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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
Book cover


Dynamic Modeling of a Bridge Subjected to Seismic Waves

Translated title

Dynamisk modelering af en bro udsat for seismiske bølger

Author

Term

4. term

Publication year

2013

Submitted on

Pages

37

Abstract

Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan jordskælvsbølger bevæger sig gennem flere lag af blød jord og videre ind i en bro med en samlet længde på 2 km, og hvordan dette kan forstærke rystelserne lokalt. I jorden modelleres kun horisontale forskydningsbølger (SH-bølger), fordi konstruktioner ofte er mest sårbare over for horisontal rystelse. Bølgeudbredelsen gennem de bløde jordlag beregnes med to lineært viskoelastiske modeller: en semi-analytisk Domænetransformationsmetode (DTM) og en Finite Element Metode (FEM). Modellerne løses i frekvensdomænet for at anvende hysteretisk dæmpning, som er en udbredt dæmpningsmodel for jord. De to modeller sammenlignes og viser god overensstemmelse. I FEM-jordmodellen indføres en delvist lineær beskrivelse, så forskydningsmodulet ved små tøjninger reduceres, og dæmpningsforholdet øges, når forskydningstøjningen bliver større. Som inddata bruges stærk-bevægelsesmålinger fra Aqaba-jordskælvet i 1995 (momentmagnitude 7,3). Den beregnede jordrespons anvendes derefter som input til bromodellen. De bløde jordlag forstærker de seismiske bølger markant, ofte flere gange i forhold til de indgående bølger. Bølgeudbredelsen i broen modelleres med en tredimensionel, dynamisk, lineært viskoelastisk FEM-bjælkemodel, som kan beskrive tryk-, torsions- og skærbølger. Indfaldsvinklen for SH-bølgerne varieres, og der laves også en undersøgelse af tidsforskelle, når bølgerne rammer de enkelte søjler. Resultaterne viser, at den mest kritiske jordskælvsretning er parallel med broen, fordi den giver høje normalspændinger og dermed kraftige trykbølger i brodækket. Da broen står i vand, medtages hydrodynamisk masse. Jord-konstruktion-interaktion indregnes med en klumpet parametermodel for rotations- og torsionsstivheden af fundamenter på blød jord, mens søjler på grundfjeld antages at være uendeligt stive i rotation og torsion.

This thesis examines how earthquake waves travel through several layers of soft soil and into a 2 km bridge, and how this process can amplify shaking at the site. In the ground, only horizontal shear (SH) waves are modeled, because structures are often most sensitive to horizontal shaking. Wave propagation through the soft soil layers is simulated with two linear viscoelastic models: a semi-analytic Domain Transformation Method (DTM) and a Finite Element Method (FEM). The models are solved in the frequency domain to use hysteretic damping, a widely used damping representation for soils. The two soil models are compared and agree well. In the FEM soil model, a partly linear description is introduced so that the small-strain shear modulus decreases and the damping ratio increases as shear strain grows. Strong-motion recordings from the 1995 Aqaba earthquake (moment magnitude 7.3) are used as input. The computed soil response is then applied to the bridge model. The soft soil layers amplify the seismic waves markedly, often by several times. Wave propagation in the bridge is represented by a three-dimensional, dynamic, linear viscoelastic beam FEM that can carry compressional, torsional, and shear waves. The angle at which SH waves strike the bridge is varied, and delays in wave arrival between columns are also examined. The results show that the most critical earthquake direction is parallel to the bridge, because it produces high normal stresses and associated compressional waves in the deck. Since the bridge is in water, hydrodynamic mass is included. Soil-structure interaction is accounted for with a lumped-parameter model for the rotational and torsional stiffness of foundations on soft soils, while columns founded on bedrock are assumed infinitely stiff in rotation and torsion.

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