Seismic responses of rectangular tunnels in liquefiable soil considering spatial variability of soil properties

Abstract

The objective of this paper was to investigate the dynamic response of a tunnel-soil system in the soil with spatial variability of shear modulus with various coefficients of variation and scales of fluctuation. The soil shear modulus was highlighted and modeled as an isotropic random field using the spectral representation method, then mapped into the finite difference model. The dynamic stochastic responses of the excess pore water pressure ratio, the liquefied zone, the ground displacement, and the uplift displacement of the tunnel were discussed. It was observed that the effect of coefficient of variation was pronounced in which an increase of the coefficient of variation brought out a reduction in the corresponding dynamic stochastic responses. However, the scale of fluctuation was found to be insignificant in the tunnel soil system.