Normal Fault Rupture Interaction with Strip Foundations
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 3
Abstract
Observations after earthquakes where surface fault ruptures crossed engineering facilities reveal that some structures survived the rupture almost unscathed. In some cases, the rupture path appears to divert, “avoiding” the structure. Such observations point to an interaction between the propagating rupture, the soil, and the foundation. This paper (i) develops a two-step nonlinear finite-element methodology to study rupture propagation and its interaction with strip foundations; (ii) provides validation through successful Class “A” predictions of centrifuge model tests; and (iii) conducts a parameter study on the interaction of strip foundations with normal fault ruptures. It is shown that a heavily loaded foundation can substantially divert the rupture path, which may avoid outcropping underneath the foundation. The latter undergoes rigid body rotation, often detaching from the soil. Its distress arises mainly from the ensuing loss of support that takes place either at the edges or around its center. The average pressure on the foundation largely dictates the width of such unsupported spans. Increasing decreases the unsupported width, reducing foundation distress. The role of is dual: (1) it compresses the soil, “flattening” fault-induced surface “anomalies”; and (2) it changes the stress field underneath the foundation, facilitating rupture diversion. However, even if the rupture is diverted, the foundation may undergo significant stressing, depending on its position relative to the fault outcrop.
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Acknowledgments
This work formed part of the EU research project “QUAKER,” which is funded through the EU Fifth Framework Programme: Environment, Energy, and Sustainable Development, Research and Technological Development Activity of Generic Nature: the Fight against Natural and Technological Hazards, under Contract No. EUEVG1-CT-2002-00064. Partial support by OSE (the Greek Railway Organization) is also acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 3 • March 2009
Pages: 359 - 370
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 23, 2007
Accepted: May 29, 2008
Published online: Mar 1, 2009
Published in print: Mar 2009
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