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Effects of a controlling geological discontinuity on the seismic stability of an underground cavern subjected to near-fault ground motions

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Abstract

The mechanism for the influence of near-fault ground motion on seismic issues for underground rock caverns has seldom been addressed, especially for caverns controlled by large geological discontinuities. In this paper, a nonlinear joint model was used to simulate the effects of unfavorable geological discontinuities under seismic excitation. The influence of near-fault ground motion on unfavorable geological discontinuities was analyzed using a large sample of ground-motion records collected from the NGA-West2 database. A damage potential index (DPI) for unfavorable geological discontinuities was proposed and discussed. The #1 surge chamber of the Baihetan Hydropower Plant, which is dominated by interlayer shear weakness zone (ISWZ) C2, was used as a study case to investigate the differences between pulse-type near-fault ground motion, non-pulse-type near-fault ground motion, and far-field ground motion. The results of the study indicate that (1) significant velocity and displacement as well as a stronger long-period response spectrum are key characteristics of pulse-type near-fault ground motions, whereas non-pulse-type near-fault ground motions display characteristics similar to those of far-field ground motions; (2) the velocity pulse is responsible for the destructive capabilities of near-fault ground motions; (3) the peak ground velocity (PGV) was shown to be the most suitable DPI of several ground-motion parameters for large geological discontinuities under seismic excitation (applicable to both near-fault and far-field ground motions); and (4) PGV was verified to be the most effective DPI for ISWZ C2 at the Baihetan #1 surge chamber. The cavern became fragile when subjected to near-fault ground motions, so special seismic reinforcement measures are recommended. These findings may provide a reference for the seismic design of underground caverns.

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Acknowledgments

The study was financially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (no. 2015CB057905), the National Key R&D Program of China (no. 2016YFC0401803), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 51409263, 11472292).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071, China

    Zhen Cui, Qian Sheng & Xianlun Leng

  2. PowerChina Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, China

    Zhen Cui

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  1. Zhen Cui
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  2. Qian Sheng
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  3. Xianlun Leng
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Correspondence to Zhen Cui.

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Cui, Z., Sheng, Q. & Leng, X. Effects of a controlling geological discontinuity on the seismic stability of an underground cavern subjected to near-fault ground motions. Bull Eng Geol Environ 77, 265–282 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-016-0936-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-016-0936-9

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