Seismic performance of a pile-supported wharf through advanced numerical modelling

Several challenges and limitations exist in the engineering evaluation of the effects of lateral spreading and associated damage to infrastructure under seismic loading. This ongoing research topic examines the seismic performance of a wharf supported by slender reinforced concrete piles founded on liquefiable gravelly reclamation fill through nonlinear dynamic analyses. The objective of this study was to capture the general deformation pattern of the fill at the port of Wellington during the Kaikōura earthquake, including mechanisms of global movement in the 2D plane. The analysis method utilizes an advanced soil constitutive model capable of capturing coupled solid-fluid phase behaviour in an effective stress framework, with nonlinear modelling of the piles including effects of cracking and yielding on its strength and stiffness. These tools are among the most advanced available in current standard of practice and research for modelling in continuum mechanics.