Centrifuge model tests on liquefaction-induced settlement and pore water migration in non-homogeneous soil deposits

This paper presents the results of dynamic centrifuge model tests conducted to investigate the liquefaction mechanism in non-homogeneous soil deposits. Four types of model tests were conducted: one model test involved a uniform soil deposit; one involved continuous layered soil deposit; and two involved discontinuous layered soil deposits. Non-homogeneity in the tests was incorporated by including periodically distributed discontinuous silty sand patches. It was found that more excess pore water pressure (EPWP) remains for a longer period of time in the discontinuous region in non-homogeneous soil deposits compared with the continuous layered and uniform soil deposits. The generation of pore water pressure ceases the supply of a new mass of water after seismic excitation; therefore the dissipation of EPWP becomes the dominant factor for settlement after seismic excitation. The rapid dissipation of EPWP through the discontinuous part in the non-homogeneous soil deposits manifests as a larger settlement in the discontinuous part, causing non-uniform settlements.     

Effect of non-plastic silt content on the liquefaction behavior of sand–silt mixture

To identify the effect of non-plastic silt on the cyclic behavior of sand–silt mixtures, total sixty undrained cyclic triaxial stress-control tests were carried out on sand–silt mixtures. These tests were conducted on specimens of size 71 mm diameter and 142 mm height with a frequency of 1 Hz. Specimens were prepared at a constant relative density and constant density approach. The effect of relative density, confining pressure as well as magnitude of cyclic loading was also studied. For a constant relative density (D_r=60%) the effect of limiting silt content, pore pressure response and cyclic strength was observed. The rate of generation of excess pore water pressure with respect to cycles of loading was found to initially increase with increase in silt content till the limiting silt content and thereafter it reverses its trend when the specimens were tested at a constant relative density. The cyclic resistance behavior was observed to be just opposite to the pore pressure response. Permeability, CRR and secant shear modulus decreased till limiting silt content; after that they became constant with increasing silt content.     

The effect of plastic fines on the pore pressure generation characteristics of saturated sands

Pore water pressure generation during earthquake shaking initiates liquefaction and affects the shear strength, shear stiffness, deformation, and settlement characteristics of soil deposits. The effect of plastic fines (kaolinite) on pore pressure generation in saturated sands was studied through strain-controlled cyclic triaxial tests. In addition to pore pressure generation, this experimental study also focused on evaluating the threshold shear strain for pore pressure generation and the volumetric compressibility of specimens during pore pressure dissipation. The results reveal that specimens having up to 20% plastic fines content generated larger values of pore water pressure than clean sand specimens. At 30% fines content, the excess pore water pressure decreased below that of clean sand. The threshold shear strain, which indicates the strain level above which pore pressures begin to generate, was assessed for different kaolinite–sand mixtures. The threshold shear strain was similar for 0–20% fines (γ_t0.006–0.008%), but increased to about 0.025% for 30% fines. The volumetric compressibility, measured after pore pressure generation, was similar for all specimens. The transition of behavior at fines contents between 20% and 30% can be attributed to a change in the soil structure from one dominated by sand grains to one dominated by fines.     

Boundary effects of a laminar container in centrifuge shaking table tests

Two dynamic centrifuge model tests were performed to simulate dry or saturated sand deposits subjected to 1 Hz base shaking. This experimental study investigated the boundary effects of a laminar container on the seismic response acquired from accelerometers and from pore pressure transducers, both of which were embedded in the sand bed at various depths and distances from the end walls. Under the tested configurations and the employed input motion used in the study, the test results revealed minimal boundary effects on the seismic responses. The measured maximum amplitude, main frequencies, phase lags of acceleration, and the profiles of the calculated RMS acceleration amplification factor were not affected by the boundaries if the instruments were positioned at a distance of more than one-twentieth of the model length from the end walls and were not positioned on the ground surface. No obvious discrepancies were observed in the time histories of excess pore water pressure, measured at a distance of one-fourth of the model length from the end walls. These results infer that variations in the seismic response at the end walls were minimal; hence the laminar container used in the study may be used effectively to simulate 1D shear wave propagation in centrifuge shaking table tests. However, for other testing configurations, a similar study should be undertaken for evaluating the boundary effect of the laminar container on the seismic responses.     

