PEER Reports

Semi-empirical models based on in situ geotechnical tests have been the standard-of-practice for predicting soil liquefaction since 1971. More recently, prediction models based on free, readily available data have grown in popularity. These “geospatial models” rely on satellite remote sensing to infer subsurface traits without in situ tests. While the concept of such an approach is not new, the recent models of Zhu et al. [2015; 2017] are arguably the most rigorously formulated and well-trained to date. The use of such models is appealing for a range of applications, but these models have...

Drilled shaft foundations are often used to support reinforced concrete bridge columns founded in soft soils or in locations where a small footprint is desired. Increasingly, the shaft is being built with a diameter larger than that of the column, to allow tolerance in the column placement and to facilitate plastic hinge formation in the column rather than in the shaft. The column–shaft connection, which involves a noncontact splice between the column and shaft bars, is a key component in this structural system. However, there is limited research on the behavior of these connections under...

The Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) is a multi-institutional research and education center with headquarters at the University of California, Berkeley. PEER’s mission is to (1) develop, validate, and disseminate performance-based engineering (PBE) technologies for buildings and infrastructure networks subjected to earthquakes and other natural hazards, with the goal of achieving community resilience; and (2) equip the earthquake engineering and other extreme-event communities with new tools. This report presents the activities of the Center over the period of July 1,...