Shake table test of soil-pile groups-bridge structure interaction in liquefiable ground

<正>This paper describes a shake table test study on the seismic response of low-cap pile groups and a bridge structure in liquefiable ground.The soil profile,contained in a large-scale laminar shear box,consisted of a horizontally saturated sand layer overlaid with a silty clay layer,with the simulated low-cap pile groups embedded.The container was excited in three E1 Centra earthquake events of different levels.Test results indicate that excessive pore pressure(EPP) during slight shaking only slightly accumulated,and the accumulation mainly occurred during strong shaking.The EPP was gradually enhanced as the amplitude and duration of the input acceleration increased.The acceleration response of the sand was remarkably influenced by soil liquefaction.As soil liquefaction occurred,the peak sand displacement gradually lagged behind the input acceleration;meanwhile,the sand displacement exhibited an increasing effect on the bending moment of the pile,and acceleration responses of the pile and the sand layer gradually changed from decreasing to increasing in the vertical direction from the bottom to the top.A jump variation of the bending moment on the pile was observed near the soil interface in all three input earthquake events.It is thought that the shake table tests could provide the groundwork for further seismic performance studies of low-cap pile groups used in bridges located on liquefiable groun.     

Numerical simulation of mitigation of liquefaction seismic risk by preloading and its effects on the performance of structures

The present paper deals with the influence of soil non-linearity, introduced by soil liquefaction, on the soil-foundation–structure interaction phenomena. Numerical simulations are carried out so as to study an improvement method to reduce the liquefaction potential in a sandy soil profile subjected to a shaking. The efficiency of the preloading in both the mitigation of a liquefiable soil and the reduction of induced structure relative settlements is showed. However, the intervention at the foundation soil modifies the dynamic characteristics of soil–structure system and it seems to increase the induced seismic forces during earthquake. In addition, a numerical parametric analysis is performed so as to quantify the impact of the uncertainties associated with the input signal on both the ground motion and the apparition of liquefaction phenomena.     

The Shaking Table Test on the Performance of Cement-mixed Piles in Liquefiable Railway Foundations

Cement-mixed piles, as countermeasure against liquefaction of silt and sand ground, can improve the shear strength and bearing capacity of foundation soil, meaning cement-mixed piles are capable of resisting displacement when an earthquake happens. However, investigations of cement-mixed piles by experimental methods such as the shaking table test is few and far between. It is especially true for the seismic performance of cement-mixed piles in liquefiable railway foundations in high seismic intensity regions. To this end, a cross-section of the Yuxi-Mengzi railway was selected as the prototype and studied by the shaking table test in this study. The results showed that composite foundation of cement-mixed piles was not liquefied when the seismic acceleration was lower than 0.30g. In the process of acceleration increasing from 0.30g at 2Hz to 0.60g at 3Hz, the upper middle silt outside slope toe was partly liquefied. The foundation soil under the shoulders and center of subgrade was far from the initial liquefaction criterion during the test. Cement-mixed piles can effectively reduce the embankment settlement and differential settlement. It can be concluded that, the design of cement-mixed piles can ensure the seismic performance of the subgrade, and satisfy the seismic design requirements of the Yuxi-Mengzi railway in areas of VⅢ degrees seismic fortification intensity.     

Centrifuge modeling of the seismic responses of sand deposits with an intra-silt layer

Three dynamic centrifuge model tests were conducted at an acceleration of 80g to simulate the seismic responses of level sand deposits: an intra-silt layer was embedded in two of these sand deposits at different depths. The effects of a low-permeability intra-silt layer on the build-up and dissipation of excess pore-water pressure, surface settlement, and the related liquefaction mechanism were investigated. An intra-silt layer modifies the seismic response of the sand deposit, reduces the extent of liquefaction, and thus decreases surface settlement. The depth of the intra-silt layer is one of the factors influencing the seismic responses of the sand deposits. The magnitude of the surface settlement is proportional to the degree of liquefaction in the sand deposit. The high positive hydraulic gradients appearing in both the intra-silt layer and in the sand deposit lying on the intra-silt layer can break a thinner or weaker top layer and result in sand boiling. Our visual animation of the ratio of the excess pore-water pressure and the lateral displacement revealed that the liquefaction front travels upward during shaking and the solidification front travels upward after shaking.     

