CPT-based analysis of liquefaction and re-liquefaction following the Canterbury earthquake sequence

The Canterbury region experienced widespread damage due to liquefaction induced by seismic shaking during the 4 September 2010 earthquake and the large aftershocks that followed, notably those that occurred on 22 February, 13 June and 23 December 2011. Following the 2010 earthquake, the Earthquake Commission directed a thorough investigation of the ground profile in Christchurch, and to date, more than 7500 cone penetration tests (CPT) have been performed in the region. This paper presents the results of analyses which use a subset of the geotechnical database to evaluate the liquefaction process as well as the re-liquefaction that occurred following some of the major events in Christchurch. First, the applicability of existing CPT-based methods for evaluating liquefaction potential of Christchurch soils was investigated using three methods currently available. Next, the results of liquefaction potential evaluation were compared with the severity of observed damage, categorised in terms of the land damage grade developed from Tonkin & Taylor property inspections as well as from observed severity of liquefaction from aerial photography. For this purpose, the Liquefaction Potential Index (LPI) was used to represent the damage potential at each site. In addition, a comparison of the CPT-based strength profiles obtained before each of the major aftershocks was performed. The results suggest that the analysis of spatial and temporal variations of strength profiles gives a clear indication of the resulting liquefaction and re-liquefaction observed in Christchurch. The comparison of a limited number of CPT strength profiles before and after the earthquakes seems to indicate that no noticeable strengthening has occurred in Christchurch, making the area vulnerable to liquefaction induced land damage in future large-scale earthquakes.     

1976年唐山大地震CPT液化数据库检验

1976年唐山大地震引发了范围广、灾害重的液化震害。铁道部科学研究院等单位于1977、1978年对液化场地进行了单桥静力触探测试。但单桥静力触探在数据指标方面存在缺陷,与国际标准不接轨。中国地震局工程力学研究所与东南大学等单位于2007年对上述唐山地区部分测点再次进行了孔压静力触探（CPTU）测试。本文通过对比2次静力触探数据,利用Robertson土质分类图,进行新孔压静力触探数据土类分层检验,将土类检验结果与单桥静力触探测试时钻孔柱状图进行对比,发现大部分测点土层土类均能较好对应,现场测试力学指标沿深度变化趋势较相符,仅剔除了错误点T2、T3。对所有测点选定液化层,分别建立基于单桥静力触探测试比贯入阻力p_s和基于孔压静力触探测试锥尖阻力q_c的液化数据库。利用基于静力触探测试（CPT）的我国规范液化判别方法检验了2个数据库,发现对单桥静力触探测试的数据库液化判别效果好,而对孔压静力触探测试的数据库液化判别效果较差,说明经过30年的时间,土层液化可能已发生较大改变。因此,基于孔压静力触探测试的液化数据库可靠性较低,基于该数据库对液化判别方法进行改进意义较小。     

Semi-empirical procedures for evaluating liquefaction potential during earthquakes

Semi-empirical procedures for evaluating the liquefaction potential of saturated cohesionless soils during earthquakes are re-examined and revised relations for use in practice are recommended. The stress reduction factor (r_d), earthquake magnitude scaling factor for cyclic stress ratios (MSF), overburden correction factor for cyclic stress ratios (K_σ), and the overburden normalization factor for penetration resistances (C_N) are discussed and recently modified relations are presented. These modified relations are used in re-evaluations of the SPT and CPT case history databases. Based on these re-evaluations, revised SPT- and CPT-based liquefaction correlations are recommended for use in practice. In addition, shear wave velocity based procedures are briefly discussed.     

