Centrifuge modeling of a dry sandy slope response to earthquake loading

This paper presents results of a series of centrifuge models of dry, sandy slopes excited by earthquakes and cyclic waves under 50g centrifugal acceleration to investigate the dynamic performance of slopes. Test results of four model slopes with different profiles stimulated by the adjusted El Centro earthquakes with various peak accelerations reveal the response amplification mechanism of the slope. By calculating the response spectra of recorded acceleration time histories, it was observed that the different frequency contents of the input event were amplified to different degrees. The model slope showed a completely different response under the cyclic wave with a constant frequency and amplitude in that the spectral amplification factor curves had no prominent peak values. These findings suggest that dynamic centrifuge tests excited with a real ground motion are able to better reflect the response characteristics of a slope rather than the tests with cyclic loading.