Empirical relationships for estimating the crest settlement of earth-core rockfill dams subjected to earthquakes

Abstract

In this study, new empirical predictive relationships for earthquake-induced crest settlement of earth-core rockfill dams (ECRDs) were developed. A case history database of 19 dams that had been subjected to earthquakes was utilized. The presented relationships correlate the intensity measure (IM) of the earthquake records with the observed settlements, and thus, employing IMs that appropriately describe the severity of ground motion is of vital importance. It is well known that the dynamic properties of an ECRD can change significantly depending on the severity of an earthquake, and that this phenomenon can substantially impact the dynamic responses of dams. Accordingly, two IMs were suggested, taking into account the essential characteristics of ground motions affecting the nonlinear behaviour of ECRDs. The results indicate that the proposed relationships effectively address the limitations of the existing ones, and that they are practical tools that efficiently predict the seismic settlements of ECRDs.