XU Binbin 1, 2, 3, ZHU Yaoting 1, 2, 3, KOU Xiaoqiang 1, 2, 3, GUO Yubin 1, 2, 3

1. CCCC Tianjin Port Engineering Institute Co. Ltd, Tianjin 300222, China;
2. Key Laboratory of Port Geotechnical Engineering, Ministry of Communications, Tianjin 300222, China;
3. Key Laboratory of Port Geotechnical Engineering of Tianji, Tianjin 300222, China

Abstract: The seismic response of erect structures mainly focuses on the response of the structure itself without considering the effect of soil profiles. In this paper, the seismic stability of erect structures built on the multi-layer ground is investigated based on the finite element method and the emphasis is put on the influence of soil stratigraphic on the seismic responses of the structure. The results show that: (1) when the surface ground is loose sand, liquefaction occurs in this layer, which results in the great decrease of the bearing capacity, and the embedded depth of the structure should increase; (2) when the surface layer is weak clay, there is no liquefaction in this layer. However, the seismic wave is greatly amplified during this layer and the structure oscillates greatly. Therefore, the stiffness of the structure should be verified carefully; (3) when the thickness of the liquefiable layer is small, the attenuation of the acceleration in the liquefiable layer is small, so the stability of the structure above is significantly reduced. This means, even when the soil of the surface layer on which the structure is installed is the same, the stability of the structure during the earthquake varies greatly depending on the differences in the stratigraphic composition.

Key words: erect structure; effective stress principle; FEM; Soil stratigraphic; seismic stability

Published in: Journal of China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Vol. 13, No. 3, June 2015