Evaluation of CPT-based Liquefaction Procedures at Regional Scale

The liquefaction database describing the response of the Christchurch area in the 2010–2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence (CES) provides a unique basis for evaluating the regional application of various liquefaction analysis procedures, from liquefaction triggering analyses through to liquefaction vulnerability parameters. This database was used to compare the Robertson and Wride [17], Moss et al. [15] and Idriss and Boulanger [7] liquefaction triggering procedures as well as evaluate the impact of the 2014 versus 2008 Cone Penetration Test (CPT)-based liquefaction triggering procedure by Idriss and Boulanger on four liquefaction vulnerability parameters (S_V1D, LPI, LPI_ISH and LSN), the correlation of those parameters with observed liquefaction-induced damage patterns in the CES, and the mapping of expected damage levels for 25, 100 and 500 year return period ground motions in Christchurch. The effects on S_V1D, LPI, LPI_ISH and LSN were small relative to other sources of variability for the majority of the affected areas, particularly where liquefaction was clearly severe or clearly not. Nonetheless, considering the separation of the land damage populations as well as consistency between the events, the the IB-2008 liquefaction triggering procedures appears to give a slightly better fit to the mapped liquefaction-induced land damage for the regional prediction of liquefaction vulnerability for the Christchurch soils. The Boulanger and Idriss [1] triggering procedure produces improved agreement between the liquefaction vulnerability parameters and observations of damage for: areas south of the Central Business District (CBD) where there tends to be higher soil Fines Content (FC), and localized areas that experienced liquefaction during the smaller Magnitude (M) earthquake events. Implementation of the 2014 liquefaction triggering procedure for mapping of expected liquefaction-induced damage at 25, 100 and 500 year return period ground motions is shown to require use of representative Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA)-M values consistent with the de-aggregation of the seismic hazard. Use of equivalent magnitude-scaled PGA-M7.5 pairs, where the equivalency relates to previously published MSF relationships, with the 2014 liquefaction triggering procedure is shown to be unconservative for certain situations.     

饱和黄土场地原位试验及液化势评价

目前,主要依靠室内动力试验对黄土液化势进行评价。由于黄土特殊的结构性,室内试验对其饱和的过程较为复杂,且与实际场地饱和黄土差异明显,导致室内黄土液化试验结果并不能代表现场饱和黄土的抗液化强度。本文选取兰州市西固区寺儿沟村某饱和黄土场地进行钻孔测试,现场实施了标准贯入试验、静力触探试验以及剪切波速测试。应用Robertson的土类指数分类图对该场地不同含水率黄土的土类进行了界定,确定了饱和黄土属于类砂土,有液化势。应用NCEER推荐方法,计算了3组原位试验数据的饱和黄土循环抗力比（CRR）,通过与1976年唐山地震和1999年集集地震液化土CRR对比,得出了饱和黄土抗液化强度很低的结论。     

Comparing liquefaction evaluation methods using penetration-VS relationships

Three methods that follow the general format of the Seed-Idriss simplified procedure for evaluating liquefaction resistance of soils are compared in this paper. They are compared by constructing relationships between penetration resistance and small-strain shear–wave velocity (V_S) implied from cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) curves for the three methods, and by plotting penetration-V_S data pairs. The penetration-V_S data pairs are from 43 Holocene-age sand layers in California, South Carolina, Canada, and Japan. It is shown that the V_S-based CRR curve is more conservative than CRR curves based on the Standard Penetration Test (SPT) and Cone Penetration Test (CPT), for the compiled Holocene data. This result agrees with the findings of a recent probability study where the SPT-, CPT-, and V_S-based CRR curves were characterized as curves with average probability of liquefaction of 31, 50, and 26%, respectively. New SPT- and CPT-based CRR equations are proposed that provide more consistent assessments of liquefaction potential for the Holocene sand layers considered.     

利用qc,D50评价砂土地震液化势研究

本文根据国内外地震液化调查资料，建立了利用双桥静力触探锥头阻力ｑｃ和平均粒径Ｄ５０判别地震液化势的半经验性方法。这种方法对评价地震液化势是颇为有效的。     

Magnitude scaling factors in liquefaction triggering procedures

A revised magnitude scaling factor (MSF) relationship for CPT-based and SPT-based liquefaction triggering analyses is presented in this paper. The revised MSF relationship incorporates functional dependency on the soil characteristics [represented by clean sand equivalent penetration resistances in the present form] as well as on earthquake magnitude. The revisions in MSF are based on the examination of cyclic testing results for a broad range of soil types and densities, analyses of strong ground motion records to develop relationships for the equivalent number of loading cycles for different soil properties, and the synthesis of those results into an MSF relationship suitable for implementation in practice. A separate study [2] showed that use of the revised MSF relationship in CPT-based and SPT-based liquefaction triggering procedures is well-supported by the case history databases. Other factors known to fundamentally influence the MSF are discussed.     