Liquefaction-induced deformation of earthen embankments on non-homogeneous soil deposits under sequential ground motions

Damage of embankments during earthquakes is widely attributed to the liquefaction of foundation soil. Previous studies have investigated the dynamic response of embankments by mainly considering uniform sand foundation and a single earthquake event. However, the foundation of an embankment consists of many sublayers of soil from liquefiable sand to relatively impermeable layer, and during earthquakes a mainshock may trigger numerous aftershocks within a short time which may have the potential to cause additional damage to soil structures. Accordingly, the investigation of liquefaction-induced deformation of earthen embankments on various liquefiable foundation conditions under mainshock–aftershock sequential ground motions is carried out by a series of dynamic centrifuge tests in this study. The liquefiable foundation includes uniform sand profile, continuous layered soil profile, and non-homogeneous soil profiles. Effects of various foundation conditions on embankment deformations are compared and analyzed. From the test results, it is found that the embankment resting on non-homogeneous soil deposits suffer more damage compared to the uniform sand foundation of same relative density. The test results also suggest that the sequential ground motions have a significant effect on the accumulated deformation of embankment.     

双向地震作用下液化水平和倾斜场地-桩基-桥梁结构地震反应的差异研究

根据已经完成的液化侧向扩展场地-群桩基础-上部结构体系大型振动台试验,在有限元软件OpenSees中建立了可液化倾斜场地振动台试验的有限元模型。通过与试验结果对比,验证了数值模型的可靠性。基于此,建立了典型水平和倾斜液化场地-桩基-桥梁结构体系的数值模型,讨论了双向地震作用下水平和倾斜场地体系地震响应的差异,结果表明:相比水平场地,倾斜场地超孔隙水压力在峰值阶段波动幅度更大,土体的侧向位移增加明显,尤其是在饱和砂土中部位置;倾斜场地中桩基础的破坏程度更大,可液化层中部桩基曲率最大可增大约13倍,桩身水平位移显著增加;而水平场地桥墩曲率比倾斜场地桥墩曲率大,建议在液化场地桩基设计中应考虑场地倾斜带来的影响。      

Can ground densification improve seismic performance of the soil‐foundation‐structure system on liquefiable soils?

Over the past few decades, soil densification has been widely employed to reduce the liquefaction hazard or consequences on structures. The decision to mitigate and the design of densification specifications are typically based on procedures that assume free‐field conditions or experience. As a result, the influence of ground densification on the performance of structures and the key mechanisms of soil‐structure interaction remains poorly understood. This paper presents results of four centrifuge tests to evaluate the performance of 3‐ and 9‐story, potentially inelastic structures on liquefiable ground with and without densification. Densification was shown to generally reduce the net excess pore pressures and foundation permanent settlements (although not necessarily to acceptable levels), while amplifying the accelerations on the foundation. The influence of these demands on the performance of the foundation and superstructure depended on the structure's strength and dynamic properties, as well as ground motion characteristics. In addition, densification tended to amplify the moment demand at the beam and column connections, which increased permanent flexural deformations and P‐Δ effects (particularly on the heavier and weaker structure) that could have an adverse effect on foundation rotation. The experimental results presented aim to provide insight into the potential tradeoffs of ground densification, which may reduce foundation permanent settlement, but amplify shaking intensity that can result in larger foundation rotation, flexural drifts, and damage to the superstructure, if not considered in design. These considerations are important for developing performance‐based strategies to design mitigation techniques that improve performance of the soil‐foundation‐structure system in a holistic manner.     

A performance-based approach for design of ground densification to mitigate liquefaction

In performance-based geotechnical earthquake engineering, the required degree and spatial extent of ground densification for mitigation of liquefaction beneath a structure should be determined based on the acceptable levels of performance of foundation. Currently, there is no solution for evaluation of the amount of settlement and tilt of footings constructed on a densified ground which is surrounded by a liquefiable soil. This implies the need for numerical procedures for simulation of seismic behavior of shallow foundations supported on both liquefiable and densified subsoil. In this paper, the dynamic response of shallow foundations on a densified ground is studied using a 3D fully coupled dynamic analysis. For verification of the numerical model, simulation of a series of centrifuge experiments has been carried out and the results were compared with the experimental measurements. After verification of the numerical model, a comprehensive parametric study has been performed to develop a methodology for estimating the effectiveness of subsoil densification in reducing liquefaction-induced settlement of shallow foundations. Range of problem variables were considered in a way that the possibility of bearing capacity failure is low enough. The proposed methodology can be utilized for development of a performance-based design procedure for liquefaction hazard mitigation by soil densification.     

