Amplification Ratio and Period of the Earthquakes in Karaj, Iran

Ali Ghanbari Tarbiat Moallem University, Tehran, Iran Ghanbari@tmu.ac.ir Amin Hassanzadeh Research Student, Tarbiat Moallem University, Tehran, Iran S. Sadrodin Zarangzadeh Science and Research Campus of Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

ABSTRACT
Karaj is one the largest and rapidly developing cities of Iran, located west of Tehran, the capital. Considering its vicinity to the active faults with high seismicity and occurring strong earthquakes in this area, the amplification ratio and period of earthquakes in different regions of Karaj have been selected as the subject of current research. By studying more than one hundred bore holes, the required data relating to the subsurface layers are collected and accordingly, physical and mechanical properties of the soil in the area under study have been obtained. The study area is divided into six individual layers. In each layer, the results of a large number of in situ and laboratory tests to determine geotechnical properties of the soil are classified and analyzed. Using some correlation formulas, the velocity of shear wave is calculated and assuming one-dimensional non-linear behavior being valid for the alluvial soil, the response of site to probable quakes is determined. Finally, the response of available structures has been classified into three groups based on their height and considering the estimated periods, the study area has also been divided into two sub domains. Ultimately, a maximum height for the structures of each domain is suggested based on calculated amplification ratios.

KEYWORDS: Amplification ratio, Site effect, Karaj, Ground response

INTRODUCTION
Amplified response of alluvial sites can change the main characteristics of earthquake to a great extent. Such variety is usually observed as an increase in maximum acceleration as well as duration of the quakes. Moreover, most of cities and urban areas are constructed on alluvial soils and therefore studying the amplification phenomenon which is usually defined as an increase in the ground motion due to the presence of the soil deposits will be crucial.

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Many researchers have shown that the amplification ratio at soft sites is generally longer than hard ones (Shoji et al., 2005; Kamalian et al., 2008 and Hasancebi and Ulusay, 2006). Shoji et al. (2005) also reported lengthening the duration of the ground movements in soft sites. Shoji et al. (2005) demonstrated that alluvial sites mainly affect seismic waves in upper 30 meters of earth, near the grounds surface. In recent years, a number of papers on the existence of seismic hazard for the Iranian region has appeared (Shafiee and Azadi, 2007; Amiri et al., 2006). City of Karaj is one of the important municipalities in Iran because of its high population, large area as well as presence of many industrial centers. This city is adjacent to some active faults like North Tehran and Mosha faults which are capable of generating quakes with magnitudes greater than Ms=7 (Zafarani et al., 2009). In this paper the S-waves velocity (Vs) for different layers of the soil in Karaj alluvium is acquired by using a correlation formula between the velocity of shear wave and N SPT . Using a computer code which simulates the one-dimensional response of the ground considering non-linear behavior of the soil, the effect of alluvium on seismic waves has been investigated. In order to study the amplification ratio, the suggested method by technical committee of earthquake geotechnical engineering (TCEGE) (1999) for 2 and 3 degrees of freedom has been applied and the results obtained from two mentioned approaches have been compared. Finally, the isovalue lines related to the variance of amplification ratio and period of earthquake are presented for the area under study.

Introducing the study area

Karaj is a metropolitan area of Iran with a population of about 1,732,275 people based on 2006 census. Heavily congested with industrial firms and located in the neighborhood of Tehran, the capital, Karaj city has witnessed the increase in the number of population and tall buildings constructed in it to accommodate this large number of people. Karaj is located on an alluvial site known as Karaj alluvium. Karaj alluvium is situated on the southern piedmont of central Alborz Mountains. General geological conditions and tectonics of this area usually follow the pattern of central Alborz zone and mostly, all northern peaks in the study zone can be associated to Karaj formation. Generally the age of Karaj formation dates geologically from the Middle Eocene period to its end and in some places can lasts to the end of Late Eocene. Green tuffs in this formation, observable everywhere, are a distinctive feature of Karaj formation. Peaks of northern Karaj are usually made up of tuff. These tuffs play the main role in formation of fragments and elements of Karaj alluvial plain and hence are of great importance as a source rock in identification of Karaj alluvium. The study area of current research is located on young alluvial sediments without any special folding. Alluvial sediments in Karaj are resulted from Karaj river activities coupled with rivers and seasonal floods originating from valleys of North Mountains. Symptoms and conditions of river sediments can be clearly observed in excavated cuts and in some parts where the sediments have remained on bed of the old river canals, evidence of imbrications can be viewed and the dominant direction of stream might be considered as North-North East, South-South West. It must be noted that formation of sediments has been greatly affected by the weather conditions as well. More than 8 faults capable of producing earthquakes with magnitudes bigger than MS=7 have been recognized within max 100 km off Karaj city. Barbarian (1976) has shown that the focal depth of faults in this area is smaller than 15 km. Fig. 1 illustrates the seismotectonic map of the study area. Many previous

earthquakes in recent 50 years with magnitudes of greater than 6 (Ms>6) in distances up to 100 Km from the point of study are noted in Table 1.