Spatial correlation of shear-wave velocity in the San Francisco Bay Area sediments

Ground motions recorded within sedimentary basins are variable over short distances. One important cause of the variability is that local soil properties are variable at all scales. Regional hazard maps developed for predicting site effects are generally derived from maps of surficial geology; however, recent studies have shown that mapped geologic units do not correlate well with the average shear-wave velocity of the upper 30 m, V_s(30). We model the horizontal variability of near-surface soil shear-wave velocity in the San Francisco Bay Area to estimate values in unsampled locations in order to account for site effects in a continuous manner. Previous geostatistical studies of soil properties have shown horizontal correlations at the scale of meters to tens of meters while the vertical correlations are on the order of centimeters. In this paper we analyze shear-wave velocity data over regional distances and find that surface shear-wave velocity is correlated at horizontal distances up to 4 km based on data from seismic cone penetration tests and the spectral analysis of surface waves. We propose a method to map site effects by using geostatistical methods based on the shear-wave velocity correlation structure within a sedimentary basin. If used in conjunction with densely spaced shear-wave velocity profiles in regions of high seismic risk, geostatistical methods can produce reliable continuous maps of site effects.     

Three-dimensional liquefaction potential analysis using geostatistical interpolation

We applied three-dimensional geostatistical interpolation to evaluate the extent of liquefiable materials at two sites that liquefied during the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. The sites were the Balboa Blvd site and the Wynne Ave. site located in the alluvial San Fernando Valley. The estimated peak ground accelerations at the sites are 0.84 g (Balboa Blvd) and 0.51 g (Wynne Ave.). These sites were chosen because surface effects due to liquefaction were not predicted using available techniques based on thickness and depth of liquefiable layers (Ishihara [Ishihara K. Stability of natural deposits during earthquakes. Proceedings of the 11th international conference on soil mechanics and foundation engineering, vol. 1. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: A.A. Balkema; 1985. p. 321–76.]) and the Liquefaction Potential Index (Iwasaki et al. [Iwasaki T, Tatsuoka F, Tokida K, Yasuda S. A practical method for assessing soil liquefaction potential based on case studies at various sites in Japan. In: Proceedings of the second international conference on microzonation, San Francisco; 1978. p. 885–96.]). During the earthquake, both sites experienced surface effects including ground cracking and extension as a result of liquefaction. Foundations and buried utilities were damaged at both sites. The sites were investigated after the event by researchers with the United States Geologic Survey using standard penetration tests (SPT) and cone penetration tests. In this paper, liquefaction potential was estimated for each soil sample using results from SPTs according to the updated Seed and Idriss simplified procedure. The probability of liquefaction was estimated by applying an indicator transform to the results of the liquefaction potential calculation. We compared our results to detailed geologic mapping of the sites performed by other researchers. Using geostatistical interpolation to estimate the probability of liquefaction is a useful supplement to geologic evaluation of liquefaction potential. The geostatistical analysis provides an estimate of the continuous volume of liquefiable soil along with an assessment of confidence in an interpolation. The probability of liquefaction volumes compare well with those predicted using geologic interpretations.     

Coastal failures during the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake in Turkey

During the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake (M_w=7.4) in Turkey, coastal failures and sea inundation were observed and were particularly concentrated along the margins of Izmit Bay and Lake Sapanca, in pull-apart basins created by stepovers in the fault rupture. Geotechnical site characterization, geologic mapping, liquefaction evaluation, and slope stability analysis were carried out to identify the principal contributing factors of the coastal failures. Results from this study indicate that both liquefaction and tectonic subsidence contributed to the failures and sea inundation within the pull-apart basins. Most of the liquefaction sites were situated at the prograding nose of active delta fans, where the presence of steep slopes coupled with the loose sediments found within young active delta fan deposits resulted in liquefaction-induced slope failures and sea inundation. Liquefaction in other coastal deposits outside the actively prograding delta fans caused limited lateral spreading and only minor sea inundation. Outside the delta fans, where soils were not liquefiable, tectonic subsidence associated with normal faulting was the cause of the observed sea inundation. Generally, tectonic subsidence caused the most severe sea inundation. Based on these observations, the identification of regions susceptible to both tectonic subsidence and liquefaction are important when evaluating seismic hazards.     

