Assessing the interaction of seismically loaded adjacent valleys using time-domain approach

Abstract

Amplification or attenuation of seismic waves while passing through the soil medium can be due to soil type and its stratification or local topographic effects. Such aspects have been theoretically explained in many researches by means of ground response analysis. The results of seismic ground response analysis provide the necessary and realistic information for seismic design of structures and soil-structure interaction problems. In present study, two-dimensional finite element method is applied to evaluate the ground response of valley environments and estimation their interaction effects using time-domain approach. In this regard different cases include free field condition, single valley and double valleys environments are considered. Numerical simulations of seismic wave propagation for these cases are carried out and compared with each other. The results show that irregular topography can greatly amplify the seismic waves. On the other hand, if there are adjacent topographies, due to interaction of them, the amplification effect can be substantially increased. This amplification can be attenuated by moving away from the valley center to free field conditions.