Earthquake

Engineering
Research

• Applied Research and Development

• Addressing Gaps in State-of-the-Practice
• Transfer State-of-Art to State-of the-Practice
Earthquake Engineering Research
Problem
z Corps has 200 dams and 73 intake
towers in areas with significant
seismic hazards
z Most dams were constructed when
earthquake engineering was in its Seismic zone map showing
SMIP project sites
infancy
z Using current technology, most of these
would be judged seismically inadequate
z Remediation costs of these structures
could reach $20 billion
 Earthquake Engineering Research
Purpose
z To improve our ability to predict the performance of a dam
under seismic loads, and to improve our ability to design
and construct cost-effective remediation
Major Thrusts
z Engineering geology / seismology
z Geotechnical earthquake engineering
z Structural earthquake Mormon Island Dam, CA remediation
engineering

Target Structures
z Embankment dams
z Concrete dams
z Intake tower / outlet works Sardis Dam, MS remediation
 Earthquake Engineering Research

Interagency Coordination
• National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program, focused
on buildings and lifelines, BSSC, FEMA, USGS, NIST,
NSF - MCEER , PEER, MAEC and Universities
• FHWA Highway Seismic Research Programs (MCEER)
• Leveraging with NSF, Corps Districts, US Bureau of
Reclamation, BC Hydro
• UJNR US-Japan Panel on Wind and Seismic Effects, EPRI,
CALTRANS, NSTC, SNDR
 Earthquake Engineering Research

Earthquake
Ground Motions

Site Characterization

Performance Assessment Using

Numerical and Physical Models

Remediation
Research Strategy: Embankment Dams
Ground Motions
Geology / Seismology
Design EQ Ground Motion Analysis System
Primary
Site Characterization Analysis Tool

Shear Wave Velocity Database

Large Deformation
Geophysical Methods
Analysis of Embankment
Penetration Testing

Performance Assessment
Newmark Analyses
Behavior of Liquefying Soils -
Failure Mechanisms & Damage Assessment -
Assessment & Remediation
Phase II
Seismic Evaluation and Rehabilitation Program
Research Strategy: Concrete Dams & Outlet Works
Ground Motions
Intake Towers
 Quantify
Outlet Works Ductility
Primary
Subbottom Absorption Analysis Tool

Time - History
Non - Linear Analysis
Conventional Concrete Dams

Roller Compacted Concrete

Moment / Shear / Thrust

Post - Processors
Research Strategy:
Geological-Seismological Investigations
• Continuing transition of geologic &
seismologic research to engineering-
relevant data

• Incorporated latest knowledge

into methods for geological-
USGS
seismological evaluations of
earthquake hazards enabling
accurate site-specific ground
motions for Corps projects

Seismic source zones for U.S.

 Earthquake Reconnaissance - Turkey & Taiwan
• Turkey Taiwan Earthquake Photos
– Observed silt liquefaction

– Observed delayed
settlement

• Taiwan
– Best data

– Large event

– Ground Motions

– Full-scale test

– Dam Performance

– Hydrodynamics
Design Earthquake Ground Motion Analysis
System (DEQAS)
• Modular, Windows-based tool box
• Site-specific seismic hazard assessment
• USGS NEHRP map data incorporated
• Corps Guidance on-line
• Modify spectra, records,frequency, time domain
• Large suite of accelerograms on line
• Large suite of attenuation functions on line
• User-interactive graphics
• Site response module (SHAKE)
• PSHA module
• Deaggregated data for cities and dams on line

Earthquake Ground Motion

Analysis and Design System
Earthquake Engineering Research
Embankment Dams
Research Thrust Areas

• Site Characterization
• Liquefaction
• Large Deformation Analysis
1971 Slide in Lower San Fernando Dam
Geophysical Methods for Site Characterization
and Measurement of Material Properties:
Waterborne Geophysics
• Subsurface stratigraphy
– Material type
Acoustic Reflection Data
– Distribution
– Volume
– Total density Interpreted Sediment Profile

