A Study On fault Rupture Mitigation by Slurry Wall

Kquiny Sabin, Chinku Alphons Tom

Abstract: Surface fault rupture have caused damages to structures during past earthquakes. Seismic design codes avoid construction across, or in the immediate vicinity of seismically active faults. Protection of structures in these areas is very essential. Retrofitting of existing structures is not simple, especially for historic buildings and monuments.. To protect a structure, fault rupture deviation is an effective technique. Rupture deviation can be obtained by introducing a weak vertical element in the soil. Soil bentonite wall (SBW) is used as the weak vertical element which is installed near the foundation, at sufficient depth to intercept the propagating fault rupture. Extensive numerical analysis, can reveal that such a wall, due to its high deformability and low shear resistance, absorbs the compressive thrust of the fault and forces the rupture to deviate upwards along its length. As a consequence, the foundation is left essentially intact. Finite element analysis, evaluates the efficiency of the method and provides validation by analyses.

Keywords: soil bentonite wall, fault rupture, fault deviation, fault offset, rupture deviation