Figure 1: Active faults and important earthquake locations around Karaj Table 1: Important earthquakes around Karaj in last 50 years
Event name Rudbar Changureh Boueen Zahra year/mm/dd 1990/06/20 2002/06/22 1962/09/01 Mw 7.3 6.4 7.2 Latitude(deg) 36.96 35.63 35.71 Longitude(deg) 49.33 49.20 49.81 Depth(km) 12 10 ?

Classification of Karaj alluvium

Field investigations and experiments performed by authors reveals that six independent layers can be discerned as overall representative layers in the studied alluvium. Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section of Karaj alluvium based on suggested classification. Points A and B have been depicted in order to facilitate the superposition of section with plan. Characteristic features and distribution of six considered zones are described in the following sections of this article.

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Figure 2: Sample section from Karaj alluvium extracted based on the results of current study in 6 classified zones It must be noted that despite dominant presence of proposed classification, sandy and sometimes gravely lenses with thicknesses less than one meter have been observed in each of the mentioned layers which are usually arisen from change in conditions of sedimentation. Clayey and silty layers (C1 & C2) Karaj alluvium, in proposed layers, is dominantly constituted from clayey and silty soils with considerable amount of sand. Theses layers are located in the east and central parts of the study area and usually under fill materials of Karaj alluvium. They can be observed from surface layers to depths of maximum 14m having interfinger connections in lateral boundaries with clayey and silty layers of C2 and top connections with sandy layers of 1 and 2 and gravely layers of 1 and 2. Gradation and mechanical properties for layers C1 and C2 are indexed in Table 2. According to the data gathered in this research, gradation of soil in the mentioned layers includes fine-grained soils of CL, ML and CL-ML. The main difference between these two layers (C1 and C2) is that C2 layer is of more density than C1, the cause of which being the condition of sedimentation. Thus, the number of SPT and the internal friction angle in C2 layer have been much bigger than C1. Table 2: Geotechnical properties of Karaj alluvium for C1 and C2 layers
Soil Type Clay and Silt Percentage Sand Percentage Gravel Percentage Plasticity Index (PI) Number of SPT (N) Undrained Cohesion (kg/cm2) Internal Friction Angle (Degrees) Unconfined Compressive Strength (kg/cm2) Dry Specific Weight (g/cm3) Shear Wave Velocity (m/sec) MIN. 5 28 4 1 15 0.2 23 0.89 1.58 142 S1 MAX. 49 87 41 16 40 0.7 35 1.0 2.0 267 AVE. 26.6 53 20.4 5 29 0.29 30 0.93 1.75 233 MIN. 5 33 8 1 40 0 30 0.51 1.8 188 S2 MAX. 49 81 44 15 >60 1.05 41 0.92 1.9 309 AVE. 29 49 23.4 7 55 0.34 35 0.72 1.85 355

