2025 Volume 81 Issue 4 Article ID: 24-00227
This paper aims to predict the dynamic response of a reinforced concrete building positioned behind a seawall subject to tsunami action using SPH and FEM. Firstly, the SPH model was validated for wave overtopping by simulating an existing physical model experiment and comparing the predicted hydraulic quantities with the laboratory measurements. Secondly, a land-based structure in the experiment, representing an exterior wall of a nuclear reactor building, was modelled by the FEM adopting the pressure time histories derived from the SPH model to carry out nonlinear time history response analysis. A series of numerical studies demonstrates that (1) it is crucial to account for the uncertainty of tsunamis to estimate the response of structures, (2) if a seawall is installed but not high enough, it does not contribute to the mitigation of wave force, and (3) the one-way coupled analysis with SPH and FEM is a useful technique to improve tsunami resistant design.
