The State of Practice

Abstract

This paper traces the development of the state of practice in seismic design and analysis of embankment dams, starting in the mid 1960s and continuing through today. The key issue, evaluation of earthquake-induced liquefaction of saturated loose cohesionless material, is discussed, with emphasis on key components of the problem. Remediation methods for fixing existing embankment dams judged to be unsafe, should the “design” earthquake occur, are summarized. Gaps in our knowledge are identified and we have sketched our vision regarding future developments in permanent deformation analyses, site characterization, remediation, and ground motions.