Journal of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering

Journal of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering

Seismic Response of 2D Triangular-Shaped Alluvial Valleys to Vertically Propagating Incident SV Waves

Document Type : Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering

Authors
Peyman Aminpour
Jafar Najafizadeh
Mohsen Kamalian
Mohammad Kazem Jafari
International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES)
10.48303/jsee.2015.240714
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a numerical parametric study on the seismic behavior of 2D triangular-shaped valleys subjected to vertically propagating incident SV waves. The medium is assumed to have a linear elastic constitutive behavior. All calculations are executed in time-domain utilizing the spectral finite element method. Clear perspectives of the amplification patterns of the valley are presented by investigation of the frequency-domain responses. It is shown that the amplification pattern of the valley and its frequency characteristics depend strongly on its shape ratio. The maximum amplification ratio along the ground surface occurs at the centre of the valley. A simple formula has been proposed for making initial estimation of the natural period of the valley in site effect microzonation studies. The natural frequency of the alluvial valley decreases as the shape ratio of the valley decreases; moreover, the value of the natural frequency of the triangular alluvial valley is bigger than the natural frequency of the corresponding rectangular alluvial valley.
Keywords
Triangular alluvial valleys
Amplification
Site Effects
Topography effect
Spectral finite element
wave propagation
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  • Receive Date 31 August 2016
  • Accept Date 26 December 2020
  • Publish Date 01 April 2015