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1- noPhD student in Civil Engineering, Coastal and Ports Marine Structures, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Science and Research Branch
2- Faculty member, Department of Civil Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch
3- Faculty member, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Science and Research Branch
2- Faculty member, Department of Civil Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch
3- Faculty member, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Science and Research Branch
Abstract: (24 Views)
Caisson breakwaters are critical port structures with high seismic sensitivity arising from soil–structure–water interaction and nonlinear material behaviour. This study presents a comparative evaluation of their response under near-field and far-field earthquake excitations, with emphasis on caisson height, underlying soil thickness and stiffness, and fault mechanism. Nonlinear dynamic time-history analyses were performed in PLAXIS 2D using the Hardening Soil constitutive model. Three representative earthquake records were applied at both near- and far-field distances. The results demonstrate that near-field motions increase residual horizontal displacement by several times relative to far-field records, primarily because of velocity pulses and frequency content overlap with the system natural frequency (particularly on stiff soil). Reducing caisson height from 20 m to 10 m on soft soil decreases final residual displacement by up to 63 % (from 0.2 m to 0.1 m). On stiff soil, resonance in the 16–25 Hz band produces sustained amplification of crest acceleration. According to PIANC performance criteria, short caissons remain within the serviceable range, whereas tall caissons on soft soil approach the near-collapse limit. Even in the far field, the Bam earthquake poses a comparable threat due to its rich low-frequency content. Reducing caisson height and improving the foundation soil are identified as the most effective measures for enhancing seismic performance.This work provides a systematic numerical parametric study that quantifies the combined influence of key geometric and geotechnical parameters and identifies reduction of caisson height and foundation improvement as the most effective measures within the investigated parameter space.
Keywords: Composite Caisson Breakwater, Near-field Earthquake Far-field, Earthquake Nonlinear Dynamic, Analysis Time History Resonance, Performance-Based Design
Type of Study: Research Paper |
Subject:
Marine Structures and near shore
Received: 2026/06/17 | Accepted: 2026/08/23
Received: 2026/06/17 | Accepted: 2026/08/23
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