Sandy layers (S1 & S2): These layers are scattered in central parts of the study area and more concentrated in west areas of the site. They are usually spread under fill materials and sometimes under clayey and silty layers of 1 and 2, having interfinger boundary with sandy layers and top obvious connections with clayey and silty layer 1 and gravely layers of 1 and 2. The thickness of this layer in some western parts exceeds 30 meters. Mechanical properties and gradation of S1 and S2 layers are indicated in Table 3. Soil gradation of this layer has been determined as SC, SM, SC-SM, SP-SC and SP-SM groups and from mineralogical point of view, its been mostly made up of fractured pieces of Quartz and Feldspar. S2 layer is of greater density than S1 with more percentage of gravel and higher specific volume. Hence, the internal friction angle and number of SPT are bigger in S2 layer than S1. Generally speaking, moving from the center of study area to the western regions, S2 layer gradually becomes less obvious while S1 layer gets more observable. All in all, S1 and S2 layers can be found in central and western areas of the study area. Inside S1 and S2 layers, there are clayey and gravely lenses which are mostly thin. Table 3: Geotechnical properties of Karaj alluvium for S1 and S2 layers
Soil Type Clay and Silt Percentage Sand Percentage Gravel Percentage Plastic Index (PI) Number of SPT (N) Undrained Cohesion (kg/cm2) Internal Friction Angle (Degrees) Unconfined Compressive Strength (kg/cm2) Dry Specific Weight (g/cm3) Shear Wave Velocity (m/sec) MIN. 5 28 4 1 15 0.2 23 0.89 1.58 142 S1 MAX. 49 87 41 16 40 0.7 35 1.0 2.0 267 AVE. 26.6 53 20.4 5 29 0.29 30 0.93 1.75 233 MIN. 5 33 8 1 40 0 30 0.51 1.8 188 S2 MAX. 49 81 44 15 >60 1.05 41 0.92 1.9 309 AVE. 29 49 23.4 7 55 0.34 35 0.72 1.85 355

Gravely layers (G1 & G2) The gravely layer (G1) has lower volume compared with other layers of the site and can be observed in outcrop in most regions, especially west zones of the study area. Maximum depth of this layer is 20 meters and it has interfinger boundary with G2 layer as well as top obvious connections with other layers. Gradation in this layer consists of GC, GP, GM, GP-GC and GP-GM groups and from mineralogical point of view, its constituent pieces are usually from gravel stones separated from rocks of the Karaj site (Tuff, Lime Tuff, Shale, and Lime Shale and ). The gravely layer (G2) is scattered in central and western areas and more concentrated in eastern parts. This layer is the thickest layer of Karaj alluvium and its thickness exceeds 30m in some parts having interfinger boundary with gravely layer 1 and top obvious connections with other layers. Gradation of soil in this layer is consisted of GW-GM, GW-GC and GC-GM in addition to the mentioned gradation for G1 layer. From lithological point of view, this layer consists of pieces and fractures of Karaj formation and its difference with G1 layer is in the percentage of fine-grained and coarse-grained components. The percentage of gravel in G2 layer is much more than G1 and coarse-grained pieces have been observed - 743 -

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with dimensions of 40cm in eastern parts of the study area. Generally, the shear strength, shear wave velocity and the number of SPT have all been bigger in G2 layer compared with G1. In a small area within the gravely layers of 1 and 2, sandy and clayey lenses with thicknesses less than 2m have been observed. Mechanical properties and gradation of the mentioned layers are noted in Table 4. These layers have the biggest internal friction angle and shear wave velocity in Karaj alluvium. Fine-grained percentage in them is less than the other layers of Karaj alluvium. Table 4: Geotechnical properties of Karaj alluvium for G1 and G2 layers
Soil Type Clay and Silt Percentage (%) Sand Percentage (%) Gravel Percentage (%) Plastic Index (PI) Number of SPT (N) Internal Friction Angle (Degrees) Dry Specific Weight (g/cm3) Shear Wave Velocity (m/sec) MIN. 5 23 28 2 28 27 1.8 188 G1 MAX. 39 41 62 10 44 33 1.9 355 AVE. 17 34 49 5 37.5 30 1.85 309 MIN. 0 0 39 1 45 31 1.8 195 G2 MAX. 35 43 100 18 >60 43 1.9 330 AVE. 10.4 19.3 70.5 7 56 38 1.86 365

Based on findings of the current research and the presented discussions in previous sections of this paper, Karaj alluvium has been evolved in a river environment and tends to a more fine-grained structure from North-East to South-West areas. Deposition of coarse-grained sediments in North-East regions of the river has sometimes formed pieces of rocks whereas in west and South-West areas the percentage of fine-grained sediments increases. In central parts because of the change in river conditions clayey layers have been deposited, as well.

