NPTEL Video Course

on

Geotechnical Earthquake
Engineering
by

Prof. Deepankar Choudhury

Professor, Dept. of Civil Engg.,
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay
Powai, Mumbai 400076, India.
Email: dc@civil.iitb.ac.in
URL: http://www.civil.iitb.ac.in/~dc/
Lecture 1

Course Outline
This course on Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering introduces the
fundamental concepts of earthquake engineering related to
geotechnical problems, principles of earthquake, wave propagation,
dynamic soil properties, liquefaction and seismic design of various
geotechnical structures. This course focuses on seismic hazard analysis
which includes both Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA)
and Deterministic Seismic Hazard Analysis (DSHA), followed by site
response analysis. Also, behaviour of various geotechnical structures
such as shallow and deep foundations, retaining structures, slopes,
ground anchors, waterfront retaining structures, reinforced soil-wall,
tailing dam due to earthquake loading are discussed with reference to
codal provisions. The course material on Geotechnical Earthquake
Engineering will be very useful to the post-graduate students,
researchers, teachers and practitioners. A number of selected problems
will be solved to illustrate the concepts clearly.
D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

Course Contents
Introduction, Basic Vibration theory, Engineering
Seismology,
Strong
Ground
Motion,
Wave
Propagation, Dynamic Soil Properties, Seismic Hazard
Analysis, Site Response Analysis, Dynamic SoilStructure Interaction, Applications of Earthquake
Engineering to various Geotechnical Engineering
Problems like Retaining Walls, Foundations, Anchors,
Piles, Tailing Dams, Landfills, Slopes, Waterfront
Retaining Walls/Sea Walls, Reinforced Soil-Walls,
Liquefaction, Hazard Mapping etc.
D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

Course Modules
Total about NINE (9) Modules:
Module 1: Introduction to Geotechnical Earthquake
Engineering
Module 2: Basics of Vibration Theory
Module 3: Engineering Seismology
Module 4: Strong Ground Motion
Module 5: Wave Propagation
Module 6: Dynamic Soil Properties
Module 7: Seismic Hazard Analysis
Module 8: Site Response Analysis
Module 9: Seismic Analysis and Design of Various
Geotechnical Structures
D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

Pre-Requisite
Soil Mechanics / Geotechnical
Engineering (Mandatory)
Soil Dynamics (Optional)

Audience
Post-Graduate (High Caliber Bachelors,
Masters and PhD) Students, Teachers,
Practitioners, Designers, Academicians,
Decision Makers
D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

References

1. Steven L. Kramer, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, Prentice

Hall Inc.
2. Robert W. Day, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Handbook,
McGraw Hill, New York.
3. Ikuo Towhata, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, SpringerVerlag Heidelberg.
4. Kenji Ishihara, Soil Behaviour in Earthquake Geotechnics, Oxford
University Press, USA.
5.Shamsher Prakash, Soil Dynamics, McGraw-Hill Book Company.
6. Milutin Srbulov, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering: Simplified
Analyses with Case Studies and Examples, Springer-Verlag.
7. IS 1893, Indian Standard Criteria for earthquake resistant Design of
Structures.
ADDITIONAL READINGS (MUST)
Journal and Conference papers in the area of Geotechnical Earthquake
Engineering.
D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

Module 1
Introduction to Geotechnical
Earthquake Engineering

D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

Effects of Earthquake
Devastating effects of earthquakes due to failure of structure

Earthquake never kills,

but damage of structures
during earthquake due to
incorrect or insufficient
design and
constructions kills

Effects of Earthquake
Devastating effects of earthquakes due to failure of soil beneath

Structure is safe, but

it has settled down
by huge amount,
due to failure of
ground beneath.

Buildings dilapidated because of failure of soil beneath

Effects of Earthquake
Devastating effects of earthquakes due to landslides and rockslides

Fig. Landslides in Sikkim during 2011 earthquake

Fig. Rockslides in Sikkim at different road streches

 Tsunami

Effects of Earthquake

is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large

volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake.
Tsunami is a Japanese word with the English translation,
"harbor wave ("tsu," means harbor, while "nami," means
"wave)

Figures showing disasters due to Tsunami

Principal Types of Earthquake Damage

Structural
Caused by excessive ground shaking
Strongly influenced by local soil conditions

D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

 Ground Shaking: Shakes structures constructed on

ground causing them to collapse

Liquefaction: Conversion of formally stable

cohesionless soils to a fluid mass, causing damage to
the structures

Landslides: Triggered by the vibrations

Retaining structure failure: Damage of anchored
wall, sheet pile, other retaining walls and sea walls

Fire: Indirect result of earthquakes triggered by broken

gas and power lines

Tsunamis: large waves created by the instantaneous

displacement of the sea floor during submarine faulting
D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

Damage due to Earthquakes

Earthquakes have varied effects, including changes in
geologic features, damage to man-made structures and
impact on human and animal life.

Earthquake Damage depends on many factors:

The size of the Earthquake

The distance from the focus of the earthquake

The properties of the materials at the site

The nature of the structures in the area

D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

Ground Shaking
Frequency of shaking differs for different seismic waves.

High frequency body waves shake low buildings more.

Low frequency surface waves shake high buildings more.
Intensity of shaking also depends on type of subsurface
material.
Unconsolidated materials amplify shaking more than rocks do.
Buildings respond differently to shaking depending on
construction styles, materials
Wood -- more flexible, holds up well
Earthen materials, unreinforced concrete -- very vulnerable to
shaking.
D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

Collapse of Buildings

D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

Collapse of Buildings
(Fukui Earthquake, 1948)
June 28th (Mon), 1948
16:13 pm
M7.1, D=0km
Death Toll: 3,769
Injured: 22,203
Collapse Ratio of
Houses: almost 100%
(The Area of SouthNorth 20km by EastWest10km of Fukui
Plain)

Damage to Pile-Heads of
Hokuriku Haiden Building.
(Shear Cracks)
D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

Collapse of Buildings
(Fukui Earthquake, 1948)

Damage to the Pile Foundations of

Hokuriku-Haiden Building caused by the 1948
Fukui Earthquake
Settlements of the First Floor
Cracks at the Column-Heads of
the Second Floor and the Floor
Slabs of the First Floor
D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India

Soft first story/inadequate shear strength

Loma Prieta earthquake damage in San Francisco. The soft first story is due to construction of garages in the first story and resultant
reduction in shear strength. (Photo from: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/bytopic/photos.html)
On October 17, 1989, at 5:04:15 p.m. (P.d.t.), a magnitude 6.9 (moment magnitude; surface-wave magnitude, 7.1)

D. Choudhury, IIT Bombay, India