Seismic response analysis of slope reinforced by pile-anchor structures under near-fault pulse-like ground motions

Abstract

Many post-earthquake investigations have found that natural slopes and geotechnical structures near the faults can be seriously damaged by earthquakes. Pile-anchor structure is one of slope reinforcement measure that widely used in earthquake-prone areas due to its flexible characteristic. To explore the seismic responses and behavior of slopes reinforced by this kind of retaining structure near faults, a series of shaking table model tests were performed. The effect of pule-like ground motions on the seismic responses of system are systematically analyzed by the results from the excitation of pulse-like and no-pulse ground motions in terms of acceleration responses, amplification effect, wave reflection effect and the soil-structure interaction effect. The results demonstrate that the pulse-like ground motions can seriously aggravate the seismic responses and reduce the stability of the system. To better reveal the effect from the pulse-like ground motions, a special shaking scenario, based on the semi-artificial ground motions generated by the wavelet analysis approach, was also conducted to study the effect from different components in the pulse-like ground motions on the seismic responses of system. The results obtained in present study can promote the understanding of the seismic behavior of slopes and slope retaining structures under the pulse-like ground motions, and provide a basis for the seismic design of pile-anchor structures near the faults in earthquake-prone regions.