Site-Specific Seismic Ground Response Analysis for Typical Soil Sites in Central Khartoum, Sudan

Abstract

AbstractThe effect of shallow soil conditions on ground motion parameters is well-recognized; thus, it is important to characterize the site-specific response of soils, especially in the most critical locations in Khartoum like Central Khartoum, the capital state of Sudan. In this paper, site-specific seismic ground response analysis was conducted. The equivalent-linear (EQ-L) method of analysis was adopted using the computer program DEEPSOIL. Two different soil models from Central Khartoum were chosen, along with the average soil profile used in previous study about the liquefaction assessment for comparison purposes. The sites are predominantly silty clay soils in the top 8 m, grading into sandy and silty sand with depth. The correlation between the standard penetration test SPT N-value and shear wave velocity was used. It has been shown that the ground response significantly influences local soils. A substantial difference between the two considered sites was remarked, and the average profile for all ground response parameters was noticed. The peak ground acceleration was found to range from 1.7 to 2.5, and the response spectrum at the surface for all the sites was also illustrated. Fourier amplitude ratios were found to vary from 4.3 to 8.35.KeywordsEquivalent-linear analysisSite responseResponse spectrumFourier amplitude ratio