Aspects of bridge-ground seismic response and liquefaction-induced deformations

摘要

Considerable bridge-ground interaction effects are involved in evaluating the consequences of liquefaction-induced deformations. Due to seismic excitation, liquefied soil layers may result in substantial accumulated permanent deformation of sloping ground near the abutments. Ultimately, global response is dictated by the bridge-ground interaction as an integral system. However, a holistic assessment of such response generally requires a highly demanding full three-dimensional (3D) model of the bridge and surrounding ground. As such, in order to capture a number of the salient involved mechanisms, this study focuses on the longitudinal seismic performance of a simpler idealized configuration, motivated by details of an existing bridge-ground configuration. In this model, a realistic multilayer soil profile is considered with interbedded liquefiableonliquefiable strata. The effect of the resulting liquefaction-induced ground deformation is explored. Attention is given to overall deformation of the bridge structure due to lateral spreading in the vicinity of the abutments. The derived insights indicate a need for such global analysis techniques, when addressing the potential hazard of liquefaction and its consequences.