Fault induced permanent ground deformations—an experimental comparison of wet and dry soil and implications for buried structures

Fault surface ruptures constitute a great risk to human lives, buildings and infrastructure. Despite this few building codes contain risk reducing provisions. Experiments provided results for establishing design rules in terms of possible dislocation and failure strains. Dry and wet soil behave substantially different. A brief discussion on counteracting effects of the wet soil on the interaction between a buried structure and the surrounding ground is included.