A photograph of a pile of bricks from the earthquake-damaged building at 158 Gloucester Street.
A photograph of a pile of bricks from the earthquake-damaged building at 158 Gloucester Street.
A photograph of a pile of bricks from the earthquake-damaged St Paul's-Trinity-Pacific Church.
A photograph of a pile of bricks from the former City Council Offices on Manchester Street.
A pile of demolition rubble on Gloucester Street. The site was formerly that of the Brannigans building.
A pile of demolition rubble on Gloucester Street. The site was formerly that of the Brannigans building.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch Earthquake. Damage in Dallington. Cardboard sign on liquefaction silt pile reads 'Free'".
A photograph of a pile of rubble from the demolished Wood's Mill grain silo on Wise Street.
Building rubble from a partially-demolished building is piled behind and partly against a large display window.
A pile of brick in front a damaged building in Christchurch central. The site grounds are overgrown.
Looking through the cordon fence, a pile of brick in front a damaged building in Christchurch central.
The ground of The Pump House in Linwood. A pile of brick sits next to the damage brick wall.
Detail of a pile of rubble fallen from a building on the corner of Colombo and Brougham Streets.
Silt from liquefaction outside the Merivale Mall. A pile of carpet pieces sit in front of the mall.
A car damaged by falling bricks, evident by the pile of bricks still on top of the car.
The Parkbridge apartment complex has been taped off. A pile of bricks can be seen inside the property grounds.
A photograph of the partially-demolished City Council Civic Offices on Manchester Street with a pile of rubble infront.
A photograph of the partially-demolished City Council Civic Offices on Manchester Street with a pile of rubble infront.
A photograph of the partially-demolished City Council Civic Offices on Manchester Street with a pile of rubble infront.
Detail of some deconstruction work on the Crowne Plaza Hotel, close up with a digger on a pile of demolition rubble.
The Mw 6.2 February 22nd 2011 Christchurch earthquake (and others in the 2010-2011 Canterbury sequence) provided a unique opportunity to study the devastating effects of earthquakes first-hand and learn from them for future engineering applications. All major events in the Canterbury earthquake sequence caused widespread liquefaction throughout Christchurch’s eastern suburbs, particularly extensive and severe during the February 22nd event. Along large stretches of the Avon River banks (and to a lesser extent along the Heathcote) significant lateral spreading occurred, affecting bridges and the infrastructure they support. The first stage of this research involved conducting detailed field reconnaissance to document liquefaction and lateral spreading-induced damage to several case study bridges along the Avon River. The case study bridges cover a range of ages and construction types but all are reinforced concrete structures which have relatively short, stiff decks. These factors combined led to a characteristic deformation mechanism involving deck-pinning and abutment back-rotation with consequent damage to the abutment piles and slumping of the approaches. The second stage of the research involved using pseudo-static analysis, a simplified seismic modelling tool, to analyse two of the bridges. An advantage of pseudo-static analysis over more complicated modelling methods is that it uses conventional geotechnical data in its inputs, such as SPT blowcount and CPT cone resistance and local friction. Pseudo-static analysis can also be applied without excessive computational power or specialised knowledge, yet it has been shown to capture the basic mechanisms of pile behaviour. Single pile and whole bridge models were constructed for each bridge, and both cyclic and lateral spreading phases of loading were investigated. Parametric studies were carried out which varied the values of key parameters to identify their influence on pile response, and computed displacements and damages were compared with observations made in the field. It was shown that pseudo-static analysis was able to capture the characteristic damage mechanisms observed in the field, however the treatment of key parameters affecting pile response is of primary importance. Recommendations were made concerning the treatment of these governing parameters controlling pile response. In this way the future application of pseudo-static analysis as a tool for analysing and designing bridge pile foundations in liquefying and laterally spreading soils is enhanced.
A residential property that has been damaged by the earthquakes. Next to it is pile of building rubble and bits of furniture.
A residential property that has been damaged by the earthquakes. Next to it is pile of building rubble and bits of furniture.
A fallen chimney on Derby Street has left a pile of bricks on the roof of the house and damaged the fence.
Damaged house on Chester St East with the windows boarded up. There is also a pile of bricks in front of the house.
A damaged property that has been fenced off with tape and road cones. A pile of building rubble sits beside the house.
The Chalice in Cathedral Square with a crane and the BNZ building in the background. A pile of rubble can be seen on the left.
Damage to the Mona Vale Homestead which has been cordoned off. Building rubble has been sorted and piled in front of the building, behind the fence.
Damage to the Mona Vale Homestead which has been cordoned off. Building rubble has been sorted and piled in front of the building, behind the fence.
A view of the corner at the intersection of Derby and Stoneyhurst Streets. In the background a pile of brick rubble can be seen on the footpath.