Re-Evaluation of the Lower San Fernando Dam, Report 1. An Investigation of the February 9, 1971 Slide. Volume 1. Text

Abstract

The lower San Fernando Dam in California developed a major slide in the upstream slope and crest as a result of the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. The purpose of the investigation presented in this report was to test the validity of using steady state concepts and methodology to perform liquefaction analyses of the dam and to further investigate some aspects of the physical mechanism of the slide. The results of the steady state analyses were consistent with the observed behavior, i.e., (a) the dam was susceptible to a liquefaction failure in the upstream direction, (b) the dam was not susceptible to a liquefaction failure in the downstream direction once the upstream slope had failed, and (c) the strains that accumulated during the 1971 earthquake were sufficient to trigger the upstream liquefaction failure. Keywords: Army Corps of Engineers; Embankment dams; Soil liquefaction; Steady-state strength. (KR)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA213969

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  • Gonzalo Castro
  • Stephen S. Boynton
  • Thomas O. Keller

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