On the behalf of the Italian Department for the Civil Protection, the Po River Basin Authority carried out a research project to evaluate the seismic hazard of about 90 km of the right embankment of the Po river, from Boretto (Reggio Emilia Province) to Ro (Ferrara Province). The project aim is the assessment of 1) the regional seismic risk of the areas under study, 2) the soil prop-erties of the embankment and the foundation ground via site investigation and laboratory tests, 3) the local seismic response of the foundation soil, 4) the liquefaction potential of the foundation soil and 5) the stability of the bank under static and dynamic conditions. In order to investigate the seismic response of the embankment, a series of dynamic centrifuge tests on model banks were per-formed using a single degree of freedom shaking table. The models were reconstructed using silty and sandy soils retrieved in situ. Two soil profiles and two geometries were tested. Four time histories were applied to each model; the accelerograms were deduced from a local seismic response analysis carried out referring to one of the investigated site. The tests showed a significant tendency of the embankments to amplify the input motions. The amplification is significant in a wide range of frequencies and increases from the base towards the top. No signs of local instability were observed during tests. The experimental results are compared with the preliminary results of a numerical 2D response analyses of the embankments.
Centrifuge tests to evaluate the Po river embankment seismic response
GIRETTI, Daniela
2012
Abstract
On the behalf of the Italian Department for the Civil Protection, the Po River Basin Authority carried out a research project to evaluate the seismic hazard of about 90 km of the right embankment of the Po river, from Boretto (Reggio Emilia Province) to Ro (Ferrara Province). The project aim is the assessment of 1) the regional seismic risk of the areas under study, 2) the soil prop-erties of the embankment and the foundation ground via site investigation and laboratory tests, 3) the local seismic response of the foundation soil, 4) the liquefaction potential of the foundation soil and 5) the stability of the bank under static and dynamic conditions. In order to investigate the seismic response of the embankment, a series of dynamic centrifuge tests on model banks were per-formed using a single degree of freedom shaking table. The models were reconstructed using silty and sandy soils retrieved in situ. Two soil profiles and two geometries were tested. Four time histories were applied to each model; the accelerograms were deduced from a local seismic response analysis carried out referring to one of the investigated site. The tests showed a significant tendency of the embankments to amplify the input motions. The amplification is significant in a wide range of frequencies and increases from the base towards the top. No signs of local instability were observed during tests. The experimental results are compared with the preliminary results of a numerical 2D response analyses of the embankments.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
