventional Computer Code SHAKE to Nonlinear Problem. Proc. Symposium on Amplification of Ground Shaking in Soft Ground, JSSMFE: 14-31.
[26] Kaklamanos J., Bradley B. A., Thompson E. M., Baise L. G. (2013) Critical parameters affecting bias and variability in site-response analyses using KiK-net downhole array data. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 103, 1733-1749.
Author Information
  • Department of Engineering and Geology, University “Gabriele d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Pescara, Italy

  • Department of Engineering and Geology, University “Gabriele d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Pescara, Italy

Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Francesco Di Buccio, Alessandro Pagliaroli. (2020). Numerical Modelling of Seismic Site Response at Large Strains: A Parametric Study. American Journal of Civil Engineering, 8(5), 117-127. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20200805.12

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Francesco Di Buccio; Alessandro Pagliaroli. Numerical Modelling of Seismic Site Response at Large Strains: A Parametric Study. Am. J. Civ. Eng. 2020, 8(5), 117-127. doi: 10.11648/j.ajce.20200805.12

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Francesco Di Buccio, Alessandro Pagliaroli. Numerical Modelling of Seismic Site Response at Large Strains: A Parametric Study. Am J Civ Eng. 2020;8(5):117-127. doi: 10.11648/j.ajce.20200805.12

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ajce.20200805.12,
      author = {Francesco Di Buccio and Alessandro Pagliaroli},
      title = {Numerical Modelling of Seismic Site Response at Large Strains: A Parametric Study},
      journal = {American Journal of Civil Engineering},
      volume = {8},
      number = {5},
      pages = {117-127},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajce.20200805.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20200805.12},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajce.20200805.12},
      abstract = {The numerical analysis of seismic site response at large strains should adopt constitutive models able to guarantee not only a correct modelling of stiffness and damping properties but also a compatibility with the shear strength of the materials. The traditional hyperbolic models used in nonlinear analyses are generally calibrated on stiffness and damping curves and therefore does not necessarily match the soil shear strength. An inaccurate modelling of shear strength can lead to unrealistic predictions of the seismic site response with results that are not necessarily conservative: underestimation or overestimation of the computed surface response depends on the difference between the maximum shear stress implied by the adopted hyperbolic nonlinear model and the real soil shear strength. In this paper, over 1900 one-dimensional parametric analyses on ideal sand and clay deposits were executed with DEEPSOIL software. A first comparison was undertaken between equivalent linear and nonlinear analyses; then the nonlinear analyses were addressed to study the influence of shear strength as an input parameter on the results of numerical site response analyses. In particular two strategies to take into account the soil shear strength were considered: an adjustment procedure associated to the standard MKZ hyperbolic model and the GQ/H model which allows the shear strength to be explicitly defined as input parameter of the analyses. This parametric study made it possible to define preliminary threshold shear strain values, beyond which it is necessary to execute numerical analyses with more advanced models or procedures, able to capture the real behavior of the soil at large strains. Indicatively above shear strains of 0.1%, traditional nonlinear models neglecting soil strength can provide unrealistic results, with important overestimation of the seismic motion (up to 30% in terms of PGA at the surface).},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Numerical Modelling of Seismic Site Response at Large Strains: A Parametric Study
    AU  - Francesco Di Buccio
    AU  - Alessandro Pagliaroli
    Y1  - 2020/11/11
    PY  - 2020
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20200805.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajce.20200805.12
    T2  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
    JF  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
    JO  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
    SP  - 117
    EP  - 127
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-8737
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20200805.12
    AB  - The numerical analysis of seismic site response at large strains should adopt constitutive models able to guarantee not only a correct modelling of stiffness and damping properties but also a compatibility with the shear strength of the materials. The traditional hyperbolic models used in nonlinear analyses are generally calibrated on stiffness and damping curves and therefore does not necessarily match the soil shear strength. An inaccurate modelling of shear strength can lead to unrealistic predictions of the seismic site response with results that are not necessarily conservative: underestimation or overestimation of the computed surface response depends on the difference between the maximum shear stress implied by the adopted hyperbolic nonlinear model and the real soil shear strength. In this paper, over 1900 one-dimensional parametric analyses on ideal sand and clay deposits were executed with DEEPSOIL software. A first comparison was undertaken between equivalent linear and nonlinear analyses; then the nonlinear analyses were addressed to study the influence of shear strength as an input parameter on the results of numerical site response analyses. In particular two strategies to take into account the soil shear strength were considered: an adjustment procedure associated to the standard MKZ hyperbolic model and the GQ/H model which allows the shear strength to be explicitly defined as input parameter of the analyses. This parametric study made it possible to define preliminary threshold shear strain values, beyond which it is necessary to execute numerical analyses with more advanced models or procedures, able to capture the real behavior of the soil at large strains. Indicatively above shear strains of 0.1%, traditional nonlinear models neglecting soil strength can provide unrealistic results, with important overestimation of the seismic motion (up to 30% in terms of PGA at the surface).
    VL  - 8
    IS  - 5
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

  • Sections