Impact of seismic-type shock parameters on the soil-structure interaction effect in the USC mining region

Abstract

The paper deals with seismic-type surface and building vibrations randomly occurring as a result of rockbursts in mining regions (random events as with earthquakes). The focus is on the problem of ground vibrations transmission to building foundation – it is one of very important phenomenon associated with soil-structure interaction effect. One of the ways of estimation of possible differences between simultaneously developing free-field vibrations next to a building and building foundation vibrations, i.e. using a ratio of response spectra (RRS), is applied to this study. Analysis concerns the ratio of dimensionless and dimensional acceleration response spectra (β and Sa) – denoted as RRS(β) and RRS(Sa), respectively. Horizontal vibrations parallel to the transverse (x) and longitudinal (y) axis of the representative (typical) two-storey, masonry office building are discussed. Calculations are based on the results of in situ surface vibration measurements performed in the seismically active Upper Silesian Coalfield (USC) mining area in Poland (long-term, full-scale monitoring). Evaluation of the dependence of the curves of ratio of response spectra on some parameters corresponding to mine-induced vibrations (i.e. epicentral distance, mining shock energy, peak value of free-field vibrations) is executed. From the obtained results, it can be definitely concluded that the influence of the most important mining tremor parameters (i.e. epicentral distance, mining shock energy, peak value of free-field vibrations) on the ratio of response spectra calculated in the successive ranges of these parameters, is clearly observed.