This study investigates the seismic response of a reinforced concrete (RC) tunnel using two-dimensional plane strain finite element models calibrated and validated against experimental results. A comprehensive parametric study is then conducted to explore the influence of tunnel-soil flexibility ratio, soil relative density, Arias intensity of the input motion, and ground motion components on the seismic soil-structure interaction (SSI). The results demonstrated that the flexibility ratio and racking coefficient increase with overburden height, while soil deformations decrease. Acceleration amplification factors rise from the bottom soil to the ground surface, with dense soil showing higher amplification especially in the regions at and near the tunnel field. The horizontal amplification factor exhibits greater variability with increasing seismic energy intensity, and the effect of the vertical motion becomes more pronounced near the structure. The vertical amplification factor is lowest for the horizontal component, while the vertical and combined components exhibit higher values influenced by the presence of the tunnel with lower earthquake intensity. Soil relative density significantly influences the vertical and lateral pressures on the tunnel, with dense sand causing maximum vertical pressures on the top slab and walls. The vertical earthquake component has a greater impact on the tunnel's top slab pressure distribution than the horizontal component. Seismic bending moments are influenced by earthquake components, with the vertical component leading to the greatest positive bending moment values in the middle of the roof slab. Vertical soil deformation is significantly affected by the horizontal input motion component, whereas the vertical component minimally affects lateral soil deformation. These findings underscore the importance of capturing stress-strain response under cyclic loading, particularly near the tunnel crown, where complex stress interactions lead to increased variability in behavior.
To date, numerous coral sand revetment breakwaters have been constructed in oceanic regions to resist wave impact and scour. However, frequent earthquakes significantly threaten their stability, especially during mainshock-aftershock sequences, where aftershocks can further exacerbate the risk of damage or collapse. This study proposes a reinforcing countermeasure, i.e., geosynthetics reinforced soil technique, to mitigate seismic deformation and enhance the resilience of revetment breakwaters against earthquakes. A series of shaking table tests were conducted on coral sand revetment breakwaters to examine the effect of geogrid reinforcement on their seismic performance under mainshock-aftershock sequences. Additionally, the reinforcement mechanism of geogrid was elucidated through supplementary cyclic triaxial tests. The results indicate that acceleration amplification intensifies during aftershocks, while geogrid reinforcement mitigates this detrimental effect. The inclusion of geogrid also decreases the buildup of excess pore water pressure (EPWP) under mainshockaftershock sequences. Coral sand shear dilation results in the generation of notable negative EPWP within revetment breakwaters, and more significant negative EPWP oscillation, compared to the aftershocks, is observed in the mainshock. Additionally, geogrid decreases the maximum cumulative settlement in reinforced revetment breakwaters by over 54 % compared to unreinforced structures. The cumulative damage induced by aftershocks exacerbates the damage to coral sand revetment breakwaters, leading to the emergence and rapid progression of lateral displacements. Nevertheless, geogrid reinforcement mitigates this adverse effect and prevents the formation of plastic slip planes, thereby altering the deformation pattern of the revetment breakwater subjected to mainshock-aftershock sequences. Overall, geogrid reinforcement is found to be highly effective in enhancing the stability of coral sand revetment breakwaters against mainshock-aftershock sequences and holds promising applications in infrastructure construction in coral sand island and reef areas.
It has been found that in the event of a strong earthquake, and due to insufficient distance between two adjacent structures, the lateral movement at the top of structures may cause collisions between them. This phenomenon, commonly known as seismic collision, can generate impact forces that were not considered during the initial design of the structure. These forces can cause significant structural damage or lead to complete collapse of the structure. The main purpose of this paper is to study the coupled effects of soil flexibility and impact between adjacent buildings undergoing seismic excitation. To capture the impact forces between the structures during the collision, a modified linear viscoelastic model was used effectively. Particular attention has been paid to studying the effects of shear wave velocity, first on the soil structure interaction and then on the collision response of adjacent structures. Three configurations of adjacent structures were analyzed: light-light, light-heavy, and heavy-heavy structures. The results obtained through this analysis showed that the dynamic response and the impact force of the structures depend essentially on the interaction between the structure, the foundation, and the soil.