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An Innovative Approach to Geotechnical Seismic Isolation: Rubber-Soil Mixture Trenches

Bernal-Sanchez, Juan; Mcdougall, John; Barreto, Daniel; Dimitriadi, Vasiliki; Leak, James; Nseabasi, Moses

Authors

Daniel Barreto

James Leak

Moses Nseabasi



Abstract

This study presents a Geotechnical Seismic Isolation (GSI) system proposed for utilising Rubber-Soil mixtures (RSm) to enhance the dynamic performance of a modified soil and foundation structure. The inclusion of RSm enables the system to exhibit lower stiffness and increased energy dissipation capacity, thereby facilitating the benefits of dynamic soil-foundation structure interaction. However, most of prior research on RSm has been predominantly limited to the elemental scale, restricting its application in practical scenarios. In this study, the dynamic response of a modified soil foundation was studied by incorporating soft zones in the form of trench fills comprising RSm. The design configuration was examined by altering the material composition added to the trenches with various rubber percentages: 0, 20%, 40%, 60% and 100% by mass. Experimental tests were conducted via a 1-g shaking table, subjecting a modelled soil-structure system to a series of sinusoidal excitations in a set frequency range (i.e., 2-9Hz). Adding low (20%) or high (>60%) rubber contents led to an amplification of the input acceleration with respect to the initial scenario. However, findings from this study demonstrate that adding 40% rubber can reduce up to 35% the resultant amplification at frequencies near the resonance of the host soil's natural frequency (i.e., 7.5 Hz-8.5Hz). Consequently, this study highlights the potential of integrating RSm trench fills as an alternative design consideration to mitigate incoming disturbances and safeguard both new and existing constructions near the soil foundation.

Citation

Bernal-Sanchez, J., Mcdougall, J., Barreto, D., Dimitriadi, V., Leak, J., & Nseabasi, M. (2024, June). An Innovative Approach to Geotechnical Seismic Isolation: Rubber-Soil Mixture Trenches. Presented at 18th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Milan, Italy

Presentation Conference Type Conference Paper (published)
Conference Name 18th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering
Start Date Jun 30, 2024
End Date Jul 5, 2024
Acceptance Date May 1, 2024
Online Publication Date Aug 1, 2024
Deposit Date Jan 15, 2025
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Book Title Proceedings of the 18th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering
Publisher URL https://proceedings-wcee.org/wcee18.html
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

SDG 15 - Life on Land

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss






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