Earthquake Engineering for Rock, Slopes, and Excavations

Between a design spectrum and a decision about a slope lie a dozen calculations, and most of them are made in the field. This handbook keeps them in your bag.

You will characterise ground motion, run deterministic and probabilistic hazard analyses, and build a design spectrum. You will measure shear wave velocity by borehole and surface wave methods, interpret rock mass quality, velocity, attenuation and anisotropy in fractured ground, and select modulus reduction and damping curves for site response analysis.

Liquefaction chapters take you from cyclic stress ratio to settlement, lateral spreading and residual strength. Slope chapters cover pseudo-static and Newmark displacement analysis, stereonet kinematics and rock bolt and shotcrete support, followed by seismic earth pressures, braced and tied-back excavations, ground improvement and instrumentation. Written for practising geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists and graduate students.

What you will learn:

• Characterise earthquake sources and magnitude, and interpret strong ground motion records for engineering use.
• Perform deterministic and probabilistic seismic hazard analyses and construct a design spectrum.
• Plan site investigations and measure shear wave velocity using borehole and surface wave methods.
• Assess rock mass quality, velocity, attenuation and anisotropy in fractured ground.
• Select modulus reduction and damping curves, and run one-dimensional site response analysis.
• Evaluate liquefaction triggering, post-liquefaction settlement, lateral spreading and residual strength.
• Apply pseudo-static and Newmark displacement methods to seismic slope stability.
• Design rock slope support using stereonet kinematics, rock bolts and shotcrete.
• Estimate seismic earth pressures, and design braced and tied-back excavations, ground improvement and monitoring systems.

This portable handbook is written for practising geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists, and graduate students who need seismic velocity, attenuation, and geotechnical civil applications at their fingertips, whether in the office or on site.