Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 26 (2011) 8391

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Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology

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Seismic racking of a dual-wall subway station box embedded in soft soil strata
Ching-Jong Wang *
Department of Construction Engineering, National Kaohsiung First University of Science & Technology, No. 1, University Road, Kaohsiung County 824, Taiwan

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 4 June 2009
Received in revised form 9 April 2010
Accepted 10 May 2010
Available online 8 June 2010
Keywords:
Racking
Contact
Seismic design
Subway station
Dual-wall

a b s t r a c t
For dual-wall subway station structures embedded in soft ground, collision contacts take place at structurestructure and soil-structure interfaces during severe earthquakes. When seismic shear waves propagate up through the weak soil strata, the safety of such station is gauged by a shear-mode racking
deformation which it must withstand. A dynamic system composed of discrete and nite elements is
developed using an explicit formulation for the equations of motion. The dynamic interactions among
distinct concrete and soil regions are modeled considering contactslip interface as well as non-reecting
boundary. Plastic deformations in soil and concrete regions are incorporated too. A suite of strong tremors characterized by diverse levels of peak accelerations and velocities were respectively specied as
input motions at bedrock. The responses of soil and structure were then examined by carrying out
time-history solutions. The results of seismic response analyses illustrate that specifying a design earthquake with higher level of peak acceleration or velocity may not necessarily render larger racking in the
structure. The racking deformation could be un-proportionately amplied under certain ground motions
which exhibit sharp velocity pulses.
2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Great earthquakes of the last decade were so destructive that
signicant loss in lives, properties, and transportation facilities
was almost inevitable. Among them were the 1999 Chi-Chi and
1995 Hanshin-Kobe earthquakes in which high peak ground acceleration (PGA) values up to 1 g were recorded. Those damaged
structures and transportation facilities rightly present the opportunity to re-assess existent codes and practices used in seismic
design.
It was commonly believed that underground structures were
less likely to fail in the earthquake than buildings. However, for
subway lines running through weak soils, their ductility capacity
under extreme seismic excitations may become a concern (Gazetas
et al., 2005; Samata et al., 1997). Finite element based dynamic
analyses of soil-structure models had been applied to investigate
some subway structures severely hit by Kobe earthquake (An
et al., 1997). No structural damage was reported in the underground stations of Taipei Mass Rapid Transit located some
170 km north of the epicenter. A new line in Kaohsiung in the
south has just been completed lately. Both subways are built in soft
ground (e.g. shear wave velocity below 80 m/s), serving highly
urbanized areas. The subway stations in past case studies were
mostly box structures with intermediate columns (Liu and Song,
2005; Nam et al., 2006), whereas station boxes in Taiwans sub* Tel.: +886 7 6011000 2116; fax: +886 7 6011017.
E-mail address: cjw@ccms.nkfust.edu.tw
0886-7798/$ - see front matter 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.tust.2010.05.003

ways often have a span of around 18 m without any supporting

column; in particular, these structures are built alongside reinforced concrete diaphragm walls to form a dual-wall system
(Fig. 1). Though contact and slip phenomena at tunnel-soil interface have been examined by means of pseudo-static elastic analyses (Pakbaz and Yareevand, 2005; Penzien, 2000), dynamic
interactions at box-wall interface surrounded by soft soils are
rarely considered.
In the seismic design for surface structures such as buildings
and bridges, the PGA level is of major concern. The total inertia
force acting on a surface structure is proportional to the PGA value
as designated on a seismic hazard map (International Code Council,
2003). There is little concern for maximum deformations in the soil
strata beneath the ground surface, as induced by shear waves
propagating upward from bedrock. The typical station box was designed (Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems, 1991) to resist
a shear-mode racking deformation that is proportional to peak
ground velocity (PGV). Such a design assumption is rational if the
box structure is embedded in relatively stiff soils or strong bonding
at soil-structure interface is assured.
To provide an engineering evaluation for the safety of the dualwall station box under destructive earthquakes, the study develops
a dynamic system that involves both discrete elements and disjoined nite element regions. To deal with contactlip interfaces
across distinct concrete and soil regions, a contact search scheme
that performs on deformed geometry without using line intersections is developed. Elasto-plastic constitutive laws are implemented for regions of soil and concrete continua. A suite of

