Design Consideration

Ground Shaking
Ground shaking is one of the effects of an Earthquake that results when a seismic wave touched the
ground surface. It is needed to consider its motion in the design because once it affects the earth
surface, there can be a possible comings of soil erosion. And when it happened, not only the road
will be affected but also the lives of the people who oversee the damages. It is also the result of
seismic acceleration, seismic velocity and ground displacement. Ground acceleration is how fast the
ground would change its velocity from time to time during an Earthquake. Ground Velocity is how
fast the ground moved and displaced from one place to another. Ground displacement is how far
the ground has been changed its location to a newer one. Those are also responsible in retaining
the capability of the surface to withstand lateral forces. Therefore, it is very important in the design
to know the resisting stresses that the structure would have to resist earthquake forces.

Figure: Groundshaking map of Rizal

(Source: Interactive Map Fault Line of Rizal)

Liquefaction
Soil liquefaction is an effect of an earthquake that will be able to transform the soil into liquid type.
It is very important to consider in the design so that if we have the allowable stresses of soil, in
actual, we can evaluate to have an allowance for the maximum stresses of the soil. This is important
because if the designed structure cannot withstand the lateral pressures acting upon it, say an
Earthquake, all pore water pressure will get to become weaker that will cause for the soil pores to
be open and if water penetrates into it, as much as greater amount of penetration will be done, the
soil would likely to become a quicksand. Therefore, it is important to consider it so that the
structure will remain balanced.
Landslide

Landslide is caused by heavy rains. We have to consider it on the design because rainfall is very
timely. We cannot predict how heavy it is. And if the soil cannot penetrate a balance amount of
water during heavy rains, what will happen is that the soil will be more saturated and the soil will
be weaker to carry pore water stresses that will result to lesser total stress that can withstand the
lateral earth pressures acting upon it. Landslides can occur underwater, called a submarine
landslide, coastal and onshore environments. Although the action of gravity is the primary driving
force for a landslide to occur, there are other contributing factors affecting the original slope
stability. Typically, pre-conditional factors build up specific sub-surface conditions that make the
slope area prone to failure, whereas the actual landslide often requires a trigger before being
released.

Figure: Earthquake-Induced Landslide Map

(Source: Geohazard Map of Rizal)

Rainfall and Rainfall Intensity

Rainfall and Rainfall intensity is another consideration in the design because we cannot
predict the occurrence of a rainfall. Intensities can be measured daily, hourly, monthly and
even annually because it is varying. Therefore, In the design we always consider the
maximum rainfall intensity that can occur at a certain place so that we can provide the
minimum allowable strength of the structure to withstand lateral forces. Rainfall intensity is
defined as the ratio of the total amount of rain (rainfall depth) falling during a given period to
the duration of the period It is expressed in depth units per unit time, usually as mm per
hour (mm/h). The intensity of rainfall is a measure of the amount of rain that falls over time.
The intensity of rain is measured in the height of the water layer covering the ground in a
period of time. It means that if the rain stays where it falls, it would form a layer of a certain
height. We say things like: 30 millimeter of rain fell today or it rained 20 millimeter in two
hours.

Rain-Induced Landslide Hazard Map

(Source: https://www1.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/index.php/flood-hazard-maps#provinces-with-available-1-
10-000-scale-maps)