Field investigations and results

In this research an area of Karaj including several important tall buildings is selected. Fig. 3 illustrates the study area and locations of more than 100 boreholes mostly with 30 meters depth. Field tests can play an influential role in studying the engineering geology conditions of a region. Specifically, the estimation of the shear wave velocity using the CPT-seismic cone or flat dilatometer can be mentioned in this regard, which in addition to the geotechnical specifications determine the shear wave velocity directly. In the region under study about 100 boreholes and hand borings have been drilled, the overall length of which being about 2700m. Also 1300 standard penetration tests have been carried out in all boreholes with 1.5m distances from each other. Besides the usual tests of determining the physical properties of the soil, 14 consolidation tests, 111 irect shear tests, 24 mono axial tests, and 32 triaxial tests have been performed. Also among the field tests, a limitted number of the in-situ direct shear tests, field penetration tests, and plate bearing tests have been carried out whose results have been used in the present research. According to Shoji et al. (2005), Borcherdt et al. (1994) and Dobry et al. (2000), the alluvial layer near the surface of the earth (about 30 meters closed to the surface) is responsible for most variations of seismic waves. In each borehole, the standard penetration test (SPT) has been conducted in depth of 1.5 meters and samples are extracted for laboratorial tests. Fig. 4 shows an example of the variations in NSPT with depths for two boreholes, H7 and H17.

Figure 3: Study area and location of boreholes

Figure 4: Two typical engineering logs illustrating the subsurface ground conditions and Nspt in study area

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Estimation of amplification ratio from the velocity of shear wave

There are four basic waveforms generated within a semi-infinite elastic halfspace: compression (or Pwaves), shear (or S-waves), surface or Rayleigh (R-waves), and Love waves (L-waves). The P- and Swaves are termed as body waves and they are the most commonly-utilized terms in geotechnical site characterization. The other two types are special types of hybrid compression/shear waves that occur at the free boundary of the ground surface (R) and soil layer interfaces (L). S-wave velocity is one of the key parameters in construction engineering. For example, Imai and Tonouchi (1982) studied P- and S-wave velocities in an embankment and also in alluvial, diluvial, and Tertiary layers, showing that S-wave velocities in such deposits correspond to the N-value (Craig, 1992), an index value of the formation hardness used in soil mechanics and foundation engineering (Xia et al., 1999). In this research, S-wave velocities are calculated by correlation formulas between the number of SPT, NSPT, and the velocity of shear wave. Using empirical relations and with the aid of computational modeling, explained in next the sections of this paper, the amplification ratio of the site has been estimated. Calculating the velocity of shear wave from

N SPT

Several researches have been conducted to find a relation between VS and NSPT. Considering 192 samples, Imai and Yoshimura (1975) presented an empirical correlation between the velocity of shear wave and some properties of the soil. Iyisan (1996) reported the similarity in values of VS obtained from the number of SPT by the available correlations for soils, except gravels. As an alternative solution, instead of using average interpolated relations and after studying 327 data set related to different regions of Turkey, Ulugergerli and Uyanik (2007) proposed two equations for upper and lower bound values of VS with respect to NSPT. Many other correlations have been proposed between VS and NSPT, some of which are indicated in Table 5. (Ohba and Toriuma, 1970; Ohta and Goto, 1978; Seed and Idriss, 1981; Okamoto et al., 1989; Lee, 1990; Kanai, 1996; Pitilakis et al., 1999; Kiku et al., 2001; Tamura and Yamazaki, 2002; Hasancebi and Ulusay, 2006 and Dikmen, 2009) In this research two relationships suggested by Ohta and Goto (1978) and Tamura and Yamazaki (2002) in which the effect of depth has been taken into account are chosen for calculation of VS in order to study the Karaj alluvium. Although the investigation of results show a small overestimation by the relationships proposed by Tamura and Yamazaki (2002), no significant difference can be inferred between the two equations and the variance has not been more than 10m/s. Fig. 5 depicts the small difference between the results of these two relationships in depth of 30 meters. Finally, both groups of the results have been employed to estimate the velocity of shear wave in Karaj alluvium. If the Karaj formation is to be classified based on IS-2800 (2002), as the VS varies between 175 m/s to 375 m/s, it must be categorized as a formation of degree 3 . However, according to NEHRP (2003), since the VS in study area differs from 180 m/s to 360 m/s therefore the site will be of Class D.

