This research consists of full-scale cyclic shake table tests to investigate liquefied residual strength of #2/16 Monterey Sand. A simple shear testing apparatus was mounted to a full-scale one-dimensional shake table to mimic a confined layer of saturated sand subjected to strong ground motions. Testing was performed at the Parson’s Geotechnical and Earthquake Laboratory at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. T-bar penetrometer pullout tests were used to measure residual strength of the liquefied soil during cyclic testing. Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) was performed on the soil specimen throughout testing to relate the laboratory specimen to field index test data and to compare CPT results of the #2/16 Monterey sand before and after liquefaction. The generation and dissipation of excess pore pressures during cyclic motion are measured and discussed. The effects of liquefied soil on seismic ground motion are investigated. Measured residual strengths are compared to previous correlations comparing liquefied residual strength ratios and CPT tip resistance.

Yes / Earthquake response spectrum is the most popular tool in the seismic analysis and design of structures. In the case of combined primary-secondary (P-S) systems, the response of the supporting P substructure is generally evaluated without considering the S substructure, which in turn is only required to bear displacements and/or forces imposed by the P substructure (¿cascade¿ approach). In doing so, however, dynamic interaction between the P and S components is neglected, and the seismic-induced response of the S substructure may be heavily underestimated or overestimated. In this paper, a novel CQC (Complete Quadratic Combination) rule is proposed for the seismic response of linear light S substructures attached to linear P substructures. The proposed technique overcomes the drawbacks of the cascade approach by including the effects of dynamic interaction and different damping in the substructures directly in the cross-correlation coefficients. The computational effort is reduced by using the eigenproperties of the decoupled substructures and only one earthquake response spectrum for a reference value of the damping ratio.

Approximately 43% of Canada’s population reside in urban centres at most seismic risk.This research creates practical and proactive tools to support decision making in emergency management regarding earthquake risk. This proactive approach evaluates the potential impact of future earthquakes for informed mitigation and preparedness decisions. The overall aims are to evaluate a community’s operational readiness, reveal limitations and resources gaps in the emergency plan, test potential mitigation and preparedness strategies and provide a realistic earthquake scenario for training activities. Two models, the CanRisk injury model and a disaster Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS), were designed and developed to further evaluate seismic risk on a community scale. The injury model is an extension of the engineering-based CanRisk tool and quantifies an individual’s risk to injury, the number of injuries, and provides an injury profile of life-threatening injuries at the building scale. The model implements fuzzy synthetic evaluation to quantify seismic risk, mathematical calculations to estimate number of injuries, and a decision-matrix to generate the injury profile. The SDSS is an evidence-based model that is designed for the planning phase to evaluate post-earthquake emergency response. Loss estimations from Hazus Canada and the CanRisk injury model are combined with community geospatial data to simulate post-earthquake conditions that are important for immediate post-earthquake response. Fire services, search and rescue operations (including urban search and rescue and police services), emergency medical services, and relief operations are all modelled. A case study was applied to 27 neighbourhoods in Ottawa, Canada, using a M6.0 and M7.25 scenarios. The models revealed challenges to all emergency response units. A critical threshold exists between the M6.0 and M7.25 scenarios whereby emergency response moves from partial but manageable functionality to a complete system breakdown. The models developed in this research show great utility to emergency managers in Canada.