Physics-based seismic analysis of ancient wood structure: fault-to-structure simulation

Abstract

Based on the domain reduction method, this study employs an SEM-FEM hybrid workflow which integrates the advantages of the spectral element method (SEM) for flexible and highly efficient simulation of seismic wave propagation in a three-dimensional (3D) regional-scale geophysics model and the finite element method (FEM) for fine simulation of structural response including soil-structure interaction, and performs a physics-based simulation from initial fault rupture on an ancient wood structure. After verification of the hybrid workflow, a large-scale model of an ancient wood structure in the Beijing area, The Tower of Buddhist Incense, is established and its responses under the 1665 Tongxian earthquake and the 1730 Yiheyuan earthquake are simulated. The results from the simulated ground motion and seismic response of the wood structure under the two earthquakes demonstrate that this hybrid workflow can be employed to efficiently provide insight into the relationships between geophysical parameters and the structural response, and is of great significance toward accurate input for seismic simulation of structures under specific site and fault conditions.