Seismic response and correlation analysis of a pile-supported wharf to near-fault pulse-like ground motions

Earthquake investigations have shown that near-fault pulse-like (NF-P) ground motions have unique characteristics compared to near-fault non-pulse-like (NF-NP) and far-field (FF) ground motions. It is necessary to study the seismic response of pile-supported wharf (PSW) structures under NF-P ground motions. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element numerical model is created to simulate a PSW. By imparting three types of ground motion, the engineering demand parameters (EDPs) of PSW under NF-P ground motions were analyzed and compared, in which EDPs are the maximum displacement and bending moment of the piles. Twenty intensity measures (IMs) were selected to characterize the properties of ground motions. The correlation between IMs and EDPs was explored. The results show that the piles present larger displacement and bending moment under NF-P ground motions compared to NF-NP and FF ground motions. None of the IMs have a high correlation with EDPs under NF-P ground motions, and these IMs are more applicable to FF ground motions. The correlation coefficients between EDPs and IMs under three types of ground motion were obtained, which will provide a valuable reference for the seismic design of PSWs.