Dynamic Centrifuge Testing of Slickensided Shear Surfaces
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 8
Abstract
Movement along preexisting slickensided rupture surfaces in overconsolidated clay and clay shale slopes can represent a critical sliding mechanism during earthquakes. The seismic behavior of preexisting slickensided surfaces in overconsolidated clay was examined by performing dynamic centrifuge model tests of two slickensided sliding block models constructed using Rancho Solano lean clay. Dynamic shear displacements were concentrated along the preformed slickensided surfaces. The peak shear resistances mobilized along the slickensided surfaces during dynamic loading were 90–120% higher than the drained residual strength measured prior to shaking. To accurately predict the displacements of the sliding blocks using Newmark’s method, it was necessary to use dynamic strengths that were 37–64% larger than the drained residual strength of the soil. Dynamic loading caused a positive pore pressure response in the soil surrounding the slickensided planes. The postshaking shear strengths were 17–31% higher than those measured prior to shaking.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation under Award Nos. NSFCMS-0321789 and NSFCMS-0324499 and by Virginia Tech, through the Instructorship Position. The writers would like to acknowledge the suggestions and assistance of Dan Wilson, Chad Justice, Tom Kohnke, Tom Coker, Victor Ray, Roger Claremont, Lars Pedersen, and Cypress Winters. Development of the centrifuge at UC Davis was supported primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, Obayashi Corp., Caltrans, and the University of California. Recent upgrades have been funded by NSF Award No. NSFCMS-0086566 through the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES).NSFNASA
References
Arango, I., and Seed, H. B. (1974). “Seismic stability and deformation of clay slopes.” J. Geotech. Engrg. Div., 100(2), 139–156.
Blake, T. F., Hollingsworth, R. A., and Stewart, J. P. (2002). Recommended procedures for implementation of Dmg Special Publication 117: Guidelines for analyzing and mitigating landslide hazards in California, ASCE, Southern California Earthquake Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
Duncan, J. M., and Wright, S. G. (2005). Soil strength and slope stability, Wiley, Hoboken, N.J.
Kenney, T. C. (1967). “The influence of mineral composition on the residual shear strength of natural soils.” Proc., Geotechnical Conf., Vol. 1, Oslo, Norway, 123–129.
Kutter, B. L. (1984). “Earthquake deformation of centrifuge model banks.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 110(12), 1697–1714.
Kutter, B. L. and Balakrishnan, A. (1998). “Dynamic model test data from electronics to knowledge.” Proc., Centrifuge 98, Vol. 1, A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, Tokyo, 931–943.
Kutter, B. L., and James, R. G. (1989). “Dynamic centrifuge model tests on clay embankments.” Geotechnique, 39(1), 91–106.
Lemos, L., Skempton, A. W., and Vaughan, P. R. (1985). “Earthquake loading of shear surfaces in slopes.” Proc., 11th Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Vol. 4, A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, San Francisco, 1955–1958.
Lupini, J. F., Skinner, A. E., and Vaughan, P. R. (1981). The drained residual strength of cohesive soils.” Geotechnique, 31(2), 181–213.
Meehan, C. L. (2006). “An experimental study of the dynamic behavior of slickensided slip surfaces.” Ph.D. dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ., Blacksburg, Va., http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-01302006-101603/ .
Meehan, C. L., Brandon, T. L., and Duncan, J. M. (2007). “Measuring drained residual strengths in the bromhead ring shear.” Geotech. Test. J., 30(6), 466–473.
Meehan, C. L., Duncan, J. M., and Boulanger, R. W. (2005). “Collaborative research: Dynamic behavior of slickensided surfaces—Centrifuge data report for CLM02.” Rep. No. UCD/CGMDR-05/04, Center for Geotechnical Modeling, Univ. of California, Davis, Calif., http://cgm.engr.ucdavis.edu/ .
Newmark, N. M. (1965). “Effects of earthquakes on dams and embankments.” Geotechnique, 15(2), 139–160.
Skempton, A. W. (1964). “Long-term stability of clay slopes.” Geotechnique, 14(2), 75–102.
Skempton, A. W. (1985). “Residual strength of clays in landslides, folded strata, and the laboratory.” Geotechnique, 35(1), 3–18.
Stark, T. D., Choi, H., and McCone, S. (2005). “Drained shear strength parameters for analysis of landslides.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 131(5), 575–588.
Stark, T. D., and Contreras, I. A. (1998). “Fourth avenue landslide during 1964 Alaskan earthquake.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 124(2), 99–109.
Tika, T. E., Vaughan, P. R., and Lemos, L. (1996). “Fast shearing of preexisting shear zones in soil.” Geotechnique, 46(2), 197–233.
Tiwari, B., and Marui, H. (2005). “A new method for the correlation of residual shear strength of the soil with mineralogical composition.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 131(9), 1139–1150.
Wartman, J., Seed, R. B., and Bray, J. D. (2005). “Shaking table modeling of seismically induced deformations in slopes.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 131(5), 610–622.
Yoshimine, M., Kuwano, R., Kuwano, J., and Ishihara, K. (1999). “Dynamic properties of fine-grained soils in presheared sliding surfaces.” Slope stability engineering, Vol. 1, A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, Japan, 595–600.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 15, 2007
Accepted: Nov 26, 2007
Published online: Aug 1, 2008
Published in print: Aug 2008
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.