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C.-J. Wang / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 26 (2011) 8391

Ground surface (GL-0)

2.0

Soil layer 1

5.5

iA

6.3

8.0

Mezzanine

Platform

Soil layer (typical)

iB
Y

X
Soil layer 7
Unit: m
Bedrock level (GL-50)

44.3

21.4

44.3

Fig. 1. Section of a dual-wall subway station.

strong tremors that exhibit diverse characteristics in terms of PGA

and PGV are selected as the input motion at bedrock level. The effects of intense bedrock excitation and energy-absorbing soil
boundary on the maximum responses of soil and structure are
investigated by carrying out time-history solutions. A correlation
study between intensity of earthquake motion and maximum
structural response is also attempted.
2. Material models
The various nite element regions consisting of reinforced concrete and soil materials are to be treated in a simplied and unied
manner as follows. It is noted in design practice that the level of
sophistication of soil material models is very often limited by reliable geological data which are beyond the scope of study.
2.1. Soil plasticity
The Taipei subway line is built in the ground of ancient lake basin overlain by thick alluvial deposits. The Kaohsiung subway line
runs beneath a coastal plain of alluvial deposits, where SPT-N values as low as 4  10 are found common in weak soil layers. Local
soil logs often indicate a hard stratum at roughly 50 m below the
ground surface, which will be considered bedrock-like.
Considering the transient nature of dynamic responses in various soil strata, a total stress approach is adopted. The MohrCoulomb plasticity model with associated ow rule is implemented
for soils with neither hardening nor softening under plastic deformations. Table 1 exemplies shear strength parameters (c and u)
for soft soil strata under un-drained condition. Herein a strainindependent elastic modulus (E) is assigned for each layer of soft
clay or loose sand.
The input motions to be considered often have PGA at around
1 g level, which cause considerable strains in soft ground. Herein,
a plasticity model is preferred to an equivalent linear model that

Table 1
Soil properties at station site.
Layers 17

Typea

GL-03
GL-38.5
GL-8.511
GL-1116
GL-1625
GL-2533
GL-3350

CL
52
CL
80
CL
37
SM
0
SM
0
CL
90
(SPT-Nb > 50)

c (kPa)

u ()

q (T/m3)

E (kPa)

13
16
13
30
31
19

1.7
1.7
1.7
1.9
1.9
2.0
2.0

15,000
15,000
15,000
12,000
12,000
15,000

c = cohesion; u = friction angle; q = density; E = elastic modulus.

a
Unied soil classication.
b
Standard penetration test count.

employs the strain-dependent reduced modulus. For soil strains

beyond the 1% level, such reduced modulus values would require
extrapolation from certain empirical data which were only suited
to much smaller soil strains.
To dene an incremental stressstrain relation for plastic deformations, a yield function F ({r}, c, u) = 0 is appropriate, with {r}
denoting a state of stresses at yielding. The hysteresis of soil is expressed in cycles of elasticplastic strains. A measure for energy
dissipation in soil is the accumulated plastic work density

wp

frgT fdep g

with {dep} denoting the plastic strain increment. The details of nite
element analysis with plasticity can be found elsewhere (Owen and
Hinton, 1980).
A separate static analysis under gravity loading was performed
on the soil region to determine vertical stress ry. The geo-static
stresses at any point in soil are: rx = rz = ko ry, and sxy = 0, where
rx and rz = horizontal stresses; sxy = shear stress; ko = 1  sin u
(Coduto, 2001).

