Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of African Earth Sciences, cilt.242, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Understanding how soft soils respond under seismic loading is essential for reliable site response analysis and earthquake-resistant design. This study combines numerical models with laboratory testing to asses the seismic response of low-plasticity clay deposits in the Sakarya region. Dynamic soil properties were obtained experimentally by Resonant Column (RC) and Torsional Shear (TS) tests. The experimental properties (strain-dependent modulus reduction and damping behavior) were then incorporated into nonlinear (NL) and equivalent linear (EL) site response analyses performed by deep soil software. To evaluate the reliability of empirical models, the study also incorporated the widely used models from the literature. A set of 17 ground motion records from strike-slip earthquakes were selected to reflect the seismic characteristics of the region. The comparison of surface accelerations, response spectra, and key engineering parameters such as PGA, PGV, PGD, Arias, and Housner intensities (AI and HI) revealed noticeable differences between the models and methods-particularly for different periods and frequencies. The results yield amplification factors ranging between approximately 1.7 and 2.3 for the analyzed soil profile. EL analyses generally produced approximately 25-30% higher spectral acceleration values than NL analyses. In some cases, spectral accelerations took values over 2.5 g at specific periods due to resonance effects within the soft clay layers. The integration of laboratory-derived soil behavior with numerical site response modeling provides improved insight into seismic amplification mechanisms specifically in soft clays. The results emphasize the importance of site-specific dynamic soil characterization when evaluating ground motion amplification for engineering design in seismically active regions.