Seismic Response of the Puddingstone and Cogswell Dams in the 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake

by R.B. Seed, J.D. Bray, R.W. Boulanger and H.B. Seed

Seed, R.B., J.D. Bray, R.W. Boulanger and H.B. Seed (1989). Seismic Response of the Puddingstone and Cogswell Dams in the 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake. SMIP 89 Seminar on Seismological and Engineering Implications of Recent Strong-Motion Data, p. 7-1 - 7-10.

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Abstract

The 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake (M_L = 5.9) shook two dams, the Puddingstone and Cogswell Dams, which were instrumented as part of the California Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (CSMIP). The resulting recorded accelerograms provided a valuable opportunity to investigate and evaluate the accuracy and reliability of conventional geotechnical procedures for evaluation of dynamic response characteristics of earth and rockfill dams. This paper presents the results of these studies, which provide insight regarding current techniques for dynamic soil property evaluation and the applicability of one-, two- and three-dimensional analytical procedures to evaluation of the dynamic response of these types of dams.