浅基础水平场地砂土液化危害性评价

分析了《建筑抗震设计规范》中砂土液化危害性评价方法的不足,通过确立液化土层在不同震害模式情况下的液化震陷计算值,建立了以震陷值S为指标的浅基础水平场地地基液化危害性评价等级,得到了其评价程序.     

Numerical analysis of liquefaction-induced bearing capacity degradation of shallow foundations on a two-layered soil profile

Earthquake-induced excess pore pressure build-up and the associated shear strength degradation of liquefiable soils may result in bearing capacity degradation and seismic settlement accumulation of shallow foundations, two detrimental effects which need to be taken into account in order to ensure a viable performance-based design. This paper focuses on the first effect, in the case of strip and rectangle footings, resting on a deep liquefiable soil layer overlaid by a thinner non-liquefiable clay crust. A simplified analytical methodology is presented, based on the Meyerhof and Hanna [14] composite failure mechanism and the use of a reduced friction angle for the liquefied sand. The methodology is verified and evaluated against parametric numerical analyses with the Finite Difference Method, applying an advanced bounding surface constitutive model to account for the liquefied sand response. In addition, the existence of a critical clay crust thickness is explored, beyond which subsoil liquefaction does not affect the bearing capacity of the foundation.     

饱和粉土液化特性的大型振动台模型试验研究

京沪高速铁路徐沪段路基的粉土粘粒含量少于1.5%、粉粒含量约为80%,在强烈地震作用下存在着液化可能性.为充分研究这一饱和粉土地层的液化特性,本文作者利用大型地震模拟振动台,进行了模拟自由场地饱和粉土的地震液化模型试验,试验结果再现了自然地震触发的粉土液化的各种宏观震害现象,揭示了饱和粉土的地震液化规律和特征。试验结果为京沪高速铁路徐沪段路基的抗震设计提供了参考依据。     

可液化倾斜场地中桩基动力响应振动台试验研究

为研究倾斜场地中桩基的动力响应,以2011年新西兰地震中受损的Dallington桥为原型,设计并完成可液化倾斜场地桥梁桩-土相互作用的振动台模型试验。试验再现了喷砂、冒水、地裂缝、场地流滑等宏观现象。试验结果表明,土层足够的液化势及惯性是造成倾斜场地侧向流滑的必要条件;浅层土相比深层土更易液化,液化层中的加速度由下至上呈现逐渐衰减的趋势,而未液化砂土层却表现为逐渐增大的特征;深部测点的桩侧土压力明显大于浅部测点,且土体的液化会弱化土对结构的压力;结构应变最大值位于上部桥台,而结构弯矩在桩身中部及土层分界面附近出现两个较大值,桩端嵌固及倾斜场地流滑是造成出现两个弯矩较大值的主要原因。     

2001年昆仑山口西8.1级地震区的冻土及地震破坏特征

通过对2001年昆仑山口西8．1级地震区冻土震害考察研究表明，震区主要存在冰碛、冲积、洪积和湖积等成因的冻土，沿地震破裂带冻土厚度变化较大。震区冻土变形破坏主要包括地震构造成因的地震破裂带和由地震振动引起的裂缝、液化、震陷和崩塌等。冻土中地震破裂带在地表主要以脆性变形为主，在地震断裂左旋走滑运动作用下，主要由剪切裂缝、张裂缝和开裂的挤压鼓包等组成。裂缝、液化、震陷和崩塌等变形破坏的展布特征及其组合形式与震区岩土与环境条件密切相关；本次地震震害具有地震破裂带规模大、有建筑物分布的青藏公路一线地震烈度衰减较快和震害分布受岩土条件影响大等特点。     

