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Abstract Ground deformation induced by fault rupture gives a potential threat to the safety of infrastructures，pipe line systems and tunnels. In this paper，two centrifugal tests with different bedrock faulting displacements were conducted to investigate the static permanent responses of a sandy soil overlaying an active normal fault with a dip angle of 90°. Emphasis was placed on the results of engineering concerns：(1) the range of the significant distortion zone；(2) the characteristics of the ground deformation；and (3) the fault rupture propagation pattern in soil. Through analysis of the displacement vector and the deviatoric strain obtained by geotechnical PIV technique，the following conclusions are drawn：(1) the range of significant distortion zone does not increase linearly as the increase in bedrock displacement，especially on the foot wall block；(2) the fault rupture brings more disturbance on the hanging wall side than on the foot wall block；and (3) the fault rupture propagates toward the hanging wall block in a bending line. The propagation angle of the principal fault rupture through soil equals the dilation angle of the soil under the mean confining pressure. When approaching the upper part of stratum，the rupture bends towards the hanging wall block with a larger angle.
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Received: 04 January 2010
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