CHARACTERIZATION OF DEFORMATION PROPERTIES OF SURFACE GROUND DUE TO FAULT MOVEMENT USING FINITE-STRAIN DAMAGE MODEL

Abstract

In the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, numerous serious structural damages occurred along the active faults. Many of these damages are caused by the fault movement and the deformation of surface ground. This suggests the importance of deformation prediction of the surface ground around the active fault. In this study, employing finite element method with a finite-strain damage model, we conduct a series of case studies on numerical models with ideal topography as a basis examination for predicting the surface ground deformation. After confirming the applicability of the employed material models and analysis conditions, we investigate the effects of the inclination of the fault and the topography on the surface rupture due to fault movement.