Evaluation of dynamic behavior by linear equivalent analysis of North Batman, Turkey

This study aims to reveal the dynamic behavior of soil layers due to a possible earthquake in the Batman city center. The one-dimensional equivalent linear soil behavior analysis method proposed in the Turkish Building Earthquake Code (TBEC) 2018 was used in the analyses. These analyses were performed with DEEPSOIL 6.1 software to assess the soil conditions and their behavior under the influence of earthquakes. Eleven different acceleration records were used for each drilling log, as suggested in TBEC (2018). Geotechnical and geophysical data were obtained from multi-channel analysis of surface wave (MASW) measurements taken at six locations in the northern part of Batman, Turkey, to determine the dynamic behavior of the soil and guide new constructions. The maximum ground acceleration values calculated from the ground response analyses vary between 0.15 g and 0.24 g. The results showed that low-shear waved or soft soil profiles had higher amplification values at periods above 0.5 s than hard/tight soil profiles. Consequently, as soil hardness decreased, the amplification ratios increased. The soil amplification was observed at different values depending on the local soil properties for this study. Additionally, it has been observed that some earthquakes in the study area have higher spectral acceleration rates than those given in the TBEC (2018) and Eurocode 8 at certain periodical intervals. This situation reveals that if an earthquake is similar to the earthquake selected within the study’s scope, building stock in the northern and northeastern parts of Batman city may suffer more damage than expected.