CE 5601 Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering

2019 Fall

Department of Civil Engineering Prof. Dr. K. Önder Çetin

ASSIGNMENT #5:
Project Assignment
Seismic Site Response Analysis

You have been hired by General Directorate of Disaster Management Affairs for the
seismic design analysis of selected sites. Each four-person group will be assigned one of
three sites: 1, 2 or 3. You are in Group …., with Site …. The client has requested that you
perform a seismic site response study for a Magnitude 6.5 earthquake event on the nearby
North Anatolian Fault, which is located 6 km, 10 km, 12 km away from Sites 1, 2 and 3
respectively (you have developed the design response spectra for these sites in
Assignment 3). Site information is attached. The client would like you to provide the
design acceleration response spectrum (=3, 5 and 7 %) for surface motions at the site due
to North Anatolian Fault event. However before you begin these studies, your group
should do two things :
First, you should run DEEPSOIL for a generic 30 m deep soil deposit with average
dynamic soil properties (say Vs = 170 to 350 m/sec, and PI = 15) with provided Kocaeli
Earthquake, Izmit Station (NGA # 1165, IZT_90 component, Vs,30 =811 m/s) "rock"
motion scaled to 0.25 g, and vary the properties to get a “feel” for the sensitivity of the
results to changes in the DEEPSOIL input. It is important to “play” with a software before
using it in a geotechnical study. Please report the results of this sensitivity study
individually, not as a group, until November 14, Thursday, 2019 by 9.40 am.
(Assignment # 5)
Second, you should run DEEPSOIL with the subsurface profile and dynamic
properties developed for your site for the 17 August 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake event and
compare the DEEPSOIL calculated response spectrum (= 5 %) for the surface motions
with the actual ground motions recorded at your site during this event. This back analysis
is invaluable for “calibrating” your model and for “getting a feel” for the reasonableness
of the DEEPSOIL results. Because of the importance of this back-analysis, the results of
this study should be included in your report. For example, the DEEPSOIL calculated
response spectrum (= 5 %) for the surface motions at your site during the Kocaeli

Assignment #5: (Project Assignment) – Seismic Site Response Analysis

 CE 5601 Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering
2019 Fall

Department of Civil Engineering Prof. Dr. K. Önder Çetin

earthquake should be compared to that recorded at the site. The Kocaeli earthquake
(Mw=7.5) was primarily strike slip, and the primary fault rupture plane, which was
vertical, nearly reached to the surface. The distances from the zone of energy release for
this earthquake are 6, 10 and 12 km for the Sites 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The event
specific “best estimate” of the bedrock MHA at these distances is around 0.4 g. A
modified Kocaeli Earthquake, Izmit Station (NGA # 1165, IZT_90 component, Vs,30
=811 m/s) recorded ground motion with scaled PGA to the best estimate of a rock motion
at your site probably best represents the bedrock ground motion in the area.
The design acceleration response spectrum for the scenario Mw=6.5 event should be
generated from using two (and only two for the sake of saving your time on this
assignment) modified rock motions. You may access to necessary rock motions at
described in Enclosure 1. Your report should be limited to three pages of text (maximum)
and should include at a minimum of these figures: (1) Idealized Soil Profile with Vs of
each soil layer modeled and soil type; (2) comparison of observed and calculated
acceleration response spectrum (= 5 %) for the surface motions at your site during the
Kocaeli earthquake; (3) computed acceleration response spectrum (= 5 %) for surface
motions at the site due to the scenario earthquake of Mw=6.5 on the North Anatolian Fault
with your selected design spectrum; and (4) variation of peak acceleration, shear stress
and shear strain with depth in the soil profile for the Kocaeli and scenario events.
Focus your efforts on discussing your findings, not on providing background material.
Be sure to document how you developed the soil profile. Obviously the heart of your
study is the design spectrum.
Useful information for the Young Bay Mud Stratum :
In-situ water content : w0=50 %
Liquid Limit : LL =54 %
Plasticity Index : PI = 29 %
Over Consolidation Ratio : OCR =1.2-1.5
Useful information for the Old Bay Mud Stratum :
In-situ water content : w0=24 %
Liquid Limit : LL =52 %

Assignment #5: (Project Assignment) – Seismic Site Response Analysis

 CE 5601 Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering
2019 Fall

Department of Civil Engineering Prof. Dr. K. Önder Çetin

Plasticity Index : PI = 31 %
Over Consolidation Ratio : OCR =2-3

Site 1 Site 2

Assignment #5: (Project Assignment) – Seismic Site Response Analysis

 CE 5601 Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering
2019 Fall

Department of Civil Engineering Prof. Dr. K. Önder Çetin

Site 3

Assignment #5: (Project Assignment) – Seismic Site Response Analysis