Numerical analysis on seismic performance of underground structures in liquefiable interlayer sites from centrifuge shaking table test

When an underground structure passes through a liquefiable soil layer, the soil liquefaction may pose a significant threat to the structure. A centrifuge shaking table test was performed to research the seismic response of underground structures in liquefiable interlayer sites, and a valid numerical model was obtained through simulation model test. Finally, the calibrated numerical model was used to perform further research on the influence of various distribution characteristics of liquefiable interlayers on the seismic reaction of underground structures. The key findings are as follows. The structure faces the most unfavorable condition once a liquefiable layer is located in the middle of the underground structure. When a liquefiable layer exists in the middle of the structure, the seismic reactions of both the underground structure and model site will increase with the rise of the thickness of the liquefiable interlayer. The inter-story drift of the structure in the non-liquefiable site is much smaller than that in the liquefiable interlayer site. The inter-story drift of the structure is not only associated with the site displacement and the soil-structure stiffness ratio but also closely associated with the slippage of the soil-structure contact interface under the condition of large deformation of the site.