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C.-J. Wang / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 26 (2011) 8391

2.2. Homogenized reinforced concrete

As shown in Fig. 1, the station box develops its strength from
1.2 m thick side walls and even thicker slabs at roof (1.4 m) and
base (1.6 m). Running parallel alongside the station box are 1 m
thick diaphragm walls formed by concreting in bentonite-lled
slurry trenches prior to excavation. They are local engineers favorite due to exural rigidity and water-tightness. The concrete
strength values (fcu) for box structure and diaphragm wall are
27.4 and 24.5 MPa respectively, with respective modulus
Ec = 4698 (fcu)0.5 MPa. It is practical to discount the fcu value for diaphragm wall by 25% due to less controlled concreting works.
Each section of the station box resists racking deformations
similar to a reinforced concrete (RC) frame structure. For each
cross-section of the RC member under bending, its momentcurvature relationship can be derived from equilibrium of stress resultants and compatibility of strains; the concrete takes no-tension
while the steel is elasto-perfectly plastic (Mander et al., 1988).
For the station side wall, each face of its cross-section has two rows
of 32-mm steel bars at 12.5 cm spacing and with yield strength
fY = 412 MPa. The calculated curve of moment versus curvature is
given in Fig. 2. Assuming evenly distributed steel bars for each
RC member, the exural capacity is considered equal for each of
its cross-section.
By preserving the ultimate moment Mu and ultimate curvature
ju at each RC cross-section, an equivalent cross-section made of
homogenized and elastic-perfectly plastic continuum can be derived (Fig. 2 inset). For a cross-section of depth h (=1.2 m, for side
wall) and width b (=1 m), with an elastic core of depth 2z, an equivalent yield stress rY is obtained by solving for

rY ju zEc
M u ju bzEc h=2  zh=2 z 2=3z2 

2a
2b

Using this approach, the station box structure and diaphragm walls
are converted to homogenized regions.
A proper yield function to use is F ({r}, rY) = 0, in accordance
with the von Mises plasticity, which is also used to dene plastic
deformations for the homogenized concrete regions.
3. Disjoined soil-structure model

4. Discrete elements
4.1. Contactslip interface
When swayed by intense seismic motions, the station box and
diaphragm walls undergo signicant lateral movements, which result in collision contacts. A search algorithm is developed to identify the contact points along the edges of two moving planar
bodies. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the friction force fc in tangential
direction (es) and the normal force fi in normal direction (en) are
related by

fc lfi sgnv t and f i ki dn ;

only if

dn < 0

where l = friction coefcient; dn = gap (open being positive);

ki = stiffness in normal direction; vt = time rate of slippage in tangential direction. A large (penalty) value of ki is needed to minimize
the penetration upon contact but it demands a small time step size
for numerical stability. The appropriate ki value to use is based on
the averaged stiffness coefcient kee corresponding to nodes on
the edge of each contacting element. A special utility code was em-

Moment (10 kN-m)

A nite element (FE) elasto-plastic stress analysis code exclusive of stiffness subroutines was ported into another dynamic anal-

ysis code for two-dimensional (2D) discrete mass systems (Wang,

2008). The pre- and post-processors accompanying the FE code remained untouched, but utility codes were needed for setting up
interface elements. The box structure, diaphragm wall and surrounding soil are idealized as separate continuum regions in
plain-strain state, consisting of 8-node quadrilateral elements.
The exural rigidity EcIg is considered to be 50% effective, as used
in the deformation analysis of typical RC frame structures, with Ig
being un-cracked moment of inertia (Applied Technology Council,
1996). Herein for homogenized concrete regions, Ec values are set
to be 50% effective so that all concrete structure dimensions are
kept unchanged. Extra discrete elements are brought into the FE
model to simulate various interface conditions.
For soils surrounding the station box, a large but nite region
with appropriate boundaries must be chosen, within which deformations and stresses are deemed signicant. The nal model contains 6887 FE nodes in a domain measuring 110 m in width and
50 m in depth. It is noted that as the tunnel and diaphragm walls
displace laterally, a zone of inuence of lateral soil pressures,
extending about 45 from the wall soft upward, is fully contained
within the boundaries. The entire soil region is subdivided in
accordance with stratied soil properties.

