Earthquake and Wave Analysis of Circular Cylinder considering Water-Structure-Soil Interaction

Abstract

Offshore structures in zones of active seismicity are under a potential threat caused by the combined action of earthquakes and waves. Taking a submerged circular cylinder as the prototype and considering water-structure-soil interaction, the present study is devoted to the investigation of the combined action of earthquakes and waves. Water-cylinder interaction and soil-structure interaction are simulated by added mass and rigid circular massless foundations, respectively. Based on the radiation and diffraction wave theory, the scaled boundary finite element method is utilized to determine the earthquake-induced and wave-induced pressure on a circular cylinder. Then, a closed-form expression for the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the system is derived by using the transfer matrix method, where the transfer matrix is obtained based on Euler–Bernoulli’s beam differential equation. Furthermore, the dynamic response of the system under the combined action of earthquakes and waves is derived by using the mode superposition method. Finally, the effects of the hydrodynamic force, wave force, and soil-structure interaction on the dynamic response of the submerged cylinder are investigated. The results indicate that the wave forces can substantially increase the dynamic responses of the cylinder and that the influence increases as the stiffness ratio increases and the width-depth ratio decreases. It is necessary to consider the combined action of earthquakes and waves in the seismic design of offshore structures.