Impacts and Benefits

Scientific impact

IM-SURF is of both theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically, it identifies the mechanisms through which a full 3D wave regime with significant surface-wave components affects different types of large-dimension structures, while the advanced numerical tools and processing methods it develops are themselves of scientific interest. For engineering practice, the project will provide a better appraisal of how structural behaviour interacts with surface waves, and will help define the validity range of current site-response methods.

Socio-economic impact

As infrastructure of large dimensions continues to grow in urban areas, there is a continuous need for advanced seismic-design methods that optimise the cost of large investments without compromising public safety. Authorities and stakeholders are expected to be interested in what IM-SURF finds about the applicability of current engineering methods to surface-wave impact on large structures. The project's findings can influence code-development committees, and practising engineers will gain access to novel, advanced methods for seismic modelling and assessment.

Dissemination

Scientific outcomes will be published in journals and presented at conferences. The project's News & Updates page and Scientific Articles page will host these outputs as they become available, alongside the project's deliverables, tools and guidelines on surface-wave modelling and design.

Target journals include the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, Geophysical Journal International, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, and Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering.
Target conferences include the European and World Conferences on Earthquake Engineering, the AFPS National Conference, and the COMPDYN/EURODYN conferences.
Informative sessions are planned with standards and regulation technical committees — AFPS at the national level and ISSMGE-TC203 internationally.
A training workshop for practitioners is planned toward the end of the project, organised in collaboration with AFPS and expected to involve major French engineering companies.