Seismic response characteristics of multi-story subway station through shaking table test

A series of shaking table tests were carried out to investigate the seismic response characteristics of a multi-story subway station. Dynamic responses, including accelerations of the soils and the underground structure, layer drift, dynamic earth pressure, and lateral deformation of soils were recorded and analyzed. Several seismic characteristics of multi-story subway station structures are figured out. It is found that in addition to the racking deformation, the rotation vibration is observed for the multi-story subway station subjected to acceleration waves. From the viewpoint of frequency, the low-frequency component and high-frequency component of the acceleration response of the subway station represent the translation and rotation component of the multi-story subway structure, respectively. In addition, the rotation vibration of the deep-depth structure leads to the local squeezing and detachment from the surrounding soils alternately at both top and bottom ends of the sidewalls. This results in the hump-shaped distribution of dynamic earth pressure. The racking deformation of the multi-story subway station has a linear relationship with the dynamic earth pressure at a certain area along the sidewall, where the top of hump-shaped distribution of dynamic earth pressure is.

Shaking Table Tests on a New Antislide Pile under Earthquakes

A retaining form of a shock-absorbing antislide pile is proposed for slope engineering. A flexible material (shock-absorption layer) is filled in front of an ordinary antislide pile, which is used to absorb a large amount of seismic energy, thereby decreasing the transmission of seismic energy to the antislide pile. The flexible material thus reduces the seismic response, hence improving the aseismic capacity of the antislide pile. To verify the seismic performance of the shock-absorbing antislide pile, a shaking table contrast test was conducted and the results were compared with those from an ordinary antislide pile. The test results show that the flexible material absorbs a portion of the seismic deformation of the slip mass, decreasing the final displacement of the shock-absorbing antislide pile compared to that of the ordinary antislide pile, thereby reducing the sensitivity of the pile body to the displacement. Under the same conditions, the acceleration response of the slope body at the same height is lower for the shock-absorbing antislide pile than that for the ordinary pile, with the seismic performance of the former being superior to that of the latter. Furthermore, the shock-absorbing antislide pile is similar to the ordinary pile in terms of the dynamic earth pressure distribution form of the pile shaft; however, its value is relatively smaller, and the former exhibits better dynamic stress performance than the latter. The test results should prove useful for aseismic design of slopes.

Dual Row Retaining Walls in Dry Sand: The Influence of Wall Stiffness on the Seismic Response

Dual row retaining walls can form efficient port and embankment structures, or even be used as coastal defence against Tsunamis. The system of parallel sheet pile walls can have a large lateral capacity within serviceability limit states due to the combined strength and stiffness of the walls and confined soil. Optimising the design by reducing the wall section and ensuring greater utilisation of the soil capacity has economic and environmental benefits but requires a deeper understanding of the dynamic soil-structure interaction. Centrifuge and numerical modelling is used to elucidate the mechanics of two systems with relatively flexible and stiff walls. Considering the fraction of the walls plastic moment capacity mobilised alongside the peak deflections illustrates the advantages of using relatively flexible retaining walls in these systems. More fundamentally, the importance of vertical variations of both the stress and strain during the horizontal dynamic loading is shown. The limiting horizontal stresses and phasing of the stress components around the walls are better understood by considering the mobilisation of earth pressure coefficients, reinforcing previous work which recommends a move away from conventionally defined limiting dynamic earth pressure coefficients.

A Pseudodynamic Approach of Seismic Active Pressure on Retaining Walls Based on a Curved Rupture Surface

Reasonable determination of the magnitude and distribution of dynamic earth pressure is one of the major challenges in the seismic design of retaining walls. Based on the principles of pseudodynamic method, the present study assumed that the critical rupture surface of backfill soil was a composite curved surface which was in combination with a logarithmic spiral and straight line. The equations for the calculation of seismic total active thrusts on retaining walls were derived using limit equilibrium theory, and earth pressure distribution was obtained by differentiating total active thrusts. The effects of initial phase, amplification factor, and soil friction angle on the distribution of seismic active earth pressure have also been discussed. Compared to pseudostatic and pseudodynamic methods for the determination of planar failure surface forms, the proposed method receives a bit lower value of seismic active earth pressures.