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Abstract: The destructive 1999 Chi–Chi earthquake (Mw 7.5) was the largest inland earthquake in Taiwan in the 20th century. Several observations witness the non-linear seismic soil response in sediments during the earthquake. In fact, large settlements as well as evidence of liquefaction attested by sand boils and unusual wet ground surface were observed at some sites. In this paper, we present a seismic response simulation performed with CyberQuake software on a site located within the Chang-Hwa Coastal Industrial Park during the 1999 Chi–Chi earthquake in Taiwan. A non-linear multi-kinematic dynamic constitutive model is implemented in the software. Computed NS, EW and UP ground accelerations obtained with this model under undrained and two-phase assumptions, are in good agreement with the corresponding accelerations recorded at seismic station TCU117, either for peak location, amplitudes or frequency content. In these simulations, liquefaction occurs between depths 1.3 and 11.3m, which correspond to the observed range attested by in place penetration tests and other liquefaction analyses. Moreover, the computed shear wave velocity profile is very close to post-earthquake shear wave velocity profile derived from correlations with CPT and SPT data. Finally, it is shown that in non-linear computations, even though a 1D geometry is considered, it is necessary to take into account the three components of the input motion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In practice, the performance of the structure is studied based on a seismic scenario composed of independent single earthquakes. But in real life, the structure is subjected to multiple earthquakes during its typical design working life, which will produce an evolution of damage with time.The main purpose of this paper is to quantify the liquefaction-induced damage of an embankment due to sequential earthquakes during a defined working life. Moreover, a non-parametric survival analysis is used to estimate the time (in years) until a defined damage level is reached during a specific time interval. For this purpose, a site was chosen where its seismicity and its Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) were identified. First, a site-specific seismic analysis was assessed, that consists in finding the relation between the Intensity Measures (IM) and the Engineering Demand Parameter (EDP). Second, in order to estimate the lifetime distribution as well as the Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) of the embankment, survival functions were drawn. The used time histories were stochastically generated from synthetic ground motion models. In this study, an elastoplastic multi-mechanism soil behavior model was used.According to the obtained results, after the sequential loading, the cumulative damage is either progressive with or without extensive damages or sudden with drastic damages. Moreover, based on the chosen ground motion model, the embankment reaches a moderate damage level before its defined working life. In addition, a numerical parametric analysis is performed in order to quantify the impact of considering (or not) the loading history and the recovery time between each ground motion on the obtained MTTF of the embankment. This study pointed out on the importance of the history of loading since it affects the overall performance of the embankment. Finally, two synthetic ground motion models were assessed in order to generalize, to a certain extent, this work. • A simplified model assessing the lifetime distribution of a liquefiable embankment located in a seismic region. • The model overcomes the mathematical complexities used in analytical solutions, holding the system performance features. • The model evaluates the damage accumulated as the embankment is subjected to shocks sequences that occur randomly in time. • The model can be easily implemented and has a great potential to be used in engineering practice. • The model assumptions are flexible enough to accommodate various modeling needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]