Curvature (10-4 1/m)

Fig. 2. Momentcurvature relation for cross-sections of station wall.

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C.-J. Wang / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 26 (2011) 8391

es
i

en

a
j

Fig. 3. Contactslip interface between two plane regions.

ployed to compute the stiffness of each element in the FE model. At

concretesoil interface, ki = 100 kee of contacting soil element. At
concreteconcrete interface, ki = 10 kee of contacting concrete element. Coulomb friction is implied in Eq. (2b). Between the station
box and diaphragm wall, where waterproong membranes are
tucked in, l = 0.3 is specied. At diaphragm wallsoil and tunnelsoil interfaces, l = tan d, where d = (2/3) u, gives the wall friction
angle (Department of the Navy, 1982).
For each node b on the edge of the approaching body, two closest nodes i and j are to be identied on the edge of the targeted
body. To this end, vectors iG and jG pointing to the targeted nodes
i and j are calculated rst. The nodes i and j are qualied for testing
a contact with the node b, if their tangential components (denoted
as Gs) satisfy the condition i Gs j Gs < 0.
The contact search is efcient in that it does not use line intersections to locate the exact point of contact. The point a on the
edge connecting nodes i with j is implicitly identied. Interpolating
normal components of iG and jG (denoted as Gn) gives a measure
for the gap between node b and point a,

dn Ni i Gn Nj i Gn

where the interpolation functions are

Ni i Gs =i Gs i Gs ; and

N j i Gs =i Gs i Gs
with absolute Gs values implied. Lastly, the time rate of slippage
upon contact is

v t Ni i v  b v  es Nj j v  b v es

where v = velocity vector at each node. The normal and tangential

contact forces a tn and a ts at point a are determined according to
Eq. (2b). They are converted to a tx and a t y in xy components by
using coordinate transformation, and distributed as the workequivalent forces to nodes i and j.
4.2. Side boundaries of soil
The nite element model replaces an unbounded soil medium
with a nite region. It is common in a static analysis to specify exible spring supports along the boundary of a soil region. Under dynamic loading, contact-induced stress waves are reected on such
boundary, so that energy can not be dissipated via radiation damping toward the far eld. This is also true for a typical soil-lled
shake box experiment in which soft buffers are attached to end
walls placed sufciently far apart, intended to reduce wave reection (Fishman et al., 1995). Herein, a exible side boundary is modeled by assigning soft springs as lateral supports at far sides. Each
spring has a stiffness ks = ksbAe, where ksb = sub-grade reaction