区域土壤地震液化预测简化方法

利用可大范围获取的空间参数给出区域土壤液化的评估方法,可预估震前各地区土壤液化可能性,可快速评估震后震区土壤液化情况,对预防减轻地震灾害以及地震快速响应救援都具有重要意义的.本文以我国1976唐山大地震液化调查资料为背景,提出了区域土壤液化预测的四参数简化评估方法,并用2011年新西兰基督城地震进行了检验.选取场地平均剪切波速V s30、复合地形指数CTI、场地到河流的距离DR以及地面峰值加速度PGA,分别代表土壤密实程度、饱水状态、地质年代和遭遇的地震作用大小,并基于我国唐山地震液化区域调查资料生成的样本,运用经典二元Logistic回归方法,建立了区域土壤液化预测模型和评估公式,回归检验结果良好,整体回判成功率为77%,非液化和液化区域成功率分别为73%和78%.将公式应用于评估2011年新西兰基督城地震液化情况,区域液化和非液化成功率分别为82%和88%,总体成功率为84%.以上结果表明本文模型可靠,方法正确,可用于区域土壤液化震前预估以及土壤液化震后快速评估.     

Evaluation of soil liquefaction in the Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake using CPT

During the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake, many sand boiling phenomena were observed in central Taiwan, which caused severe ground settlement and structure damages. According to the installed accelerograms, the peak ground surface horizontal accelerations in the liquefaction-affected areas range from 774.42 to 121.3 gal. The writers carried out an extensive investigation of soil liquefaction in this earthquake. In this paper, we present results of the CPT exploration and post-earthquake liquefaction analysis. Two hundred and seventy five (275) cone penetration test data were collected from the liquefaction-affected areas, and 46 liquefaction case histories and 88 non-liquefaction case histories were derived that can be used to evaluate the accuracy of existing liquefaction evaluation models. In addition, the strength of the liquefied soils after earthquake and the implication of its liquefaction potential in the future event are discussed.     

Documentation of soil conditions at liquefaction and non-liquefaction sites from 1999 Chi–Chi (Taiwan) earthquake

The 1999 Chi–Chi, Taiwan, earthquake provides case histories of ground failure and non-ground failure that are valuable to the ongoing development of liquefaction susceptibility, triggering and surface manifestation models because the data occupy sparsely populated parameter spaces (i.e. high cyclic stress ratio and high fines content with low to moderate soil plasticity). In this paper, we document results from several large site investigation programs conducted in Nantou, Wufeng and Yuanlin, Taiwan. The seismic performance of the investigated sites include non-ground failure building and free-field sites, building sites with partial foundation bearing failures, free-field lateral spread sites, and free-field level ground sites with sediment boils. Field and laboratory investigation protocols for the sites are described, including cone penetration testing (some with pore pressure and shear wave velocity measurements) and rotary wash borings with standard penetration testing (including energy measurements). Implications of the SPT energy measurements with respect to established guidelines for the estimation of SPT energy ratio (including short rod corrections) are presented. Finally, data for three example sites are shown that illustrate potential applications of the data set, and which also demonstrate a condition where existing liquefaction analysis procedures fail to predict the observed field performance.     

Non-linear site response simulations in Chang-Hwa region during the 1999 Chi–Chi earthquake, Taiwan

The destructive 1999 Chi–Chi earthquake (M_w 7.5) was the largest inland earthquake in Taiwan in the 20th century. Several observations witness the non-linear seismic soil response in sediments during the earthquake. In fact, large settlements as well as evidence of liquefaction attested by sand boils and unusual wet ground surface were observed at some sites. In this paper, we present a seismic response simulation performed with CyberQuake software on a site located within the Chang-Hwa Coastal Industrial Park during the 1999 Chi–Chi earthquake in Taiwan. A non-linear multi-kinematic dynamic constitutive model is implemented in the software. Computed NS, EW and UP ground accelerations obtained with this model under undrained and two-phase assumptions, are in good agreement with the corresponding accelerations recorded at seismic station TCU117, either for peak location, amplitudes or frequency content. In these simulations, liquefaction occurs between depths 1.3 and 11.3 m, which correspond to the observed range attested by in place penetration tests and other liquefaction analyses. Moreover, the computed shear wave velocity profile is very close to post-earthquake shear wave velocity profile derived from correlations with CPT and SPT data. Finally, it is shown that in non-linear computations, even though a 1D geometry is considered, it is necessary to take into account the three components of the input motion.     