Excess pore pressure dissipation and solidification after liquefaction of saturated sand deposits

To understand the post-liquefaction behavior of liquefied ground, it is important to get a better understanding and a more suitable characterization of the variation of excess pore pressure after liquefaction. In this paper, the soil permeability is considered as one of the key soil parameters for clarifying the mechanism of post-liquefaction behavior of liquefied ground. For this reason, a series of shaking table tests were conducted for a Toyoura sand deposit with different soil permeability values. Polymer fluid was used in model tests to vary the permeability of sand deposits. Excess pore pressures and settlements were measured in each test. A basic mechanism in post-liquefaction behavior and the solidification phenomenon after liquefaction were discussed based on these test results. Also, a new method for predicting the dissipation of excess pore pressure was developed. This study provides evidence of the important effect of soil permeability on the velocity with which the solidification front moves upward in liquefied ground. It is suggested that the value of coefficient of permeability of liquefied sand can increase to about 4.0 times the initial value. This variation of permeability after liquefaction should be taken into account in post-liquefaction analysis.     

Evolution of the shear wave velocity during shaking modeled in centrifuge shaking table tests

Two in-flight shear wave velocity measurement systems were developed to perform the subsurface exploration of shear wave velocity in a centrifuge model. The bender elements test and the pre-shaking test used in the study provided reliable and consistent shear wave velocity profiles along the model depth before and after shaking in the centrifuge shaking table tests. In addition, the use of the bender elements measurement system particularly developed here allowed continuous examination of the evolution of shear wave velocity not only during and after the shaking periods in the small shaking events but also during the dissipation period of excess pore water pressure after liquefaction in the large shaking events. The test results showed that the shear wave velocity at different values of excess pore water pressure ratio varied as the effective mean stress to the power of 0.27, to a first approximation. Consequently, a relationship between the shear wave velocity evolution ratio and the excess pore water pressure ratio is proposed to evaluate the changes in shear wave velocity due to excess pore water generation and dissipation during shaking events. This relation will assist engineers in determining the shear stiffness reduction ratio at various r_u levels when a sand deposit is subjected to different levels of earthquake shaking.     

Propagation of seismic waves through liquefied soils

To predict the earthquake response of saturated porous media it is essential to correctly simulate the generation, redistribution, and dissipation of excess pore water pressure during and after earthquake shaking. To this end, a reliable numerical tool requires a dynamic, fully coupled formulation for solid–fluid interaction and a versatile constitutive model. Presented in this paper is a 3D finite element framework that has been developed and utilized for this purpose. The framework employs fully coupled dynamic field equations with a u–p–U formulation for simulation of pore fluid and solid skeleton interaction and a SANISAND constitutive model for response of solid skeleton. After a detailed verification and validation of the formulation and implementation of the developed numerical tool, it is employed in the seismic response of saturated porous media. The study includes examination of the mechanism of propagation of the earthquake-induced shear waves and liquefaction phenomenon in uniform and layered profiles of saturated sand deposits.     

Current state of research on flow failure considering void redistribution in liquefied deposits

In liquefied ground, lateral flow is sometimes much larger than surface settlement and may exceed several meters even in a gentle slope of less than a few percent. It occurs not only during but also after earthquake shaking. Conventional laboratory soil tests using uniform sand cannot reproduce this phenomenon. Its mechanism is still poorly understood. In this paper, there is a major focus on the mechanism involving void redistribution or water film effects in layered sand deposits using recent findings obtained by different researchers on void redistribution and the associated lateral flow movement that potentially occurs in layered sand deposits. 1G shake table tests, 1D tube tests, torsional simple shear tests, in situ soil investigations, case history studies, etc. are used to develop an understanding of the lateral flow mechanism during liquefaction. Some of the major findings are; sand deposits in the field consist of sublayers with different particle sizes and permeability and readily develop water films by post-liquefaction void redistribution at sublayer boundaries. The water films may have served as sliding surfaces for large flow during the 1964 Niigata earthquake without the constraint of the dilatancy effect because the water films serve as shear stress isolators. The potential of this type of flow failure will be high for loose sand with relative density around 40% or less.     