Table 5: Some correlations had been demonstrated

Researchers Imai and Yoshimura (1975) Ohba and Toriumi (1970) Ohta and Goto (1978)* Okamoto et al. (1989) Tamura and Yamazaki (2002) Hasancebi and Ulusay (2006) Dikmen (2009) Equation

Vs = 76 N 0.33 Vs = 84 N 0.31 Vs = 69 N 0.17 D 0.2 F1 F2 Vs = 125 N 0.3 Vs = 105.8 N 0.187 D 0.179

Vs = 90 N 0.309

Vs = 58 N 0.39
is depth in meters

*:

F1 and F2 depend to soil type and D

410 400

Ohta and Goto (1978) Tamura and Yamazaki (2002)

Shear wave velosity (m/s)

390 380 370 360 350 340 330 0

10

20 SPT-N

30

40

50

Figure 5: Shear wave velocity estimated at depth 30 meter

Estimation of amplification ratio by empirical equations

Based on the previous researches, the velocity of shear wave in surface layer is an appropriate parameter for calculating the amplification ratio of the site. Shima (1987) showed that estimated amplification ratio has a linear relationship with the ratio of VS for surface layer to the VS of bedrock. After investigation of many earthquakes, some researchers have demonstrated an agreeable consistency for a certain depth between the average VS in surface layer and amplification ratio (Brocherdt et al., 1991; Midorikawa 1987). In this research, two empirical relationships between VS and the amplification ratio, presented by Brocherdt et al. (1991) and Midorikawa (1987) and recommended by TCEGE (1999) are employed (Equations (1-1) and (1-2) are proposed by Brocherdt et al., 1991 while equations (2-1) and (2-2) have been presented by Midorikawa, 1987).

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Low strain data Loma Prieta strong-motion 1-1 1-2 2-1 2-2

AHSA = 701 Vs
AHSA = 598 Vs

A = 68Vs
A = 1 .0

0.6

V s < 1100 m s

Vs > 1100 m s

In the above equations, VS is the average velocity of shear wave (m/s) 30 meters closed to the surface, A is the amplification ratio for maximum velocity of ground and AHSA is the average horizontal spectrum amplification in periods between 0.4 and 2.0 seconds. The average velocity of shear wave, Vs, has been calculated in depth of 30m by equation (3) proposed by NEHRP (2003).

Vs =

d
i =1

d V
i =1 i

(3)

si

where Vs is the velocity of shear wave, shear wave in related layer.

di

is the thickness of ith layer of soil and Vsi is the velocity of

Taking notice of the fact that the calculated Vs by equation (3) is smaller than 1100 m/s in all parts of the study area, the equation (2-1) has been employed for determination of the amplification ratio. Also since the probable earthquakes in this research are assumed to be strong shakes (M>7), equation (1-2) has been designated. After fulfilment of the calculations, the amplification ratio obtained by the equations (12) and (2-1) are found to be within the ranges of 2.19 to 2.72 and 1.95 to 2.82, respectively. In most cases, the calculated results from the two equations have been close to each other.

Estimation of amplification ratio based on one-dimensional analysis of the ground response

Analytical method employed in this research is based on one-dimensional equivalent-linear modeling of the soil layers. Numerical simulation has been implemented by a computer code developed for this purpose. Main assumptions in one-dimensional analysis of the ground response are as follows: 1. Movement of shear waves is considered vertical to the soil layers. 2. Boundaries of layers are all assumed to be horizontal. 3. Surface of the soil and bedrock are assumed to be laterally infinite. Based on this method, the amplification frequency is mainly dependant upon the geometry (thickness) and material properties (Vs). Description of applied method is presented in Fig. 6 for one-dimensional analysis of site response. One advantage of this algorithm is namely its ability to determine the transformation function in a desired frequency for amplification or damping of passing waves through the soil (Kramer, 1996). Accepted assumptions of this function in current research are associated with the stratus of the soil damping on elastic bedrock. The situation of the considered structure with one degree of

freedom and layering of the soil are demonstrated in Figs. 7 and 8. In these figures G is the shear is the rate of shear strain. modulus, D is damping ratio, is the shear strain and Although G and D vary during the earthquake (Ishihara, 1996) and thus the response of the soil will be non-linear, in this method the shearing modulus (G) and damping of soil (D) are considered to be constant, yet to overcome this weakness, equivalent linear method has been applied in order to determine the properties of the soil in one-dimensional analysis of the ground response. The whole procedure is illustrated in an algorithm shown in Fig. 9. To perform calculations of the equivalent linear method (Estimation of new G and D with respect to the shear strain), charts of G G0 versus proposed by Sun et al. (1988) for clays and those presented by Seed and Idriss (1970) for sand and gravel as well as curves of D against suggested by Idriss (1990) for clays, gravel and the sand have been applied, one of which is shown in Fig. 10 as an example. Dynamic properties of the soil are determined by above-mentioned charts ( G G0 D ). Specific gravity of the soil is calculated based on the experimental data and velocity of shear wave is obtained using mentioned equations in previous sections of this article. These data constitute the input of the employed computer code. Applying seismic loads to the bedrock and performing calculations, output of computer code has been recorded for further study.
Specifying soils reduction function based on response reduction function of systems with ingle degree of freedom

Changing the displacement history of bedrock to Fourier series by FFT

Multiplying each part of Fourier series of bedrock displacement by reduction function. Result is displacement Fourier series of ground surface.

