Dynamic response of soil–pile–structure system subjected to lateral spreading: Shaking table test and parallel finite element simulation

This paper investigates the dynamic response of soil–pile–structure interaction (SPSI) system behind a quay wall in liquefiable soil and laterally spreading ground through both large-scale shaking table test and parallel finite element (FE) simulation. A three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear FE model is developed to simulate the target SPSI system using the parallel modeling technique with high computational efficiency. This FE model of the SPSI system is validated by the shaking table test results. The validated FE model is firstly used to further explore the dynamic behavior of the SPSI system with details on the global responses of the SPSI system and the local responses. Secondly, the validated FE model is used for global sensitivity analysis (GSA) to fully assess the effects of uncertain parameters on the interested dynamic responses of the SPSI system. The experimental and numerical investigations show that liquefaction-induced lateral spreading significantly affects the movement of the clay crust at the landside and the internal forces in piles behind the quay wall. GSA results show that the relative importance of system parameters depends on the dynamic responses of interest, while the interaction effects among system parameters on dynamic responses are not evident.