We synthesize engineering procedures for estimating the seismic performance of major flood-control levees as given in guidelines documents and design codes from Canada (British Columbia), China, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States. Some guidelines carry the weight of law whereas compliance is optional for others. Most procedures combine a probabilistic ground motion characterization with deterministic assessments of levee performance (uncoupled approach). Ground motions are typically described using peak accelerations for reference site conditions at return periods typically ranging from 100 to 2,475 years. Those motions are deterministically modified for soil conditions using numerical simulations or ergodic site factors. Accompanying hydrological conditions are either not specified or are taken at a frequently encountered water level (ranging from mean annual to a four-month flood event). These demands are used in combination with various soil properties to assess the potential for liquefaction, flow failure, and permanent shear deformations. Drawing upon best practices identified from this review, we recommend procedures for levee risk assessment at the section-level and for levee systems.
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Research Article|
August 01, 2017
Procedures from International Guidelines for Assessing Seismic Risk to Flood-Control Levees
Paolo Zimmaro, M. EERI
;
Paolo Zimmaro, M. EERI
a
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Dong Youp Kwak, M. EERI
;
Dong Youp Kwak, M. EERI
b
RMS, Inc., Newark, CA, USA
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Jonathan P. Stewart, M. EERI
;
Jonathan P. Stewart, M. EERI
a
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Scott J. Brandenberg, M. EERI
;
Scott J. Brandenberg, M. EERI
a
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Ariya Balakrishnan
;
Ariya Balakrishnan
c
Department of Water Resources, Sacramento, CA, United States
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Ruben Jongejan
;
Ruben Jongejan
d
Jongejan RMC, Delft, The Netherlands
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Ernesto Ausilio
;
Ernesto Ausilio
e
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calabria, Italy
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Giovanni Dente
;
Giovanni Dente
f
Department of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, University of Calabria, Italy
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Junju Xie
;
Junju Xie
g
Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China
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Atsushi Mikami
Atsushi Mikami
h
Department of Civil Engineering, Tokai University, Japan
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Earthquake Spectra (2017) 33 (3): 1191–1218.
Article history
received:
23 Jul 2016
accepted:
29 Apr 2017
first online:
01 Jun 2020
Citation
Paolo Zimmaro, Dong Youp Kwak, Jonathan P. Stewart, Scott J. Brandenberg, Ariya Balakrishnan, Ruben Jongejan, Ernesto Ausilio, Giovanni Dente, Junju Xie, Atsushi Mikami; Procedures from International Guidelines for Assessing Seismic Risk to Flood-Control Levees. Earthquake Spectra 2017;; 33 (3): 1191–1218. doi: https://doi.org/10.1193/072316eqs117ep
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Index Terms/Descriptors
- acceleration
- Asia
- Australasia
- body waves
- British Columbia
- building codes
- Canada
- China
- compression
- earthquakes
- elastic waves
- Europe
- Far East
- faults
- flood control
- geologic hazards
- ground motion
- hydrology
- Italy
- Japan
- levees
- levels
- liquefaction
- mechanical properties
- mitigation
- natural hazards
- New Zealand
- numerical analysis
- peak ground acceleration
- physical properties
- probability
- recurrence interval
- regulations
- risk assessment
- S-waves
- saturation
- sediments
- seismic waves
- shear strength
- simulation
- slope stability
- soil profiles
- soils
- Southern Europe
- statistical analysis
- surface water
- United States
- velocity
- water
- Western Canada
- peak ground velocity
Latitude & Longitude
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