Cyclic undrained behavior of silty sand

Laboratory cyclic triaxial tests were performed to investigate the effect of fine content on the pore pressure generation in sand. Strain-controlled, consolidated undrained tests have been performed with a cyclic shear strain range of 0·015-1·5%. These tests were carried to 1000 cycles or to initial liquefaction, which ever occurred first. Triaxial tests were performed on pure sand silt specimens and specimens with silt additions of 10, 20, 30, and 60% by weight. Two types of silt, a non-plastic silt and a low plasticity silt (PI 10) were used as control materials. The main parameters varied in this study were the amount of silt, the plasticity index of silt, and the void ratio where the observed parameter was the pore pressure generation. For all silt contents, silt plasticity and the number of loading cycles have no significant effect at strain levels below 0·01%. Therefore, threshold strain for silty sands have approximately the same value as sands. For both non-plastic and low plasticity silts, there is a significant increase in the generated pore pressure at high strain levels.     

Clogging of saturated porous media by silt‐sized suspended solids under varying physical conditions during managed aquifer recharge

Managed aquifer recharge is an effective method for utilizing excess flood flows, but clogging of porous media is a limiting factor in the implementation of this water storage technique. In recent years, much research on the physical clogging of porous media during artificial recharge has been conducted. However, the understanding of clogging due to silt‐sized suspended solids (SS) is still inadequate, especially under varying physical conditions. Here, we subjected sand columns to controlled rates of flow and SS suspensions to investigate the influence of media size, SS size, SS concentration, and flow velocity on the clogging of porous media by silt‐sized SS. The results show that the diameter ratio of SS particles to sand grains is the dominant factor influencing the position of physical clogging. As pore velocity increased, the mobility of silt‐sized SS was enhanced and retention in the porous media decreased noticeably. The spatial retention profiles in the porous media were found to vary greatly at different flow velocities. The SS concentration of the infiltrating suspension also dramatically influenced the mobility and deposition of silt‐sized SS particles, such that high concentrations accelerated the clogging process. As the different physical factors changed, the breakthrough curves and retention profiles of silt‐sized SS particles changed obviously and the mechanisms of retention differed. On the whole, clogging position is mainly determined by particle size ratio, but clogging rate is dominated by a variety of factors including particle size ratio, SS concentration, and flow velocity.     

黄河三角洲粉土液化的试验研究

在野外自然地理和地质调查的基础上，以黄河地区可液化场地粉土为研究对象，利用室内动三轴和振动柱试验进行测定，分析了动荷载作用下粉土的动应力应变关系并模拟了地震荷载作用下粉土的孔压响应及抗液化强度，得出了液化破坏标准，提出了原状粉土的振动孔压上升模型。对试验结果进行分析发现，随着粘粒含量的增加，粉砂、粉土、粉质粘土、粘土达到相同剪应变所需的动剪应力也依次增加；粉土孔压比0．68、粉砂土孔压比0．87作为液化破坏开始的标志；粉土发生液化所需的循环应力比大于砂土。这些研究为以后建立适合本地区的饱和地基土地震破坏判别方法提供了参数和依据。     

可液化地基土三维地震响应分析

编制完全耦合的三维排水有效应力动力反应分析程序，对可液化地基进行三维地震响应分析，探讨了不同土性参数、不同土层构成和不同附加压重等因素对可液化地基抗液化性能的影响。结果表明：在地震荷载作用下，天然饱和砂土地基中的超孔隙水压力随深度的增大而增大；在不同深度处，超孔压峰值到达的时刻比地震加速度峰值到达的时刻要晚；随输入地震加速度的减弱，深层处的超孔压开始消散或基本保持不变，浅层处的超孔压保持不变或略有上升，这一现象与土性参数、输入地震荷载的情况等因素有关；土性参数对土体本身的抗液化性能有重要影响，初始孔隙比越小，相对密度越大，土体的抗液化能力越强；附加压重有利于地基抗液化能力的提高；随着附加压重的增大，超孔压比减小；附加压重对地基中超孔隙水压力的增长有明显的抑制作用。     

