TECHNICAL PAPERS
May 15, 2009

Correcting Liquefaction Resistance for Aged Sands Using Measured to Estimated Velocity Ratio

Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 6

Abstract

Factors for correcting liquefaction resistance for aged sands using ratios of measured to estimated shear-wave velocity (MEVR) are derived in this paper. Estimated values of shear-wave velocity (VS) are computed for 91 penetration resistance- VS data pairs using previously published relationships. Linear regression is performed on values of MEVR and corresponding average age. Age of the sand layer is taken as the time between VS measurements and initial deposition or last critical disturbance. It is found that MEVR increases by a factor of about 0.08 per log cycle of time, and time equals about 6years on average when MEVR equals 1 for the recommended penetration resistance- VS relationships. The resulting regression equation is combined with the strength gain equation reported by Hayati et al. 2008 in “Proc., Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics IV,” to produce a MEVR versus deposit resistance correction relationship. This new corrective relationship is applied to create liquefaction resistance curves based on VS , standard penetration test blow count, and cone tip resistance for sands of various ages (or MEVRs). Because age of natural soil deposits is usually difficult to accurately determine, MEVR appears to be a promising alternative.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. NSFCMS-0556006. Previous support for data compilation was provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Department of the Interior under USGS Award Nos. UNSPECIFIED01HQGR007 and UNSPECIFIED05HQGR0037, and by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under SCDOT Research Project UNSPECIFIEDNo. 623. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF, USGS, SCDOT, or FHWA. The writers express their sincere thanks to these organizations, as well as to the many individuals who generously assisted with data compilation. In particular, T. L. Holzer, M. J. Bennett, J. C. Tinsley, III, and T. E. Noce of USGS; T. J. Casey and W. B. Wright of WPC; S. L. Gassman of the University of South Carolina; F. Syms and D. Wyatt of Bechtel Savannah River, Inc; W. M. Camp and T. J. Cleary of S&ME; T. N. Adams of SCDOT; and P. Piratheepan, B. S. Ellis, J. Zhang, A. Shrikhande, and C. D. Fairbanks, former graduate students at Clemson University.

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Go to Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135Issue 6June 2009
Pages: 735 - 744

History

Received: Feb 13, 2008
Accepted: Sep 16, 2008
Published online: May 15, 2009
Published in print: Jun 2009

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Authors

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Ronald D. Andrus [email protected]
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Clemson Univ., Clemson, SC 29634-0911 (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]
Hossein Hayati
Graduate Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Clemson Univ., Clemson, SC 29634-0911.
Nisha P. Mohanan
Project Geotechnical Engineer, Golder Associates Inc., Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054; formerly, Graduate Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Clemson Univ., Clemson, SC 29634-0911.

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