Rational Selection of Pseudostatic Seismic Coefficient of Slopes

In this paper, the horizontal seismic coefficient of Nazloo landfill for quasi-static analysis is determined in two steps. In the first step, a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis is performed on the landfill site. For this purpose, active faults, historical and instrumental earthquakes within a specific radius of the site are identified and the final earthquake catalogue is determined after applying temporal-spatial windows. Then, the area under study is partitioned into multiple zones and the Gutenberg-Richter parameters for each zone are determined. Subsequently, the seismic characteristics of the faults and the attenuation equations are used to obtain the site design spectrum. The results are then used to produce a series of artificial seismic records in a way that their response spectra match the computed site design spectrum. In the second step, the resulting records are applied to the landfill and a Newmark type dynamic analysis is used to estimate the permanent displacement of the landfill. Pseudostatic seismic coefficient corresponds to a uniform ground acceleration over the effective earthquake duration which produces Newmark permanent displacement similar to that of the artificial earthquake. Therefore, the pseudostatic seismic coefficient is calculated by trial and error procedure. Finally, the computed horizontal pseudostatic seismic coefficient is related to spectral acceleration of the landfill instead of peak ground acceleration. By this relation, the horizontal pseudostatic seismic coefficient is a function of geometry and material properties of the landfill which were not reflected in the proposed relations in the literature.

Automated summary

In this paper, the horizontal seismic coefficient of the Nazloo landfill is determined using a two-step process. Firstly, a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis is conducted to identify active faults, historical earthquakes, and instrumental earthquakes within a specific radius of the site. The site design spectrum is then obtained using the seismic characteristics of the faults and attenuation equations. Secondly, artificial seismic records are generated and applied to the landfill using dynamic analysis to estimate its permanent displacement. The pseudostatic seismic coefficient is calculated through trial and error. The horizontal pseudostatic seismic coefficient is found to be a function of the landfill's geometry and material properties.