Ground Motion and Liquefaction Study of Fill Soils in San Francisco Using Observations from the 17 October 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This project addresses the lessons learned from the 17 October 1989 Northern California (Loma Prieta) earthquake. It is a continuation of a joint project with Professor Jean-Lou Chameau at Purdue University that was funded through the Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) program: The objectives of this project were: to gather relevant geotechnical data; to map ground features that are important to identify the extent of liquefaction and ground amplification effects; perform about 30 cone penetration tests at locations where earlier tests had been conducted; organize the above information into a computerized data base; and make preliminary assessments of the correlation between field observations and data obtained before and after the 1989 earthquake. The objectives of this continuation joint research project are to study the ground motion and liquefaction characteristics of the fill soils that surround the northern and eastern periphery of San Francisco as well as areas south of San Francisco. The fill soils are a major element in the damages that occurred in the Bay Area due to the Loma Prieta earthquake. Drs. G.R. Martin and E. Kavazanjian of Earth Technology Corporation in Long Beach, CA, are participating as advisors, and the cone penetration and dilatometer testing is being accomplished using equipment of the Earth Technology Corporation. The motivation for this project lies in: the important lessons that can be learned from the observed response of the fills and underlying recent sediments to the earthquake; the unique opportunity to study sites that had been investigated in the 1970's and 80's and where specific predictions had been made as to expected performance; the ability to use the observed performance as a field laboratory to test the latest developments in the state-of-the-art; and the opportunity to generate results from research that has direct value in San Francisco and nearby communities.