Keh-Jian Shou

Analysis of the Chiufengershan landslide triggered by the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake in Taiwan

Abstract A disastrous earthquake rocked Taiwan on September 21, 1999, with magnitude M L =7.3 and an epicenter near the small town of Chi-Chi in central Taiwan. The Chi-Chi earthquake triggered landslide on the dip slope at the Chiufengershan. In this study, a review of the topography and geology of this area was followed by field investigations. Laboratory testing was applied to understand the geomaterial composing the slope. Then, based on a series of limit equilibrium analyses, the failure mechanism of this landslide and the risk of the residual slope were studied. According to the stability analyses, the pre-quake slope is quite stable, with factor of safety of 1.77 (dry) to 1.35 (full groundwater level); explaining why there is no written record of a landslide here for the past 100 years. In contrast, a back analysis shows that the Chi-Chi earthquake-induced dynamic loading is far more than the dip slope can sustain, due in part to the short distance to the epicenter. A Monte Carlo type probability analysis suggests that the residual slope is more dangerous than the pre-quake slope and needs more attention.

Analysis of Pipe-Soil Interaction for a Miniature Pipejacking

In this study, physical and numerical models were used to analyze pipe-soil interaction during pipejacking work. After calibrating with the physical modeling results, the finite element software ABAQUS [1] was used to study the pipejacking related behavior, such as surface subsidence, failure mechanism, pipe-soil interaction, etc. The results show that the driving force in the tunnelling face is very important and critical for pipejacking. Surface subsidence is mainly due to the lack of driving force, however, excessive driving force could cause the unfavorable surface heaving problem. It also suggests that the depth of the pipe is critical to determine a proper driving force to stabilize the tunnelling face.