Numerical study of characteristics of underground blast induced surface ground motion and their effect on above-ground structures. Part I. Ground motion characteristics

Current codes of practice in assessing the blast ground motion effect on structures are mainly based on the ground peak particle velocity (PPV) or PPV and the principal frequency (PF) of the ground motion. PPV and PF of ground motion from underground explosions are usually estimated by empirical formulae derived from field blast tests. Not many empirical formulae for PF, but many empirical formulae for PPV are available in the literature. They were obtained from recorded data either on ground surface or in the free field (inside the geological medium). Owing to the effect of surface reflection, blast motions on ground surface and in the free field are very different. But not many publications in the open literature discuss the differences of blast motions on ground surface and in the free field. Moreover, very few publications discuss the blast ground motion spatial variation characteristics. As ground motion directly affects structural responses, it is very important to study its characteristics in order to more reliably assess its effects on structures. In this paper, a validated numerical model is used to simulate stress wave at a granite site owing to explosion in an underground chamber. Using the simulated stress wave, the relations such as PPV and PF attenuation as well as spatial variation of motions on ground surface and in the free field are derived. Discussions on the differences of the characteristics of surface and free field motions are made. Results presented in this paper can be used in a more detailed assessment of ground motion effect on structures.