Influence of buried depth on seismic capacity of underground subway stations through performance-based evaluation

Buried depth is an important physical factor that affects the seismic performance of underground structures yet remains scarcely considered in existing seismic design. This paper aims to determine the influence of buried depth variation on the seismic capacity of underground subway stations in the framework of performance-based seismic design with particular focus on the influence on the inter-storey drift ratio limit. A brief introduction is presented to determine the performance level of subway station structures based on the pushover method. The influence of buried depth on the seismic performance index (inter-storey drift ratio) of subway station structures is investigated, as well as its influence on the shear distribution and failure mode of the key structural component, that is the middle column. It is found that the inter-storey drift ratio limit generally decreases with increasing buried depth and the station ductility worsens. The failure mode of the middle column changes from large eccentric compression to small eccentric compression with increasing buried depth owing to increased axial compression. The results are applied to estimate an optimum buried depth that improves the overall safety of subway station structures. © 2021 Institution of Structural Engineers.