Changing the displacement Fourier series into displacement history by IFFT

Figure 6: Employed algorithm for one dimensional analysis of ground response

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Figure 7: One degree of freedom model used for simulating of soil behavior

Layer 1 2 . . . N

Properties

Thickness

G1 , D1 , 1 G2 , D2 , 2 GN , DN , N
. . .

h1
. . .

hN

Figure 8: Schematic soil stratification employed for one dimensional analysis of gound response

Estimating first G and D for each soil layer ( for low strains)

Calculating ground response (shear strain history) based on estimated

and

Specifying effective shear strain for each layer ( details are available in Kramer (1996) )

Estimating new values for G and D based on effective shear strain specified in last stage

Difference between new

and

and

desired value

D , and last G D is less than a

Finish

Figure 9: Employed algorithm for modeling of equivalent linear behaviour of soil

30

0.8

25 Damping Ratio (%)

20 0.6 G/Gmax
Shear Modulus (sun et al., 1988) Damping Ratio (Idriss, 1990)

15

0.4 10 0.2

0 0.0001

0 0.001 0.01 0.1 Shear Strain (%) 1 10

Figure 10: Dynamic properties of soil used for equivalent linear modeling of soil behaviour - 751 -

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Seismic load used in the current research has been the real earthquake occurred in Manjil and Rudbar at 21:00 on June 20, 1990 with the magnitude of 7.3 and maximum horizontal acceleration of 0.6g, recorded in Qazvin accelerograph station. The reason for selecting this earthquake has been the similarity between functionality of its originating fault with the chief faults near Karaj as well as Qazvin accelerograph station situated at quiet neighbourhood of the study area. Fig. 11 shows the accelerogram of the mentioned earthquake. This technique is accepted by the TCEGE (1999) as a Grade-3 method for investigation of the site effects. Grade-3 method considers the effect of the site through using geotechnical data gathered from the site and available analytical and numerical techniques.
0.6 0.4 0.2 0 -0.2 -0.4 -0.6 -0.8 0 10 20 Time (sec) 30 40

Figure 11: Accelerogram of earthquake used in this research Amplification ratios obtained in this research vary between 1.83 to 3.4 values. Amplification ratios against fluctuations and the response spectrum for three damping ratios of 0, 0.5 and 10 percent in BH122 borehole are depicted in Fig. 12. Contours shown in Fig. 13 illustrate the variation of amplification ratios in study zone. The obtained results from empirical equations and computational modelling are demonstrated in Fig. 14 for some boreholes which reveal the relative harmony between the two methods.
4.00 3.50
2.50 Spectral acceleration (g) 3.00

Acceleration (g)

0% damping 5% damping 10% damping

2.00

3.00 Amplification ratio 2.50 2.00 1.50 1.00 0.50 0.00 0.00

1.50

1.00

0.50

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

0.00 0.01

0.10 Period(s)

1.00

10.00

Frequensy (Hz)

Figure 12: Amplification ratio and response spectra for BH122

Figure 13: Amplification ratio values Estimated with computer code in study area

4 Software 3.5 Empirical (Brocherdt et al.,1991) Amplification ratio 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 3 14 21 34 48 57 65 72 81 93 100 108 117 126 Borehole number Empirical (Midorikawa et al., 1987)

Figure 14: Comparison of amplification ratios in study area

Period of the site

To determine the main period of the site, as previously applied by Hasancebi and Ulusay (2006) in their own research, the frequency of amplification or the frequency in which maximum amplification ratio occurs is gained and then the period of considered soil column has been calculated by the following equation:

T=1

(4)

where T is the period of the site in seconds, s, and is the frequency in Hz. Since the frequency of amplification in most parts of the study zone lies in the range of 1.2 to 1.4 Hz, the period calculated by equation (4) will naturally be limited to 0.71 and 0.83 s which does not differ a lot with suggested period for the sites of degree 3 as recommended in second edition of IS-2800 (2002). Fig. 15 shows variations of the period as contours for the study area. - 753 -

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Figure 15: Period values at study area In order to determine which types of building would be better to avoid in each district, firstly an attempt has been made to divide the study area into four zones based on their period. But because of observing the small variations in the period (0.71-0.83) the study area has been divided into two zones, both of which are shown in Fig. 16. The periods of the first zone vary somewhere between 0.71 to 0.77 seconds and the periods relating to the second zone vary between 0.77 to 0.83 s.