– Stiffness, elastic properties Subbottom Profiling System

– Void Ratio
• High-resolution side-scan image
mosaics
– Pre- and post- earthquake
conditions, underwater

Side scan sonar,

Arkabutla control structure
Geophysical Methods for Site Characterization
and Measurement of Material Properties:
Land-based Geophysics

• High-resolution tomography
• 3-D stratigraphy
• Engineering properties
• Liquefaction properties

Success Dam, CA borehole

tomography
Site Characterization: Penetration Testing
• BPT, LPT, SPT, Chamber Tests
• CPT- Olsen, Material type, peak strength,
residual strength, CRR1, N1 (60)
1000
scn9703N.grf OLSEN 03/03/98

Olsen & Mitchell (1995)

Olsen (1988)
el
& Grav
Sand
Fines < 5%
Dense
Normalized cone resistance (atm units)

SCN=2
Medium
n

dense
io
at

100
id

nd
co ing
ol

Loose
Sa
ns
er as

15%
ov cre

0 to
In

Very
an
d =1
es
loose es Fin
fin
ty n d re s
SCN=1
sil d
sa
n Sa ixtu
y
m to
60
% BPT Drill Rig
nd t 0
sa sil =4
Normally co

s
ne
n

Fi
tio

Soil
da

10 Classification
oli
co ing
es

Number (SCN)
ns
ov reas

(Olsen 1995
nsoli
r

version)
xtu

er
Inc
m i lt

%
da
cla to 1 =
00
Si

8 0 es
y

ted
ye
silt

n
Fi
cla

s
cla y

SCN=0
y
y
silt

ts
and ic clay
silty

Cla

Pea

y silts
claye le
n

b
Orga

SCN= -1
unsta

SCN= -2

1
0.1 1.0 10.0
Friction Ratio (%)

CPT soil behavior Large-scale laboratory

chart in situ penetration
testing chamber
Comparison of
Penetration Tests
Earthquake Engineering Research
• Shear Wave Velocity Database
– Developed to support screening analysis,
on web and DEQAS
• Newmark Sliding Block Analysis
– Validated by compilation and investigation
of >300 case histories, >130 dams
• Criteria for identifying liquefiable fine-
grained soils - liquid limit off 3%
Earthquake Engineering Research:
Centrifuge Modeling
• Research into the behavior of
liquefying soils

Wavelet analysis of soil response to

earthquake loading response
Excess Residual Pore Pressure, Ru% (u/sig v')
1 10 100 1000
0.1

Earthquake shaker mounted y = -7.3651Ln(x) + 33.722

R2 = 0.8579

on centrifuge arm
OCR=2.25. ALL EQ's
Vertical Effective Stress (tsf)

1
EQ 1, 50% RD
EQ 1, 70-80% RD
EQ 1, 34-39% RD
EQ 2+, 34-80% RD
OCR=2.25, All EQ's
10 Log. (EQ 2+, 34-80% RD)
Log. (OCR=2.25, All EQ's)

y = -8.0369Ln(x) + 37.55
R2 = 0.9006

Dynamic Induced Residual Excess Pore For Normal Consolidated

Pressure Limit 100

Earthquake Engineering Research

• Failure Mechanisms and Damage:

Improve state-of-the-practice for
determining performance of dams in
response to liquefaction of soils

Slide in Lower San Fernando

Centrifuge (physical) modeling Dam - 1971

Same permeability
Higher Permeability
Effect of layer permeability Extent of liquefiable layer
Earthquake Engineering Research
• Seismic Stability and Deformations of Earth Structures
and Foundations
– Use of numerical modeling to improve estimation of post-earthquake
deformation Pore Pressure History
30
– Fully coupled model, pore pressure 25
20
generation with stress Stress Path 15
10

U
10
5
0
-5
q 0 -10
0 1000 2000 3000 4000
"Time"
-10
0 10 20 30 40
p'
Coupled with Stress
Particle Element Modeling

Idealized dam initial pore water pressure