RO4 : Soil and Structural Dynamics, Paraseismic Engineering and Computational Seismology

Activities

This OR aims to develop numerical tools for quantifying the risk under severe dynamic stresses (earthquake, fast dynamics, etc.) of geotechnical structures. This objective is broken down into a set of developments of advanced numerical resolution strategies coupled together to achieve direct modelling of the important parameters of the problem (seismic source, propagation path, site effect). This allows a reduction of the epistemic uncertainties in the analysis of the phenomena that take place during an earthquake in the framework of risk analysis.
In order to reproduce the complexity of the response of the soil and structures, non-linear behavioural models are developed with the implementation of a formalism allowing their use and leading to a relevant description of the rupture phenomena at the scale of the structures.
Due to the random nature of dynamic phenomena and the heterogeneity and variability of material properties, developments are made to model, propagate and quantify uncertainties. The limitation of the computational cost of this type of analysis requires, in particular, the development of metamodelling approaches for the global analysis of seismic risk (interaction with OR3).
The analysis of a seismic event and the assessment of the associated risks imply the development of numerical tools to describe a set of structures and the stresses they undergo on a regional scale. Moreover, the consideration of the time scale with the description of the life of the structures and the natural hazards observed in the region leads to the development of models allowing to integrate this history as well as the temporal evolution of the mechanical properties, its impact on the vulnerability and in fine on the seismic risk at the regional scale (interaction with the RO2).

Research actions developed

• High performance physical simulations,
• Modelling, propagation and quantification of uncertainties,
• Natural hazards, engineering seismology,
• Risk assessment on a regional scale.