modulus; Ae = tributary area. Low ksb values are assumed: 20 MN/

m3 for sandy soil, and 10 MN/m3 for clayey soil.
In application to dynamic analyses of underground structures,
schemes to replicate a non-reecting boundary had been introduced
with varying degrees of complexity, including tied nodes (Liu and
Quek, 2003), viscous dashpots (Lemos, 1987) and superposed
boundary supports (Nam et al., 2006). Herein, a non-reecting
boundary is achieved approximately by assigning dashpot elements
to the side boundary of soil (Lysmer and Kuhlemeyer, 1969). The induced stress waves reaching a side boundary parallel to the y-axis include: rx = qcpvn and sxy = qcsvs, where q = soil density; cp and cs = Pand S-wave speeds; vn and vs = particle velocities in normal and tangential directions. The wave speeds cp and cs are computed by using
an average Poissons ratio (=0.3) along with mass density and elastic
modulus listed in Table 1. The dashpot elements generate reactive
viscous forces fd = Cdv to cancel out impinging stress waves, where
v = vn or vs; Cd = qcpAe or qcsAe; Ae = tributary area.
It is equally important to note that wave reection and refraction around deep foundations of nearby buildings do occur, which
means energy dissipation via radiation damping is not perfect. To
account for the uncertainty in wave reection and radiation damping, two options for the side boundary are implemented in this
study as illustrated in Fig. 4.
Other boundary constraints assumed in the model include: the
base boundary of soil is xed in x- and y-directions relative to the
bedrock; the undersides of station box and diaphragm walls are restrained from moving in the y-direction, which prevents the station from rigid-body rotations and bobbing-up motions.
4.2.1. Flexible side boundary
The scheme is to place springs and dashpots acting normal to
the side boundary of soil, both of which sustain only compression
forces to avoid tensile stresses in soil. The model has a exible
boundary similar to a shake box equipped with exible end-walls,
but it also adds energy dissipation by dashpots. Test runs indicated
that dashpots were not effective in absorbing energy under lowfrequency excitation (Wolf, 1994). This situation is common for
footings founded on soft ground such that most of contact-induced
stress waves were reected by springs alongside. Conservative
solutions for seismic responses are then expected.
4.2.2. Quiet side boundary
The scheme is to clone a free-eld condition along with a nonreecting (quiet) side boundary. Dashpots are interspaced between
a truncated side boundary and a stand-alone soil column that represents free-eld soil during an earthquake. The seismic response
of the soil column is modeled by using a discrete system of mass,
spring and damper. Each mass entity along the column shares a
lumped mass representing a sub-layer of soil, which also matches
an FE node on the truncated side. Each spring represents an elasticperfectly plastic response of sub-layer i, with an elastic stiffness ks = Gi Ai/hi and a yield limit fy = Ai syi, where Gi = shear
modulus; hi = layer thickness; Ai = cross-sectional area; syi = shear
strength. A uniform damping ratio 7% is specied for each damper.
5. Equations of motion
The typical section of the station site is idealized as a 2D model
in xy plane (Fig. 1). The station box, diaphragm walls, and surrounding soil are represented by respective FE regions interrelated
by the discrete elements at interfaces and side boundaries. An
earthquake input motion in x-direction is prescribed at bedrock level (GL-50). For a given FE domain, an explicit formulation produces a set of equations of motion as

MfUg00 CfUg0 fPe g  MfU g g00  fPi g

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C.-J. Wang / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 26 (2011) 8391

Free-field zone

Free-field zone

(1) Flexible side boundary

(2) Quiet side boundary

Earthquake input motion
Fig. 4. Two options for side boundaries of a soil half-space.

where {U}, {U}0 and {U}00 contain respectively nodal displacements, velocities, and accelerations in both x- and y-directions
relative to bedrock. [M] and [C] are mass and damping matrices
in diagonal form. {Ug}00 contains base acceleration components
in x-direction. The external force vector {Pe} = {fi} + {fc} + {fs} + {fd},
where subscripts i, c, s and d symbolically denote forces acting on
FE nodes due to normal contact, sliding friction, spring, and dashpot. The internal force vector {Pi} is evaluated for the dynamic
stresses in each element. The geo-static stresses are initial stresses and not included in {Pi}. The dynamic stresses are superposed
on the geo-static stresses, when substituted into the soil plasticity model.
A global frequency analysis using sub-space iteration method
for the soil region gives the lowest frequency xmin = 1.9 rad/s. For
each FE node having a mass mi, a viscous damping ci = 2 n mi xmin
is assumed, where n = 7% in soil. Eq. (6) is solved by a fourth-order
RungeGutta time integration procedure. The time step size (dt) is
limited for numerical stability such that dt < (2/xmax). A local frequency analysis by power method at element level yields an upper
limit of xmax which gives the highest frequency for the entire model. Stable results can be ensured with dt = 2  105 s.

