The ratio of response spectra from seismic-type free-field and building foundation vibrations: the influence of rockburst parameters and simple models of kinematic soil-structure interaction

Abstract

Abstract Mining-related seismicity is a significant problem in regions with the exploitation in underground mines. Despite the fact that mining tremors result from human activity and are classified as so-called paraseismic shocks, as with earthquakes, they are random events. Moreover, these rockbursts could cause significant damage to surface structures, including buildings. This paper deals with the analysis of experimentally obtained results in terms of the differences between the mine-induced vibrations described by the response spectra from the free-field near a given building and the simultaneously recorded vibrations in the building foundations. The influences of epicentral distance, mining tremor energy and the value of peak ground acceleration on the curves of free-field—foundation response spectra ratio were studied. The impact of the type of building on the transmission of response spectra from the free-field vibrations to the building foundations was also analysed for three types of apartment buildings (low-rise, medium-rise, high-rise). The usefulness of the approximate models of the phenomenon of soil-structure interaction during earthquakes proposed in the literature is also estimated in this paper in specific instances of mining tremors. Furthermore, the study presents original, simple, empirical models for the evaluation of the differences in the response spectra originating from free-field and building foundation vibrations in the mining region.