Jacob Vogel
Research Mentor: Fernando Garcia
Mentor Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering
Author(s): Chenyu Li, Fernando Garcia
Session: Session 6 (3:00 PM – 3:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 118
Abstract
When ground motions occur, monuments, equipment and buildings experience force within their structures. These structures are designed in ways to reduce and remove the impact of these forces, so that they are stable and can survive repeated seismic events over time. The more intense ground motion a structure is expected to experience over its life, the more time and resources are spent to ensure that it can withstand these motions. However historic seismic data is limited in regions of low seismicity like the Eastern US, so data is limited for constraining seismic hazards and risks to infrastructure. Despite the lack of directly measured seismic readings, information on seismic data can be found in other ways, such as by quantifying the fragility against overturning of precariously balanced boulders (PBRs). These PBRs scattered throughout the Eastern US have been balanced since the last ice age. By simulating ground motion beneath these rocks and identifying those that topple them, an upper bound for the historical range of seismic activity can be established for the area the simulated boulder exists in. To provide such data, three-dimensional (3D) physics-based models of 3 precariously balanced rocks in the USA were created from photogrammetric models and calibrated against experimental data. The calibrated models are then subjected to a number of ground motions to assess their fragility against toppling.
