Effect of clay soil deposits on ground motion characteristics and on structure behavior

الملخص EN

Previous researches mentioned that many buildings, which were designed according to international building codes, were severed or totally collapsed during earthquakes.

They pointed to the totally distinguish results in the behaviors and surviving of the same type of buildings that located at different sites equally distanced from the epicenter.

This research was conducted to study the effect of clay soil of different consistency, and different height strata on the earthquake properties, i.

e., ground acceleration, time history, and spectra acceleration values.

The SHAKE 91 and SEISMOSIGNAL computer programs were used during this study.

Moderate and strong earthquake records, with PGA ranges from 0.20 g to 0.35 g, were used in the analysis.

SDOF systems of different time periods were used to study the effect of soil-structure interaction on the behavior of superstructure.

It is concluded that the clay consistency and the height of the clayey soil strata above the rock base layer have a significant effect on the earthquake properties.

It is also found that, the spectral displacement and base shear forces for SDOF systems were varied, according to the fundamental time periods, by 50 % to 230 % compared to rock stratum.

Finally, the soil deposit under structures was found having great effect on the earthquake properties as well as the behavior of superstructure.

It is recommended to consider a site specific influence in design procedures in building codes.