Dynamic Interaction Behavior between Jumbo Container Crane and Pile-Supported Wharf under NearField and Far-Field Ground Motions

• Main Authors: J. R. LI, B. SONG, J. Y. CUI
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology 2016-02-01
• Series: Journal of Engineering Science and Technology Review
• Subjects: Container Crane; Pile-Supported Wharf; Near-Field and Far-Field Ground Motions; Seismic Response; Dynamic Interaction
• Online Access: http://www.jestr.org/downloads/Volume9Issue1/fulltext91192016.pdf
• ISSN: 1791-2377; 1791-2377

Playing an important role in local and national seaport activities, container wharves are susceptible to structural failure and damage during earthquake events. Therefore, factors that affect the seismic response of crane–wharf structures under different types of earthquake ground motions should be elucidated. In this paper, 3D finite element models were established to investigate the differences of natural vibration characteristics between the wharf and crane–wharf structures. The dynamic response of a typical pile-supported wharf structure and the interaction behavior of a crane and wharf structural system under seismic actions of near-field and far-field ground motions were studied by performing numerical simulation and time-history response analysis. Axial force–moment relation curves were adopted to analyze the elastic–plastic limit state of the wharf structure under different ground motions. Results showed that the consideration of the container crane increased the natural vibration period of the pile-supported wharf structure and affected the dynamic characteristics of the structure. Compared with the far-field earthquake ground motion, the nearfield earthquake exerted a more significant impact on the structural dynamic response that controlled the elastic–plastic limit state. With the presence of a crane, the moment and shear force of the pile-top decreased and the location of the extreme value moved down obviously. The findings demonstrated that considering the crane changed the failure mechanism of the wharf structure, and the eccentric effect of the crane may amplify the dynamic response as the peak ground acceleration increases. The results provide reference for the seismic design and the evaluation of the seismic response of container wharves.