6. Characteristics of seismic excitation

The acceleration time histories shown in Fig. 5 represent strong
motions extracted from accelerograms collected in the past: Kobeew from Hanshin earthquake; Tcu-ns and Tcu-ew from Chi-Chi
earthquake. To limit computing cost, only around 10 s of the original
accelerograms are extracted for use, which encompass several peaks
of cyclic motions. They are made out to simulate the extremity and
uncertainty inherent in any seismic hazard. The data from Chi-Chi
earthquake were recorded near the fault line. Such near-fault ground
motions often exhibit high velocity pulses and pose a threat to frame
structures, because high ductility is needed to dissipate induced
strain energy (Kalkan and Kunnath, 2007; Tirca et al., 2003).
These motions are to be specied at bedrock level. A numerical
integration for the acceleration time histories yields the velocity
time histories shown in Fig. 6, which exhibit diverse characteristics
in view of period and intensity. Both Tcu-ew and Tcu-ns quakes exhibit a lop-sided ground movement, having peak velocities much
higher than Kobe-ew quake. The latter displays a mild and reciprocal movement in short periods, notwithstanding its peak acceleration being the highest.

6.131
5.016

Acceleration (m/s/s)

3.124
Time (sec)

Tcu-ns
Kobe-ew

-3.551

Tcu-ew

-4.719
-4.948

Fig. 5. Acceleration histories from three earthquake events.

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C.-J. Wang / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 26 (2011) 8391

Velocity (m/s)

3.138

Time (sec)

-0.850

Kobe-ew
Tcu-ns

-2.798

Tcu-ew

Fig. 6. Velocity histories for three earthquake events.

To simulate a free-eld response for soil during earthquake, a

soil column model (Fig. 7 inset) is established and analyzed according to Section 4.2.2. It is noted in Table 2 that the calculated PGA
and PGV (at GL-0) is amplied by a factor of two in proportion to
the peak acceleration and velocity at bedrock (at GL-50).
Fig. 7 gives proles of maximum soil displacements relative to
bedrock, from ground surface down to a depth level where the station lies. It shows that the response in soft ground is the largest to
Tcu-ew quake (high PGV) and the least to Kobe-ew quake (low
PGV). Hypothetically, if soil stiffness were raised by ten times

and no yielding occurred, the response in such a stiff ground would

be the largest to Kobe-ew quake (high PGA) and the least to Tcu-ns
quake (low PGA). The results are presented in Fig. 8.
From past earthquake records, the maximum credible PGA was
around 1 g. Only Kobe-ew quake exceeds this threshold, but it is a
lesser threat than Tcu-ew and Tcu-ns quakes as demonstrated
next.

7. Racking deformation
To obtain bending moments for station slabs and walls, there
are three types of earth pressure loadings to be considered: (1) static soil pressures, e.g. using RankineCoulomb method; (2) dynamic soil pressures, e.g. using MononobeOkabe method; (3)
racking of station box by the constraint of surrounding soil. The
third one is the focus as it governs the seismic design of subway
stations in Taiwan. It is called structural racking (Rk) and measures
the sideways drift of a box structure (Fig. 9 inset). According to
pseudo-static design method (Penzien, 2000; Taipei Department

Kobe-ew
Kobe-ew
Tcu-ns
Tcu-ns
Tcu-ew
Tcu-ew

-5
Kobe-ew
Kobe-ew
Tcu-ns
Tcu-ns
Tcu-ew
Tcu-ew

-15

-20

Depth below GL (m)

-10

Gi hi

mi
ci

ki

-5
Maximum displacement (m)

-1.0

-0.5

-25
0.0

0.5

1.0

-10

Depth below GL (m)

Fig. 7. Proles of maximum deformations in soft soil.

-15
Table 2
Characteristics of earthquake motions.
Intensity measure
Peak
Peak
Peak
Peak

bedrock acce (m/s2)

bedrock velo (m/s)
ground acce (m/s2)
ground velo (m/s)

-20
Kobe-ew

Tcu-ew

Tcu-ns

6.13
0.85
14.35
1.43

5.02
2.80
9.66
4.49

3.55
3.14
7.38
4.21

Maximum displacement (m)

-25
-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0.0

0.2

0.4

Fig. 8. Proles of maximum deformations in very stiff soil.

