Periodic Excavations, Hills and Inclusions as Seismic Metamaterials: Can They Be Used as Wave Barriers Protecting Structures From Seismic and Anthropogenic Sources of Vibrations?

Date: 4/26/2019

Time: 04:45 PM

Room: Pine

It has been long known that features of surface topography and near surface geology, such as excavations, hills and inclusions, act as barriers for seismic waves. A periodic arrangement of such features would constitute a seismic metamaterial, acting as a selective filter for horizontally propagating seismic waves. We study the characteristics and effectiveness of such filters by numerical simulation of SH-wave propagation in a homogeneous and layered half-space with infinite and finite periodic clusters of elliptic “canyons”, “hills” and “valleys”. We use an Indirect Boundary Element Method (IBEM) to compute the motions on the ground surface, and simple 1D approximations, such as binary periodic beams, to compute the dispersion. The results show that periodic barriers are more effective shields than single barriers, and that the periodic “valleys” reduce more the motions on the ground surface than the periodic “canyons” and “hills”. We discuss possible use of such periodic barriers as shields for earthquake and ground born vibrations.

Presenting Author: Maria I. Todorovska

Authors