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This study used the 2D boundary element method in time domain to examine the screening effectiveness of open trenches on reducing vibration generated by a high-speed train. The parameters included configurations of the trench, train speed, the distance between the source and the trench, and the Poisson’s ratio of the soil. A reducing displacement level (in dB scale) was defined and used to evaluate the screening effectiveness of a wave barrier. The maximal reducing displacement level reached 25 dB when an open trench was used as a wave barrier. The depth of an open trench is a main influential parameter of screening effectiveness. The cutoff frequency of the displacement spectrum increases with decreasing trench depth. The maximal screening effectiveness occurs when the depth is 0.3-0.4 Rayleigh wavelength. Using an open trench as a wave barrier can reduce 10–25 dB of vibration amplitude at frequencies between 30 and 70 Hz. A considerable increase in screening effectiveness of the open trench was observed from 30 to 70 Hz, which matches the main frequencies of vibration induced by Taiwan High Speed Rail. The influence of trench width on screening effectiveness is nonsignificant except for frequencies from 30 to 40 Hz. Poisson’s ratio has various effects on the reduction of vibration at frequencies higher than 30 Hz.

Abstract. The dynamic response of the Liyutan earth dam to the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake (M L =7.3) in Taiwan was numerically analyzed. First, the staged construction of the dam was simulated. Then, seepage analysis, considering a 60-m water level, was performed. After seepage analysis, the initial static stress (prior to dynamic loading) was established in the dam. Both the horizontal and vertical acceleration time histories recorded at the base of the dam were used in the numerical simulations. The dynamic responses of the dam were analyzed for 50 s in the time domain. The simulated results were in agreement with the monitored data. The transfer function analysis and Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) were used to compare the results and to perceive the response characteristics of the dam. In particular, the time-frequencyenergy plots of the HHT can reveal the timing and time frame of the dominant frequencies of the dynamic response. The influences of the initial shear modulus and uni-axial earthquake loading were also investigated.

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