Effective stress analyses of liquefaction-induced deformation in river dikes

A series of effective stress analyses is carried out on the seismic performance of river dikes based on the case histories during the 1993 Hokkaido-Nansei-oki and 1995 Hyogoken-Nambu earthquakes in Japan. Seven case histories selected for the analyses involve a crest settlement ranging from none to 2.7 m in the dikes 3–6 m high with evidence of liquefaction at foundation soil. The effective stress model used is based on a multiple shear mechanism and was developed by one of the authors. The soil parameters are evaluated based on the site investigation and laboratory test results. The results of the analyses are basically consistent with the observed performance of the river dikes. In particular, the effective stress model shows a reasonable capability to reproduce the varying degree of settlements depending on the geotechnical conditions of foundation soils beneath the dikes. The analyses also indicate that the effect of a cohesive soil layer mixed with the liquefiable sand layers beneath the dikes can be a primary factor for reducing the liquefaction-induced deformation of dikes.     

Forces acting on bridge abutments over liquefied ground

Large earthquake-induced displacements of a bridge abutment can occur, when the bridge is built on a floodplain or reclaimed area, i.e., liquefiable ground, and crosses a water channel. Seismic responses of a bridge abutment on liquefiable ground are the consequence of complex interactions between the abutment and surrounding soils. Therefore identification of the factors dominating the abutment response is important for the development of simplified seismic design methods. This paper presents the results of dynamic three-dimensional finite element analyses of bridge abutments adjacent to a river dike, including the effect of liquefaction of the underlying ground using earthquake motions widely used in Japan. The analysis shows that conventional design methods may underestimate the permanent abutment displacements unless the following two items are considered: (1) softening of the soil beneath the liquefiable layer, due to cyclic shearing of the soil surrounding the piles, and (2) the forces acting on the side faces of the abutment.     

A case study of damages of the Kandla Port and Customs Office tower supported on a mat–pile foundation in liquefied soils under the 2001 Bhuj earthquake

A case study is presented of the interaction between the bending due to laterally spreading forces and axial-load induced settlement on the piled foundations of the Kandla Port and Customs Tower located in Kandla Port, India, during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake. The 22 m tall tower had an eccentric mass at the roof and was supported on a piled-raft foundation that considerably tilted away as was observed in the aftermath of the earthquake. The soil at the site consists of 10 m of clay overlaid by a 12 m deep sandy soil layer. Post-earthquake investigation revealed the following: (a) liquefaction of the deep sandy soil strata below the clay layer; (b) settlement of the ground in the vicinity of the building; (c) lateral spreading of the nearby ground towards the sea front. The foundation of the tower consists of 0.5 m thick concrete mat and 32 piles. The piles are 18 m long and therefore passes through 10 m of clayey soil and rested on liquefiable soils. Conventional analysis of a single pile or a pile group, without considering the raft foundation would predict a severe tilting and/or settlement of the tower eventually leading to a complete collapse. It has been concluded that the foundation mat over the non-liquefied crust shared a considerable amount of load of the superstructure and resisted the complete collapse of the building.     

Aspects of bridge-ground seismic response and liquefaction-induced deformations

Considerable bridge-ground interaction effects are involved in evaluating the consequences of liquefaction-induced deformations. Due to seismic excitation, liquefied soil layers may result in substantial accumulated permanent deformation of sloping ground near the abutments. Ultimately, global response is dictated by the bridge-ground interaction as an integral system. However, a holistic assessment of such response generally requires a highly demanding full three-dimensional (3D) model of the bridge and surrounding ground. As such, in order to capture a number of the salient involved mechanisms, this study focuses on the longitudinal seismic performance of a simpler idealized configuration, motivated by details of an existing bridge-ground configuration. In this model, a realistic multilayer soil profile is considered with interbedded liquefiable/nonliquefiable strata. The effect of the resulting liquefaction-induced ground deformation is explored. Attention is given to overall deformation of the bridge structure due to lateral spreading in the vicinity of the abutments. The derived insights indicate a need for such global analysis techniques, when addressing the potential hazard of liquefaction and its consequences.     

