The evaluation of three-dimensional effects on slope stability by the strength reduction method

The analysis of slope stability problems may often require considerable attention for 3D effects, such as the curvature of the slope, the contribution of the piles and the local loading of the slope by the structures. In this paper, the effect of each contributing factor on the global stability of a 3D slope was carefully and comprehensively investigated by making use of a field case. However, the conclusions drawn from these analyses are not specific to a single case study. Using a couple of hundred analyses that were run within the context of this paper, some guidelines were provided and the influence of each factor on the factor of safety was clearly stated. The results indicated that, the influence of plan curvature can be defined with a unique relationship based on the factor of safety of the slope which is itself directly proportional to the radius of curvature of the slope. Considering the case of local loading on top of the slope, the loading distance and the size of the numerical domain on the shape of the failure mechanism were investigated in this paper and these effects could be demonstrated in the light of the results. Moreover, the influence of piles on slope stability was studied not only for the common "no surcharge case", but also for different loading conditions in order to optimize the effective pile location. The effect of the pile cross-sectional shape was also discussed in order to optimize the CPU time. Thus, the results of this study are intended to reveal some key issues and bring insight into the design processes

Technical guidelines for the assessment of earthquake induced liquefaction hazard at urban scale

Microzonation for earthquake-induced liquefaction hazard is the subdivision of a territory at a municipal or submunicipal scale in areas characterized by the same probability of liquefaction manifestation for the occurrence of an earthquake of specified intensity. The liquefaction hazard at a site depends on the severity of expected ground shaking as well as on the susceptibility to liquefaction of that site. This in turn depends on geological, geomorphological, hydrogeological and geotechnical predisposing factors. Thus, liquefaction hazard implies the existence of territories characterized by a moderate to high level of intensity of expected ground shaking. Microzonation charts for ground shaking and liquefaction hazard play a key role for the mitigation of seismic risk of an urban centre as they provide a valuable tool for the implementation of prevention strategies and land use planning. The LIQUEFACT project fully addressed the problem of microzoning a territory for earthquake-induced liquefaction hazard in a specific work package. Four municipal testing areas were selected across Europe as peculiar case studies where to construct microzonation charts for earthquake-induced liquefaction hazard. They are located in Emilia-Romagna region (Italy), Lisbon metropolitan area (Portugal), Brezice territory (Slovenia) and Marmara region (Turkey). Their location was identified based on the following criteria: severity of expected seismic hazard, availability of geological and geotechnical data, presence of liquefiable soil deposits, documented cases of liquefaction manifestations occurred in historical earthquakes, representativeness of different geological settings, density of population in selected areas (exposure). This paper illustrates the general procedure developed in LIQUEFACT for the assessment of earthquake-induced liquefaction hazard at urban scale and presents the main achievements of the microzonation studies carried out at the four previously mentioned European testbeds. Since the microzonation studies have been carried out using a shared framework and methodology, this paper has the ambition to serve as technical guidelines for updating the standards and the operational criteria currently used in different countries worldwide to construct seismic microzonation maps of liquefaction hazard

Technical guidelines for the assessment of earthquake induced liquefaction hazard at urban scale

Microzonation for earthquake-induced liquefaction hazard is the subdivision of a territory at a municipal or submunicipal scale in areas characterized by the same probability of liquefaction manifestation for the occurrence of an earthquake of specified intensity. The liquefaction hazard at a site depends on the severity of expected ground shaking as well as on the susceptibility to liquefaction of that site. This in turn depends on geological, geomorphological, hydrogeological and geotechnical predisposing factors. Thus, liquefaction hazard implies the existence of territories characterized by a moderate to high level of intensity of expected ground shaking. Microzonation charts for ground shaking and liquefaction hazard play a key role for the mitigation of seismic risk of an urban centre as they provide a valuable tool for the implementation of prevention strategies and land use planning. The LIQUEFACT project fully addressed the problem of microzoning a territory for earthquake-induced liquefaction hazard in a specific work package. Four municipal testing areas were selected across Europe as peculiar case studies where to construct microzonation charts for earthquake-induced liquefaction hazard. They are located in Emilia-Romagna region (Italy), Lisbon metropolitan area (Portugal), Brežice territory (Slovenia) and Marmara region (Turkey). Their location was identified based on the following criteria: severity of expected seismic hazard, availability of geological and geotechnical data, presence of liquefiable soil deposits, documented cases of liquefaction manifestations occurred in historical earthquakes, representativeness of different geological settings, density of population in selected areas (exposure). This paper illustrates the general procedure developed in LIQUEFACT for the assessment of earthquake-induced liquefaction hazard at urban scale and presents the main achievements of the microzonation studies carried out at the four previously mentioned European testbeds. Since the microzonation studies have been carried out using a shared framework and methodology, this paper has the ambition to serve as technical guidelines for updating the standards and the operational criteria currently used in different countries worldwide to construct seismic microzonation maps of liquefaction hazard