Figure 16: Classified zones based on site period

Using the suggested methods by IS-2800 (2002) and NEHRP (2003), the type and height of the buildings which to be avoided in these two districts are determined. The indicated formulas in the mentioned codes and limitations for height of the buildings relating to each zone are noted in Table 6.

Table 6: Equations for determination of buildings period by IS-2800 (2002) and NEHRP (2003) and height limitations in study area
Standard Building type Steel frame NEHRP (2003) Concrete frame Braced Other Steel frame IS-2800 (2002) Concrete frame Other Period Equation Zone 1 (height (m)) 17-19.5 20.5-22.5 20.5-23 35.5-39.5 18-20.5 22-24.5 34-38.5 Zone 2 (height (m)) 19-21 22-24.5 23-25.5 39-44 20-23 24-27 38-42.5

T = 0.0724h 0.8 T = 0.0466h 0.9 T = 0.0731h 0.75 T = 0.0488h 0.75 T = 0.08h 0.75

T = 0.05h

T = 0.07 h

0.75

0.75

Generally if the buildings are classified into three groups of 1-5, 5-10 and 10-15 story buildings, as schematically shown in Fig. 17, it will be inevitable to accept a limited period in each zone for constructing safe buildings. Table 7 shows the available regulations for the buildings based on two codes of IS-2800 (2002) and NEHRP (2003). If the buildings period does not lie between 0.69 and 0.79 seconds in zone 1 and between 0.75-0.85 seconds in zone 2, there would be no limitation for such buildings, hence, they are presented as OK in Table 7.

Table 7: Classification of buildings based on their height in study area Standard Building type Steel Frame NEHRP (2003) Concrete Frame Braced Other Steel Frame IS-2800 (2002) Concrete Frame Other Zone 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1-5 Stories OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK 5-10 Stories OK OK OK OK 10-15 Stories OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK OK -

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Karaj (Alvand)

Karaj (Danesh Amouz)

Karaj (Leylestan)

A: 1 5 Story Buildings

B: 5 -10 Story Buildings

C: 10 15 Story Buildings

Figure 17: Schematic presentation of building height classification (a) 1-5 stories, (b) 5-10 stories and (c) 10-15 stories

CONCLUSION
In the present study, the available formulas between V s and N SPT proposed by previous researchers were firstly reviewed and consequently the relationships suggested by Ohta and Goto (1978) and Tamura and Yamazaki (2002) were chosen for further investigations. The study site was then classified based on the values of V s obtained by these equations, resulting in the site to be classified as degree 3, based on IS-2800 (2002) and D class according to NEHRP (2003). The amplification ratio of the study site has been investigated by the empirical equations as well as numerical modelling with the aid of computer code for one-dimensional analysis of the ground response, assuming equivalent linear behaviour for the considered soil. The results of calculations proved that the range of amplification ratio for the site varies from 1.83 to 3.40. Period of the site has been determined based on the frequency of amplification and was shown to be in the range of 0.71 to 0.83s. Finally according to achieved periods for the study site and periods of different buildings mentioned in Is-2800 (2002) as well as NEHRP (2003), the study area has been classified with respect to the type and height of the structures. Overall procedure followed throughout the current research is demonstrated as an algorithm in Fig. 18.

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Perform in situ and laboratory tests, specially SPT

Specify the relation between shear wave velocity and SPT-N, and specify Vs in research area

Classifying the investigated site based on the values of Vs and intervals of each site grade suggested by Iranian 2800 standard and NEHRP(2003)

Selecting the relationships between amplification ratio and shear wave velocity for 30(m) layer, and estimating the amplification ratio in researched site

Estimating amplification ratio by use of 1-D analysis of site response and based on equivalent linear behaviour of soil, with software, and showing the results on a map

Estimating site period based on resonance frequency

Grading structures based on their height, and specifying the limitations of each grade in site based on buildings and site period

Site grading based on site period, and specifying the best buildings in each site grade based on their period

Figure 18: General algorithm used for this research

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