A numerical investigation into effects of single and multiple frequency earthquake motions

During dynamic centrifuge modelling for earthquakes there is a decision to be made about the type of base input motion that should be imparted to the soil model. Motions can either be a tone burst of single frequency or a multi-frequency event simulating a real earthquake. In this paper a series of numerical analyses is reported which endeavours to capture the effects of loading rate on liquefiable soil. Non-linear dynamic finite element analysis in terms of effective stress was carried out using the FE code SWANDYNE. The numerical model was subjected to four types of input motion. Results are presented in terms of excess pore pressure ratios for different frequencies. It was seen that the interplay between frequency content of the seismic motion and generation of excess pore pressure could change the dynamic response of a system. It was concluded that simplicity of the input motion leads to a soil response that is less difficult to analyse.     

Uplift response of buried pipelines in saturated sand deposit under earthquake loading

Pipelines buried in saturated sand deposits, during earthquake loading could damage from resulting uplift due to excess pore water pressure generation. Several studies have been made to better understand the uplift mechanism and evaluate the effectiveness of mitigating techniques through experiment, but little numerical works have been done to assess the influence of soil properties and field conditions in pipeline floatation. Especially for previously buried pipelines, in order to set the priority for seismic retrofit, evaluating the risk of floatation in each region could be a concern. In this paper, effects of several parameters including dilatancy angle and density ratio of natural soil, diameter and burial depth of pipe, underground water table and thickness of the saturated soil layer on uplift of pipe have been investigated. Results show the prominent role of burial depth in pipe response and that there exits an optimum level for drop of water table to reduce floatation.     

Resonance vibration approach in soil densification: laboratory experiences and numerical simulation

This paper describes the improvement effect and mechanism of strengthening a liquefied sand foundation using the cross-vibration wing resonance method,through an indoor model test and numerical simulation.The results obtained from the model test showed that a vertical drainage tube was formed during vibration compaction,and finally a crater with a depth of 40 mm and a radius of 150 mm was formed with sloping sides.The sand layer obtained a good improvement effect after resonance vibration,especially in the middle-lower sand deposit.The variation in excess pore water pressure showed different behavior in three stages of the vibration process,and the value after treatment was less than before with a decrease of 18.81%.The vibration energy in the horizontal direction gradually decreased to zero,however the absorption of vibration energy of the soil presented obvious nonuniformity along the depth direction.The results of the numerical simulation were similar to the model test results,including the scope and variation of pore water pressure,and the ground settlement after treatment.     

沙土在孔隙水注入实验中渗透剪切破坏

前人曾指出液化后伴随着超孔隙水压重新分配的渗透会引起流体破坏的可能性。为了研究这一现象,利用实验室三轴试验将孔隙水注入土壤检测了土壤的渗透剪切破坏。该实验是在各项异性的固结作用后保持差应力,使用孔隙水控制装置在体积不变的应变控制条件下将孔隙水注入。实验中所用的材料是在1995年神户地震时被液化的常规洁净细砂和风化的花岗岩土壤。本文以实验结果为基础,讨论了由孔隙水注入引起的渗透剪切破坏判据和导致后液化行为的剪切应变发展特征。     

Experimental investigation on fluid characteristics of medium dense saturated fine sand in pre- and post-liquefaction

