NEHRP Clearinghouse
- Title
- Seismic Permanent Deformations in Earth Dams.
- File
- PB273843.pdf
- Author(s)
- Lee, K. L.
- Source
- National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C. Research Applied to National Needs., December 1974, 36 p.
- Identifying Number(s)
- UCLA-ENG-7497
- Abstract
- This report considers the problem of estimating the permanent deformations that are likely to occur as a result of an earthquake. The basic concept involves the assumption that seismic induced deformations are due to a softening of the soil by seismic shaking so that following the earthquake, the embankment will settle or deform to a new condition compatible with the new 'softened' stiffness of the soil. A method for estimating this softening effect from the results of cyclic laboratory tests is described as well as a method of formulating the analysis into a pseudo static type of finite element program. The relevance of this new type of analysis to actual problems is illustrated by analyzing 5 different dams which have been damaged by previous earthquakes. A fair agreement was found between the predicted and the observed deformations.
- Keywords
- Embankments; Seismic waves; Earth movements; Finite element analysis; Ground motion; Earthquake engineering; Earth dams; Soil mechanics; Earthquakes