GIS-based soil liquefaction susceptibility map of Mumbai city for earthquake events

The problem of liquefaction of soil during seismic event is one of the important topics in the field of Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering. Liquefaction of soil is generally occurs in loose cohesionless saturated soil when pore water pressure increases suddenly due to induced ground motion and shear strength of soil decreases to zero and leading the structure situated above to undergo a large settlement, or failure. The failures took place due to liquefaction induced soil movement spread over few square km area continuously. Hence this is a problem where spatial variation involves and to represent this spatial variation Geographic Information System (GIS) is very useful in decision making about the area subjected to liquefaction. In this paper, GIS software GRAM++ is used to prepare soil liquefaction susceptibility map for entire Mumbai city in India by marking three zones viz. critically liquefiable soil, moderately liquefiable soil and non liquefiable soil. Extensive field borehole test data for groundwater depth, standard penetration test (SPT) blow counts, dry density, wet density and specific gravity, etc. have been collected from different parts of Mumbai. Simplified procedure of Youd et al. (2001) is used for calculation of factor of safety against soil liquefaction potential. Mumbai city and suburban area are formed by reclaiming lands around seven islands since 1865 till current date and still it is progressing in the area such as Navi Mumbai and beyond Borivali to Mira road suburban area. The factors of safety against soil liquefaction were determined for earthquake moment magnitude ranging from M_w = 5.0 to 7.5. It is found that the areas like Borivali, Malad, Dahisar, Bhandup may prone to liquefaction for earthquake moment magnitude ranging from M_w = 5.0 to 7.5. The liquefaction susceptibility maps were created by using GRAM++ by showing the areas where the factor of safety against the soil liquefaction is less than one. Proposed liquefaction susceptibility map of Mumbai city can be used by researchers for earthquake hazard analysis, for the preventive measures in disaster management, for urban planning and further development of Mumbai city and suburban area.     

Seismic performance of three-dimensional frame structures with underground stories

This paper investigates the seismic performance of moment-resisting frame steel buildings with multiple underground stories resting on shallow foundations. A parametric study that involved evaluating the nonlinear seismic response of five, ten and fifteen story moment-resisting frame steel buildings resting on flexible ground surface, and buildings having one, three and five underground stories was performed. The buildings were assumed to be founded on shallow foundations. Two site conditions were considered: soil class C and soil class E, corresponding to firm and soft soil deposits, respectively. Vancouver seismic hazard has been considered for this study. Synthetic earthquake records compatible with Vancouver uniform hazard spectrum (UHS), as specified by the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) 2005, have been used as input motion. It was found that soil–structure interaction (SSI) can greatly affect the seismic performance of buildings in terms of the seismic storey shear and moment demand, and the deformations of their structural components. Although most building codes postulate that SSI effects generally decrease the force demand on buildings, but increase the deformation demand, it was found that, for some of the cases considered, SSI effects increased both the force and deformation demand on the buildings. The SSI effects generally depend on the stiffness of the foundation and the number of underground stories. SSI effects are significant for soft soil conditions and negligible for stiff soil conditions. It was also found that SSI effects are significant for buildings resting on flexible ground surface with no underground stories, and gradually decrease with the increase of the number of underground stories.     

A new approach to liquefaction hazard zonation: Application to Laoag City,Northern Philippines

To help mitigate liquefaction hazards in the Philippines, an inexpensive yet effective approach to liquefaction hazard zonation was developed in this study. The proposed approach is also useful in other areas especially where funds for more rigorous procedures may not be available. The approach utilizes the geomorphology-based criteria to identify liquefaction-prone deposits based on geology and grain characteristics, and generate a preliminary liquefaction susceptibility map. Then, microtremor recordings, popularly used in site effect estimation, are gathered to derive qualitative information on the density and thickness of these deposits and generate a site classification map. This latter map is also essentially a ground shaking hazard map in that it shows those areas where thick, soft deposits likely to amplify and prolong the duration of ground motion can be found. Therefore, it also identifies areas where seismic demand can be high that the possibility of liquefaction being triggered is likewise high. Combining the two maps, an integrated liquefaction hazard zonation map is produced which provides not only an improved characterization of the soils’ capacity to resist liquefaction but also integrates qualitative information on the seismic demand on these deposits as well. With information about the relative thickness of the deposits, the severity of potential damage can likewise be inferred from the map since thicker deposits relate to more serious damage. The proposed approach was applied to Laoag City, Northern Philippines, where it was shown to reliably identify areas that are vulnerable to the hazard.