CPT site characterization for seismic hazards in the New Madrid seismic zone

A series of cone penetration tests (CPTs) were conducted in the vicinity of the New Madrid seismic zone in central USA for quantifying seismic hazards, obtaining geotechnical soil properties, and conducting studies at liquefaction sites related to the 1811–1812 and prehistoric New Madrid earthquakes. The seismic piezocone provides four independent measurements for delineating the stratigraphy, liquefaction potential, and site amplification parameters. At the same location, two independent assessments of soil liquefaction susceptibility can be made using both the normalized tip resistance (q_c1N) and shear wave velocity (V_s1). In lieu of traditional deterministic approaches, the CPT data can be processed using probability curves to assess the level and likelihood of future liquefaction occurrence.     

Seismically induced landslide at Degirmendere Nose, Izmit Bay during Kocaeli (Izmit)-Turkey earthquake

This paper presents a study on the analyses of seismically induced landslide at Degirmendere Nose during the 1999 Kocaeli (Izmit)-Turkey earthquake. The paper discusses: (1) observed ground deformations and displacements after the earthquake, (2) the results of field investigations by means of borings and in situ index tests including standard penetration tests, static cone penetration tests (CPT) and piezocone tests, (3) analyses of observed landslide mechanisms by a suite of methods and (4) potential effects of soil liquefaction rupture on the observed landslide mechanism.     

Assessing CPT-based methods for liquefaction evaluation with emphasis on the cases from the Chi-Chi, Taiwan, earthquake

In the early morning (1:47 Taiwan time) of September 21, 1999, the largest earthquake of the century in Taiwan (M_w=7.6, M_L=7.3) struck this island country. The earthquake killed more than 2400 people and caused great destruction to buildings, bridges, dams, highways, and railways. One of the causes for heavy damages to the structures is soil liquefaction and ground settlement during the earthquake. In this paper, investigation of soil liquefaction and case histories of liquefaction are presented. Three CPT-based simplified methods, the Robertson method, the Olsen method, and the Juang method, are examined using the case histories derived from the Chi-Chi earthquake. The results of the comparison show that the Juang method is more accurate than the two methods in predicting liquefaction potential of soils based on the cases derived from the Chi-Chi earthquake, although all three methods are quite comparable in accuracy.     

Comparison of SPT and <Emphasis Type="Italic">V</Emphasis><Subscript>s</Subscript>-based liquefaction analyses: a case study in Erciş (Van,Turkey)

Liquefaction which is one of the most destructive ground deformations occurs during an earthquake in saturated or partially saturated silty and sandy soils, which may cause serious damages such as settlement and tilting of structures due to shear strength loss of soils. Standard (SPT) and cone (CPT) penetration tests as well as the shear wave velocity (V _s)-based methods are commonly used for the determination of liquefaction potential. In this research, it was aimed to compare the SPT and V _s-based liquefaction analysis methods by generating different earthquake scenarios. Accordingly, the Erci? residential area, which was mostly affected by the 2011 Van earthquake (M _w = 7.1), was chosen as the model site. Erci? (Van, Turkey) and its surroundings settle on an alluvial plain which consists of silty and sandy layers with shallow groundwater level. Moreover, Çald?ran, Erci?–Kocap?nar and Van Fault Zones are the major seismic sources of the region which have a significant potential of producing large magnitude earthquakes. After liquefaction assessments, the liquefaction potential in the western part of the region and in the coastal regions nearby the Lake Van is found to be higher than the other locations. Thus, it can be stated that the soil tightness and groundwater level dominantly control the liquefaction potential. In addition, the lateral spreading and sand boiling spots observed after the 23rd October 2011 Van earthquake overlap the scenario boundaries predicted in this study. Eventually, the use of V _s-based liquefaction analysis in collaboration with the SPT results is quite advantageous to assess the rate of liquefaction in a specific area.     

Liquefaction-induced ground deformations at Hotel Sapanca during Kocaeli (Izmit),Turkey earthquake

This paper presents a study of liquefaction-induced ground deformations at the Hotel Sapanca site during the 1999 Kocaeli (Izmit)—Turkey earthquake. The paper discusses: (1) observed ground deformations and displacements after the earthquake, (2) the results of field investigations by means of borings and in situ index tests including standard penetration tests (SPT), static cone penetration tests (CPT) and piezocone (CPTU) tests, (3) analyses of observed ground settlements and lateral deformations by a suite of methods, and (4) comparisons of observed and calculated ground movements.