Implementation Verification and Validation of 3D Structural Elements in a Numerical Tool for Nonlinear SSI Seismic Analysis

摘要

Advances in computational mechanics and simulation platforms create new opportunities for modeling and analyzing complex civil engineering problems and for exploring nonlinear system response and limit states. Nevertheless, methodologies and numerical tools currently in use for the risk assessment of critical structural systems are typically still based on a number of simplifying assumptions such as linear-elastic behavior of the superstructures and the idealization of equivalent linear behavior of the supporting soils. These traditional tools can diminish the ability to realistically investigate inelastic regimes, compromise the interpretation and prediction of the actual structural performance, and limit the ability to accurately explore limit states in a complex facility. In a comprehensive nonlinear computational framework development being supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, ongoing research aims at creating a robust nonlinear time-domain simulation tool set capable of capturing and rigorously modeling the nonlinearities of soil-structure systems. This paper will focus on a general verification and validation (V&V) methodology employed for ascertaining the accuracy of the nonlinear simulation technologies implemented in a new numerical tool under development (RealESSI).