Earthquake-Induced Displacements of Solid-Waste Landfills

The response of municipal solid-waste landfills at high levels of earthquake shaking is explored. Results from fully nonlinear dynamic analyses indicate that the seismic response of a landfill, particularly the seismic loading for the cover, can vary significantly due to reasonable variations of waste properties, fill heights, site conditions, and design rock motions. However, for the base sliding case, the maximum seismic loading depends primarily on the amplitude (peak acceleration) and frequency content (mean period) of the design rock motion and the dynamic response characteristics of the landfill represented by its initial fundamental period. The calculated permanent base displacement is largely a function of the ky/kmax ratio, but it is also influenced significantly by the intensity, frequency content, and duration of the design rock motion and the dynamic response characteristics of the landfill and its foundation. Charts with normalized parameters are presented, which aid in the development of preliminary estimates of the expected seismic loading and displacement. These analytical results are consistent with observations from available case records.