Reliable seismic assessment of high-speed railway track-bridge systems using validated physics-based spatial wavefield simulations

Abstract

Empirically based seismic analysis methods that rely on recorded ground motions are routinely used to evaluate structural damage and guide the design of high-speed railway track-bridge systems (HSRTBS). Their accuracy, however, is constrained by the sparse distribution of seismic stations, especially in rugged terrain where ground-motion variability is pronounced. To overcome this limitation, this study utilizes high-precision, physics-based numerical simulations to model complex spatial seismic wavefields. Leveraging the sub‑fault input interface provided by SPECFEM3D, we construct a kinematic hybrid source model of the 2016 Meinong M_w 6.4 earthquake and simulate the complete source-path-site process. The resulting wave field is validated against observed records and by comparing RotD50 intensity measures with the NGA‑West2 ground‑motion prediction equations. After verification, a detailed dynamic analysis of the HSRTBS is performed under both the synthetic and recorded seismic excitations. The results show excellent agreement, demonstrating that physics-based ground-motion simulations can effectively characterize the spatiotemporal evolution of seismic wavefields in complex terrain. This method addresses the limitations of sparse seismic station records and provides reliable, site-specific, and spatially variable seismic inputs. These findings confirm the feasibility and robustness of physics‑based ground‑motion simulations as a reliable alternative to conventional empirical approaches for the seismic analysis of the HSRTBS.

Keywords

high-speed railway / track-bridge systems / seismic analysis / spatial seismic wavefields / spectral element method / kinematic hybrid source model

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