Dynamic Response of Levees

Scott J. Brandenberg, UCLA

November 16, 2018
 Collaborators

Jonathan Anne Robb Samuel Dong Youp

Stewart Lemnitzer Moss Yniesta Kwak

Riccardo Ali Shafiee

Cappa
Yi Tyan Tsai
Ted Reinert Paolo Zimmaro
 The Delta

Photo courtesy of Roy Tennant.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3
http://sanjoaquinbasin.com/images/joaquin_dec.png 032/images/map01.png
Slide courtesy of Les Harder
 Land Subsidence
DRMS (2008)
Seismic Hazard

Deverel et al. (2016)

Testing of Sherman Island Peat
How Soft is the Peat?
 Peat Settlement Potential

Cyclic Simple Shear Laboratory

Testing Device

Shafiee et al. (2015)

 Peat Settlement Potential

Shafiee et al. (2015)

iConsol.js Computer Code

• iConsol.js is an nonlinear
consolidation code publicly
accessible online at
www.uclageo.com/Consolidation/
and described by
Brandenberg (2017).
• “Uniform” layer of soil has
constant compressibility and
permeability constitutive
relationship.
Brandenberg (2017)
 Test Location

Reinert et al. (2014)

 MK-15 Mobile Field Shaker

Funding: NSF – NEES

Project Team: Brandenberg, Stewart, Reinert (UCLA)
Reinert et al. (2014)
Moss (Cal Poly)
 Sample Data

rur = Du / svo’

Du

Reinert et al. (2014)

 Levee Centrifuge Models
Clay Levee Model (Non-Liquefiable)

Sand Levee Model (Liquefiable)

Cappa et al. (2017)

Shaking Sandy Levee
Shaking Sandy Levee
 Fragility Functions

Kwak et al. (2016)

 Fragility Functions

Kwak et al. (2016a)

 Fragility Functions

Kwak et al. (2016a)

 System Analysis

Kwak et al. (2016b), Zimmaro et al. (2018)

 System Analysis
Kwak et al. (2016b)

2
𝐿 𝑑 2 𝜌𝑍 0 𝛽𝑆𝑒𝑔
P 𝐹𝑅 |𝐸 = 1 − 1 − P 𝐹𝑆𝑒𝑔 |𝐸 exp − − × 𝑒𝑥𝑝 −
2𝜋 𝑑𝑥 2 2
 Conclusions
• The Sacramento / San Joaquin Delta is an important piece of
infrastructure, serving as the hub of California’s water
distribution system.
• Earthquakes pose a particularly onerous hazard to the Delta
due to the potential for multiple simultaneous levee breaches
and intrusion of saline water.
• Laboratory, field, and centrifuge testing has helped us
characterize the seismic response of levees.
• Fragility curves have been developed from field observations
of levee damage in Japan.
• A new system reliability analysis procedure was developed to
compute the probability of system failure given levee capacity
and demand as spatially correlated random fields.
 References
Brandenberg, S.J. (2017). “iConsol.js: A javascript implicit finite difference code for nonlinear consolidation and secondary
compression.” International Journal of Geomechanics, 17(6).

Cappa, R., Brandenberg, S.J., and Lemnitzer, A. (2017). “Strains and pore pressures generated during cyclic loading of
embankments on organic soil.” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 143(9).

Deverel, S.J., Bachand, S., Brandenberg, S.J., Jones, C.E., Stewart, J.P., and Zimmaro, P. (2016). “Factors and processes
affecting Delta levee system vulnerability.” San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, 14(4).

Kwak, D., Stewart, J.P., Brandenberg, S.J., and Mikami, A. (2016a). “Characterization of Seismic Levee Fragility using
Field Performance Data” Earthquake Spectra, 32(1), 193-215.

Kwak, D., Stewart, J.P., Brandenberg, S.J., and Mikami, A. (2016b) “Seismic Levee System Fragility Considering Spatial
Correlation of Demands and Component Fragilities.” Earthquake Spectra, 32(4), 2207-2228.

Shafiee, A., Stewart, J.P., and Brandenberg, S.J. (2015) “Reset of Secondary Compression Clock for Peat by Cyclic
Straining.” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 141(3), 02815001.

Reinert, E., Stewart, J.P., Moss, R.E.S., and Brandenberg, S.J. (2014). “Dynamic Response of a Model Levee on Sherman
Island Peat: A Curated Data Set.”, Earthquake Spectra, 30(2), 639-656.

URS Corporation, Jack R. Benjamin & Associates, Inc. 2008. Delta Risk Management Strategy final phase 1 report. Risk
report: section O. Prepared for the California Department of Water Resources. Available from: http://www.water.
ca.gov/floodsafe/fessro/levees/drms/docs/Risk_Report_ Section_0_Final.pdf

Zimmaro, P., Stewart, J.P., Brandenberg, S.J., Kwak, D.Y., and Jongejan, R. (201x). “Multi-hazard system reliability of flood
control levees.” Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. Accepted April 25, 2018.
Acknowledgments