0.6

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C.-J. Wang / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 26 (2011) 8391

Racking (m)

Time (sec)

Ground surface

Quiet boundary
Flexible boundary

Rk < (DA-DB)

DA

Ht

DB
Soil deformation

Structural racking

Fig. 9. Racking deformation of station box (Kobe-ew quake).

of Rapid Transit Systems, 1991), a maximum Rk was estimated

using shear strain cg of free-eld soil: Rk = Ht cg and cg = Vg/cs,
where Ht = box height (=14.3 m); Vg = PGV; cs = shear wave speed.
Its underlying assumption is that the box structure deforms as
much as the soil deforms. In actuality, Rk is not as certain as stated
above.
8. Results and discussion
In the results presented below, a percentage mark (%) prexing
an earthquake motion means a factor to scale the motions amplitude. The dynamic analyses produced full time histories of nodal
displacements in both soil and structure regions. The structural
racking Rk is the difference in lateral displacements between nodes
iA and iB (Fig. 1) respectively at roof and base slabs. Herein the Rk/Ht
value as determined from dynamic analysis is termed racking ratio
or drift ratio. Since the station box is designed as a moment-resisting RC frame, its seismic performance is gauged by using drift ratios 1% and 2% for immediate-occupancy and life-safety purposes,
respectively (Applied Technology Council, 1996).

8.1. Side boundary effect

Quiet and exible boundaries were tested separately. As Kobeew quake strikes, the time histories of structural racking are presented in Fig. 9. The quiet boundary condition gives lower-bound
structural responses, whereas exible boundary condition produces the upper bound. The corresponding peak racking ratio is
1%, at a time of 3.15 s. But it could be even higher when other
quakes strike.
Another simulation is presented in which reduced input motions are specied at bedrock such that respective PGA levels in
free eld are nearly those in the original seismogram records. Results of structural racking for using quiet boundary are given in
Fig. 10, which indicate the largest structural racking is not caused
by an earthquake like Kobe-ew (highest PGA).
Fig. 11 presents the maximum racking ratio of the station box
under respective base excitation: Kobe-ew, Tcu-ns, Tcu-ew, and
70% Tcu-ew. The abscissas denote the peak velocity of each excitation normalized with respect to the lowest peak velocity of the four
quakes. Also brought in for comparison is an equivalent racking

Racking (m)

Time (sec)

Peak acce. (m/s2)

Kobe-ew

Bedrock input

Tcu-ew

Tcu-ns

2.50

2.61

1.70

Tcu-ew (reduced)

Ground surface

6.14

5.03

3.55

Tcu-ns (reduced)

Recorded (source)

6.13 (JMA)

5.02 (TCU068)

3.55 (TCU068)

Kobe-ew (reduced)

Fig. 10. Racking deformation of station box (reduced input motions).

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C.-J. Wang / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 26 (2011) 8391

0.035
Station box (flexible boundary)
Station box (quiet boundary)
Free-field soil

0.015

Tcu-ns

70% Tcu-ew

0.020

Tcu-ew

0.025

Kobe-ew

Maximum racking ratio

0.030

0.010
0.005
0.000
0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

Peak bedrock velocity (x 0.85 m/s)

station box is predicated on PGV value. Furthermore, the seismic

response of a large underground structure is compounded by nonlinear behaviors of soil as well as by diverse characteristics of
earthquake motions. A comparison is made on analysis results
for ve earthquake motions: Kobe-ew quake to 100%, 70% and
50% amplitude, and Tcu-ew quake to 70% and 50% amplitude.
Figs. 12 and 13 present the maximum racking ratios for the station box under the exible boundary condition. The abscissas denote the normalized peak acceleration or peak velocity of the
input motion. For a given earthquake event, the structural racking
would increase as the input motion intensity (% amplitude) rises.
When comparing different events, structural racking does not increase in proportion to input motion intensity. In particular, the increase in racking due to a 20% rise in Tcu-ew quake is more than
double that due to a 20% rise in Kobe-ew quake (shown as up-arrows in gures).

Fig. 11. Racking deformations: station box vs. free-eld soil.

