InvestigatingtheshearmechanismsofTsaolinglandslideinChi-Chiearthquakeusingdynamicring-sheartest.docVIP

Investigating the Shear Mechanisms of Tsaoling Landslide in Chi-Chi Earthquake Using Dynamic Ring-Shear Test Cheng-Jie Liao, Der-Her Lee, Jian-Hong Wu, Chia-Ze Lai Department of Civil Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan ABSTRACT: In this research, dynamic ring-shear test is conducted to investigate the impact of Chi-Chi earthquake on the Tsaoling landslide. From the stress paths, shear displacements, and failure criterion obtained from the shear tests, the dynamics behaviour and shear mechanics of the sliding surface can be understood in more detail. The Cholan sandstone is the primarily investigated rock taken from the landslide site. The failure conditions of the sliding surface and the effect of seismic inertia forces on the sliding blocks are considered as the terms of this test. Test results showed that the stress path touched the failure envelope and shear displacement was normally accumulated only when the specimens were under residual state. Meanwhile, the accumulated shear displacement without considering seismic inertia force was -2mm, indicating abnormal sliding orientation, which moved toward the top of slope. On the contrary, the accumulated shear displacement involving relative seismic inertia force reached 40mm, and the sliding orientation correlated well with the actual landslide. The test results showed that the sliding surface reached residual state before Chi-Chi earthquake. In addition, the seismic inertia forces strongly governed the behaviour of the blocks above the sliding surface when the earthquake occurred and resulted in the landslide. INTRODUCTION Chi-Chi earthquake in 1999 caused a massive rock avalanche at Tsaoling area in Yunlin County, Taiwan. The basic image created from aerial photographs (Fig.1) and the geological profile of the area (Fig.2) show that the Tsaoling landslide is a dip-slope with a sliding surface whose inclination angle is similar to the local rock mass. The sliding surface passed through the Cholan