Regional seismic responses of shallow basins incorporating site-city interaction analyses on high-rise building clusters

This study assesses the 3D amplification effects in shallow basins and quantifies the effects of site-city interaction (SCI) on high-rise buildings. A regional-scale 3D spectral element simulation is conducted on the Tuen Mun-Yuen Long basin, which contains multiple subbasins with heterogeneous and nonlinear soil profiles, while 3D city models with various building layouts are fully integrated into the basin model for our SCI study. We found a good correlation between spectral amplification factors and soil depths. Site response is significantly amplified at basin edges and centers due to surface waves generated at basin edges and the focusing effects stemming from 3D basin geometry. Transfer functions of 3D basins can be up to fourfold at fundamental frequencies as compared to 1D response, and further amplifications occur at high frequencies due to surface waves. In the SCI simulations, we observe wave trapping in the open space amid buildings resulting in energy concentration and up to twofold PGA amplifications. The wave trapping effect diminishes as the space between buildings increase beyond their range of influence (similar to 100 m). The SCI analyses show that destructive kinetic energy in superstructures increases 28% in one horizontal direction but decreases 22% in the other. Our study concluded that, 1D site response analysis can significantly underestimate the seismic demand in shallow basins. Site-city interaction of high-rise buildings increases the short-period spectra of ground motions, leading to an increase in their story accelerations by up to 50% and to a substantial decrease in the seismic safety of short structures in their vicinity.

Automated summary

This study evaluates the 3D amplification effects in shallow basins and quantifies the impact of site-city interaction on high-rise buildings. The research demonstrates a strong correlation between spectral amplification factors and soil depths, with 3D basins showing up to fourfold increase in transfer functions compared to 1D response. High-rise buildings in urban settings significantly affect ground motions, increasing story accelerations by up to 50% and decreasing seismic safety of short structures nearby.