- Full Project Title: NEESR: Seismic Response of Shallow Underground Structures in Dense Urban Environments
- Summary: Shallow underground structures used for public transportation are a key component of sustainable cities. In dense urban environments, underground structures are often built near tall buildings. Although such buildings have the potential to alter ground motions in their vicinity and transmit significant forces to adjacent underground structures, the impact of these forces remains uncertain. This project will study the seismic response of temporary and permanent cut-and-cover box structures near mid- to high-rise buildings using a combination of centrifuge testing and numerical simulations. The data from centrifuge tests will serve two purposes: first, to understand seismic soil-structure-underground structure-interaction (SSUSI), and second, to calibrate and improve numerical models. Nonlinear numerical simulations of centrifuge tests will help assess and improve the capabilities of existing numerical tools in capturing SSUSI and key loading mechanisms. Parametric studies using calibrated models will be conducted to make design recommendations. Data from this project will be archived and made available to the public through the NEES Project Warehouse/data repository.
