Analysis of Earthquake Fault Rupture Propagation through Cohesive Soil

An improved understanding of earthquake fault rupture propagation through saturated clay would assist engineers in siting and designing facilities to be constructed in regions where cohesive soils overlie potentially active faults. The results from numerical analyses suggest that the finite-element...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geotechnical engineering 1994-03, Vol.120 (3), p.562-580
Main Authors: Bray, Jonathan D, Seed, Raymond B, Seed, H. Bolton
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
540210 - Environment, Terrestrial- Basic Studies- (1990-)
580000 - Geosciences
CLAYS
CRACK PROPAGATION
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Earthquakes, seismology
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Engineering geology
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Exact sciences and technology
FRACTURE MECHANICS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOSCIENCES
Internal geophysics
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MECHANICS
SHEAR PROPERTIES
SOIL MECHANICS
SOILS
STRATA MOVEMENT
TECHNICAL PAPERS
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Summary:An improved understanding of earthquake fault rupture propagation through saturated clay would assist engineers in siting and designing facilities to be constructed in regions where cohesive soils overlie potentially active faults. The results from numerical analyses suggest that the finite-element method can be applied to this class of problem provided that the soil's nonlinear stress-strain behavior is adequately modeled. It was found that the height of the shear rupture zone in the overlying saturated clay soil at a specified base rock fault displacement depends primarily on the soil's failure strain. As the clay's failure strain decreases, the shear rupture zone in the clay overlying the bedrock fault propagates further at a specified base displacement. Other material parameters such as soil shear strength and stiffness also affect the fault rupture process, but not to the extent of failure strain. The orientation of the shear rupture zone through the soil depends largely on the orientation of the underlying bedrock fault plane.
ISSN:0733-9410
1944-8368
DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9410(1994)120:3(562)