A nonlinear Mohr-Coulomb constitutive model with a strain dependent yield surface and non-associated flow was employed to study the plastic soil properties which affect the rate of surface fault rupture propagation in reverse events. These numerical simulations show a trend for soils with higher stiffness to have a higher rate of rupture propagation. Additionally the study shows the effects of strain softening and hardening on the rate of rupture propagation. Soils which strain harden exhibiting ductile behavior typically require more basal offset to rupture to the surface than soils which strain soften exhibiting brittle behavior. These results agree with our previous fault box studies, which showed that soils with higher near surface shear wave velocity were more likely to propagate rupture to the surface for a given reverse event. The numerical modeling allowed for a more comprehensive evaluation of material types and fault angles than the fault box, and provided confidence in these findings.
","abstract_html":"<p>A nonlinear Mohr-Coulomb constitutive model with a strain dependent yield surface and non-associated flow was employed to study the plastic soil properties which affect the rate of surface fault rupture propagation in reverse events. These numerical simulations show a trend for soils with higher stiffness to have a higher rate of rupture propagation. Additionally the study shows the effects of strain softening and hardening on the rate of rupture propagation. Soils which strain harden exhibiting ductile behavior typically require more basal offset to rupture to the surface than soils which strain soften exhibiting brittle behavior. These results agree with our previous fault box studies, which showed that soils with higher near surface shear wave velocity were more likely to propagate rupture to the surface for a given reverse event. The numerical modeling allowed for a more comprehensive evaluation of material types and fault angles than the fault box, and provided confidence in these findings.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Buelna, Moises I"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Civil and Environmental Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Robb Eric S. Moss"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:31:56Z","subjects":["Fault Rupture","Mohr-Coulomb Failure","Soil Plasticity","Engineering Mechanics","Geotechnical Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10.15368/theses.2017.106"],"render_values":[{"text":"10.15368/theses.2017.106","href":"https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2017.106","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1804","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Robb Eric S. Moss"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Buelna, Moises I"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-12-06T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Civil and Environmental Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Fault Rupture","Mohr-Coulomb Failure","Soil Plasticity","Engineering Mechanics","Geotechnical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1804","10.15368/theses.2017.106"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["A nonlinear Mohr-Coulomb constitutive model with a strain dependent yield surface and non-associated flow was employed to study the plastic soil properties which affect the rate of surface fault rupture propagation in reverse events. These numerical simulations show a trend for soils with higher stiffness to have a higher rate of rupture propagation. Additionally the study shows the effects of strain softening and hardening on the rate of rupture propagation. Soils which strain harden exhibiting ductile behavior typically require more basal offset to rupture to the surface than soils which strain soften exhibiting brittle behavior. These results agree with our previous fault box studies, which showed that soils with higher near surface shear wave velocity were more likely to propagate rupture to the surface for a given reverse event. The numerical modeling allowed for a more comprehensive evaluation of material types and fault angles than the fault box, and provided confidence in these findings.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Role of Soil Stiffness in Reverse Fault Rupture Propagation"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Robb Eric S. Moss"],"dc:creator":["Buelna, Moises I"],"dc:date.available":["2017-12-06T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["A nonlinear Mohr-Coulomb constitutive model with a strain dependent yield surface and non-associated flow was employed to study the plastic soil properties which affect the rate of surface fault rupture propagation in reverse events. These numerical simulations show a trend for soils with higher stiffness to have a higher rate of rupture propagation. Additionally the study shows the effects of strain softening and hardening on the rate of rupture propagation. Soils which strain harden exhibiting ductile behavior typically require more basal offset to rupture to the surface than soils which strain soften exhibiting brittle behavior. These results agree with our previous fault box studies, which showed that soils with higher near surface shear wave velocity were more likely to propagate rupture to the surface for a given reverse event. The numerical modeling allowed for a more comprehensive evaluation of material types and fault angles than the fault box, and provided confidence in these findings.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1804","10.15368/theses.2017.106"],"dc:subject":["Fault Rupture","Mohr-Coulomb Failure","Soil Plasticity","Engineering Mechanics","Geotechnical Engineering"],"dc:title":["The Role of Soil Stiffness in Reverse Fault Rupture Propagation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Civil and Environmental Engineering"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:31:56Z"}