A single-step procedure for estimating seismically-induced displacements in earth structures

✍ Scribed by N. Uddin

• Book ID: 104268893
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 632 KB
• Volume: 64
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0045-7949
• DOI: 10.1016/s0045-7949(97)00027-8

✦ Synopsis

Estimation of the permanent deformations of embankment dams is, in practice, based upon the simplifying assumption that dynamic-acceleration response and wedge sliding are two separate processes (decoupled 'elastic' and 'rigid-slip' features of the dynamic response). An alternative hypothesis is proposed in this paper, namely that these two processes occur simultaneously. To this end, the dam is assumed to contain an a priori assigned, potentially-sliding interface, and the dynamic response is computed in a single step. As a validation of the new single-step procedure, a numerical analysis is carried out and shown to successfully explain the asymmetric response of La Villita Dam recorded during the Mexico earthquake of 15 September, 1985. All analyses are performed with ADINA using special interface elements to model the slip and Newmark's time-integration algorithm for a direct step-by-step solution.