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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Settlements of Mexico City Soil Induced by Cyclic Shear Loading
J. A. Díaz-Rodríguez
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DOI:10.17265/1934-7359/2026.04.004
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Mexico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Intense ground shaking in Mexico City during three large-magnitude earthquakes caused excessive settlement and tilting of many building foundations. Even small differential settlements can significantly affect structural safety. To assess these effects, this paper presents results from cyclic simple shear tests on Mexico City soil samples. First, tests were performed under undrained conditions to evaluate behavior at different cyclic shear stress amplitudes. Second, tests were conducted under drained conditions to investigate the accumulation of vertical strain (cyclic subsidence) in soil specimens subjected to varying shear-stress amplitudes. The results confirm a threshold cyclic shear stress of 0.8, below which shear strain tends toward equilibrium plateaus as the number of cycles increases. The results also indicate that under drained conditions (a) cyclic shear stresses produce immediate vertical strains in Mexico City soil; (b) the magnitude of vertical strain depends on the cyclic shear stress level and the number of cycles; and (c) although the strain amplitudes are smaller than those due to consolidation, they might still cause significant damage to buildings and other structures.
Seismic subsidence, Mexico City, simple shear tests, cyclic loading, vertical strain.
J. A. Díaz-Rodríguez. (2026). Settlements of Mexico City Soil Induced by Cyclic Shear Loading, April 2026, Vol. 20, No. 4, 163-170.
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