WP4 — Development of Numerical Techniques for Seismic SSI Calculations with Complete Wave Regime and Presence of Strong Nonlinearities in the Near Field
Leader: Fernando Lopez-Caballero (CentraleSupélec)
WP4 performs soil-structure interaction (SSI) calculations with incident motions that preserve the complete 3D wave regime produced in WP3, mainly through the Domain Reduction Method (DRM). It develops new methodology for handling incident surface waves and strong nonlinearities in the vicinity of the structure and its foundation, and explores mitigation strategies specific to surface waves.
Tasks
- Task 4.1 — Improvement of 3D FEM dynamic analysis of large-scale structures including SSI: the superstructure and soil foundation are modelled with the Finite Element Method (FEM), with the surrounding bedrock discretised using the Spectral Element Method (SEM) for its lower numerical dispersion. Dynamic behaviour is studied for signals with basin- and near-fault-generated surface waves and compared against conventional signals, reconfirming and refining the conclusions of the earlier ANR MODULATE project.
- Task 4.2 — Mitigation of low-frequency seismic waves and surface waves: assesses how local subsoil treatment can reduce shaking transferred to a structure's base as an alternative to structural upgrading, which is not always feasible or cost-effective — including foundation retreat/treatment and periodic wave barriers that exploit elastic-wave “bandgaps” to attenuate low-frequency and surface waves.
Milestones
- M4.1 — Earthquake hazard maps of the studied areas, including the induced surface waves
- M4.2 — Completion and validation of the nonlinear soil-structure-interaction coupling methods
Deliverables
- D4.1 — Scientific report validating numerical models for simulating the fully nonlinear SSI response
- D4.2 — Scientific report on the effect of soil inclusions on the vulnerability and fragility of selected structures