8.3. Solution stability

0.012
70% Tcu-ew

Maximum racking ratio

0.011
0.010
0.009
100% Kobe-ew

0.008
0.007
50% Tcu-ew
70% Kobe-ew

0.006
0.005

Fig. 14 provides a snap view of interacting regions of soil and

structures under Tcu-ew quake, with gaps shown between distinct
regions. Someone earlier disputed that how sand layers with zero
cohesion (GL-2025, per Table 1) could stand upright contrary to
theory? In fact this represents a stable solution attributed to the
existence of geo-static stresses. Further test cases conrmed that
geo-static stresses would be overcome eventually by dynamic
stresses at a higher earthquake intensity level causing a numerical instability (e.g. sand trickling into gap).
Collision contacts at concretesoil interfaces under strong excitations are also exemplied in gaps formed by soil mass bobbing
up at the station top and diaphragm wall top, given that gravitation
is excluded in the dynamic model.

50% Kobe-ew

0.004
0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

9. Concluding remarks

Peak bedrock acceleration (x 2.51 m/s/s)

ratio for soil in free eld, which measures the averaged shear strain
cg = (DADB)/Ht at depth levels of the station box (Fig. 9 inset). Under the exible boundary condition, Fig. 11 indicates that racking
ratios of the box are about half of shear strains of free-eld soil.
The constraint on the station box by surrounding soil is thus not
fully effective. It means that imposing soil deformation on the
box structure means a rather conservative design. A similar conclusion was drawn for single-wall rectangular tunnels according to reports from others who had incorporated a linear soil model (Wang,
1993).
Under the quiet boundary condition, the structural racking is
underestimated by 50%, compared to the exible boundary condition. It gives a less conservative racking ratio for design use, unless
a fully energy-absorbing side boundary can be justied. On the
other hand, a higher structural racking under the exible boundary
condition offers a conservative estimation for the inuence of
reecting waves from nearby footings and basements.
The largest racking ratio of 1.6% corresponds to Tcu-ew quake,
i.e. structural safety of the station as designed is ensured, in case
a maximum credible earthquake like Tcu-ew should strike.

In order to analyze the racking response of a dual-wall subway

station box, a dynamic system consisting of disjoined nite element regions has been developed. A contact search scheme is
introduced to treat the contactslip condition due to collision contacts between the station box, diaphragm walls, and surrounding
soil. The exible and quiet boundary conditions are separately applied to the side boundary of soil to allow comparison of effects between wave reection and radiation damping on the maximum
structural response during severe earthquakes.

0.012
0.011

Maximum racking ratio

Fig. 12. Station box responses vs. peak input accelerations.

70% Tcu-ew

0.010
0.009
100% Kobe-ew

0.008
0.007
70% Kobe-ew

50% Tcu-ew

0.006
0.005
50% Kobe-ew

0.004

8.2. Earthquake intensity effect

The seismic design for surface structures is generally based on
the specied PGA level, whereas the design against racking for a

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

Peak bedrock velocity (x 0.425 m/s)

Fig. 13. Station box responses vs. peak input velocities.

4.5

5.0

C.-J. Wang / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 26 (2011) 8391

91

Fig. 14. Deformed conguration of a dual-wall station box in soil.

A station box buried in soft soil strata was investigated by specifying strong motions at bedrock level. If exible boundary is assumed, the box racking would be about half the shear strain of
free-eld soil. The box racking would be reduced by 50% further,
if quiet boundary is assumed. This means that the racking deformation of a station box does not conform to the shear deformation
of free-eld soil when distinct soil and structure regions are
swayed apart under strong motions. A perfect bond between station box and surrounding soil, as assumed in pseudo-static design
method, is therefore unlikely. Result comparison conrms that
PGV is more crucial than PGA concerning the seismic response of
a station box. For the design of a station or tunnel box, it is proposed that stipulating a seismic hazard with a higher level of
PGV or PGA may not imply a higher safety margin. Certain nearfault earthquake motions exhibiting high velocity pulses are
potentially hazardous, as a slight rise in earthquake intensity
may lead to substantial increase in structural response.

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