Shaking table tests on a three-arch type subway station structure in a liquefiable soil

A series of large-scale shaking table tests were performed to investigate the damage mechanisms of a three-arch type subway station structure in a liquefiable soil experiencing strong motions. Methods to measure the displacement included the vision-based displacement test and the fiber Bragg grating test to measure the strain of the galvanized steel wire. Sand boils, waterspouts, ground surface cracks and settlements, and buoyancy movement of the model structure were observed. When the peak excess pore pressure ratios dramatically increased, the Arias intensity also dramatically increased. The peak acceleration of the model soil also almost coincided with liquefaction of the model soil. The seismic responses of the model structure and the soil were shown to be more sensitive to input motions with larger low-frequency components, the phenomenon of high frequency filtering and low frequency amplification effect of the liquefied soil were observed. The peak tensile strain located at the top and bottom of the center pillars was larger than that obtained at the subarch, while the peak tensile strain at the atrium arch was the smallest. The peak strain at the primary and secondary observation sections were remarkably affected by the spatial effect. The results can provide valuable insight into the seismic investigation of these subway structures.