Liquefaction of saturated loose sand is a major cause of extensive damage to buildings and infrastructures during large earthquakes. A better understanding of the behaviour of liquefied soil is becoming increasingly necessary to mitigate earthquake damage, and the fluid method has become an increasingly popular means to study the behaviour of liquefied soils. The purpose of this study is to determine the fluid characteristics of liquefied fine sand. In this paper, the apparent viscosity was measured as an index of fluid characteristics using the shaking table tests of pre-liquefaction behaviour of saturated fine sand at approximately 45 % relative density; the relationship of apparent viscosity and shear strain rate on liquefying fine sand was indicated as a power-law shear-thinning non-Newtonian fluid; and liquefying fine sand has the alternating behaviour of shear dilatancy and compressibility during cyclic loading. Additionally, a series of a monotonic axial compression loading tests in an undrained manner were performed to measure the shear stress and excess pore pressure ratio relationship on the post-liquefaction saturated fine sand at approximately 50 % relative density. The fluid characteristics of post-liquefaction fine sand exhibits rate dependence and can be described by a combined fluid model of time-independent and time-dependent power-law functions; the time-independent viscous resistance is not relevant to the excess pore pressure ratio; but the time-dependent frictional resistance is closely related to the excess pore pressure ratio. Furthermore, the results of the verification tests demonstrate that the proposed fluid model has good applicability for the fluid behaviour of the post-liquefaction fine sand.     

Sand fabric evolution effects on drain design for liquefaction mitigation

This paper revisits the seminal work of Seed and Booker (1977) [21] on the design of infinitely permeable drains for liquefaction mitigation. It is shown that their basic mathematical assumption for the rate of earthquake-induced excess pore pressure generation overlooks sand fabric evolution effects during cyclic loading and eventually leads to underestimation of the drain effectiveness. This is because such effects cause peak excess pore pressures to be attained at the early stages of partially drained shaking, followed by a gradual attenuation even if shaking continues undiminished, a response feature not predicted by the original formulation. In addition, special emphasis is given to the analytical relation describing the excess pore pressure build-up until liquefaction in undrained tests. This relation was considered unique in the original work, for reasons of simplicity, thus neglecting sand fabric evolution effects that may differentiate it for various sands, densities and loading conditions. Hence, a revised analytical formulation is proposed, which takes into account both above effects of sand fabric evolution. The paper provides a quantitative assessment of their influence on drain effectiveness and establishes a new set of charts for drain design. Experimental measurements from shaking table tests, as well as robust numerical simulations are shown, which underline the necessity for the revised solution and design charts.     

Stone columns as liquefaction countermeasure in non-plastic silty soils

In many cases densification with vibro-stone columns cannot be obtained in non-plastic silty soils. Shear stress re-distribution concepts [1] have been previously proposed as means to assess stone columns as a liquefaction countermeasure in such non-plastic silty soils. In this study, centrifuge testing is conducted to assess the performance of this liquefaction countermeasure. Attention is focused on exploring the overall site stiffening effects due to the stone column placement rather than the drainage effects. The response of a saturated silt stratum is analyzed under base dynamic excitation conditions. In a series of four separate model tests, this stratum is studied first without, then with stone columns, as a free-field situation, and with a surface foundation surcharge. The underlying mechanism and effectiveness of the stone columns are discussed based on the recorded dynamic responses. Effect of the installed columns on excess pore pressures and deformations is analyzed and compared. The test results demonstrate that stone columns can be an effective technique in the remediation of liquefaction induced settlement of non-plastic silty deposits particularly under shallow foundations, or vertical effective stresses larger than about 45 kPa (1000 psf) in free field conditions.     

含微生物气泡高饱和砂土循环三轴剪切CFD-DEM模拟

为探究砂土液化的微观机理,根据室内试验中微生物反硝化反应气泡的生成速率,建立数值模拟的时效性关系,分别制取微生物处理0天、2天、3天和5天的高饱和砂土试样,采用CFD-DEM耦合方法模拟不同工况下砂土试样的循环三轴不排水剪切试验。依据砂土试样的力链分布、抗液化振次、孔压比、轴向应变和力学配位数在加载过程中的变化情况,从宏微观角度分析砂土试样的抗液化能力。模拟结果表明:含微生物气泡高饱和砂土的抗液化强度较饱和砂土有所提升;随着微生物处理时间的增加,砂土试样的饱和度降低,孔压比和轴向应变的累积变慢,抗液化能力增强。