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Influence of spatial variability of ground on seismic response analysis: a case study of Bangkok subsoils

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to observe the spatial variation in the geological subsoil condition on the seismic ground response of Bangkok subsoils during the remote 6.8 Mw Tarlay earthquake in 2011 in Northern Thailand. A simulation of random locations was initially performed to define the studied locations. The dynamic parameters, such as the soil index properties, shear modulus, and shear wave velocity, were determined from the subsurface modeling of Bangkok subsoils. Next-generation attenuation analysis was performed to define the input ground motion at each investigated site. Non-linear one-dimensional site response analysis was performed to investigate the surface ground motion, amplification factor, and spectral acceleration during short (0.2 s) and long (1 s) time periods. In general, it is important to consider the ground spatial variation in any seismic ground response analysis. The results show that Bangkok subsoils could magnify the seismic wave during an earthquake. For example, in the 2011 Tarlay earthquake, the magnification varied from two- to four-fold. The results from this study can be used to define the microzonation of the ground motion characteristic of Bangkok subsoils, such as the peak ground acceleration and the spectral acceleration, at short and long periods.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Thailand Research Fund (grant no. DBG-6180004) and the Ratchadapisek Sompoch Endowment Fund (2019), Chulalongkorn University (762003-CC). The second author acknowledges the Civil Engineering Centennial Scholarship of Chulalongkorn University for supporting him during this study. The third author acknowledges the Ratchadapisek Sompot Fund (2018) for Postdoctoral Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Excellence in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Suched Likitlersuang & Lindung Zalbuin Mase

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Panusorn Plengsiri & Weeradetch Tanapalungkorn

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  1. Suched Likitlersuang
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  2. Panusorn Plengsiri
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  3. Lindung Zalbuin Mase
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  4. Weeradetch Tanapalungkorn
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Correspondence to Suched Likitlersuang.

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Likitlersuang, S., Plengsiri, P., Mase, L.Z. et al. Influence of spatial variability of ground on seismic response analysis: a case study of Bangkok subsoils. Bull Eng Geol Environ 79, 39–51 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-019-01560-9

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