Mechanisms of Seismically Induced Settlement of Buildings with Shallow Foundations on Liquefiable Soil
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VIEW THE REPLYPublication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 136, Issue 1
Abstract
Seismically induced settlement of buildings with shallow foundations on liquefiable soils has resulted in significant damage in recent earthquakes. Engineers still largely estimate seismic building settlement using procedures developed to calculate postliquefaction reconsolidation settlement in the free-field. A series of centrifuge experiments involving buildings situated atop a layered soil deposit have been performed to identify the mechanisms involved in liquefaction-induced building settlement. Previous studies of this problem have identified important factors including shaking intensity, the liquefiable soil’s relative density and thickness, and the building’s weight and width. Centrifuge test results indicate that building settlement is not proportional to the thickness of the liquefiable layer and that most of this settlement occurs during earthquake strong shaking. Building-induced shear deformations combined with localized volumetric strains during partially drained cyclic loading are the dominant mechanisms. The development of high excess pore pressures, localized drainage in response to the high transient hydraulic gradients, and earthquake-induced ratcheting of the buildings into the softened soil are important effects that should be captured in design procedures that estimate liquefaction-induced building settlement.
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Acknowledgments
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. NSFCMMI-0530714. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. Operation of the large geotechnical centrifuge at UC Davis is supported by the NSFNSF George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) program under Award No. NSFCMMI-0402490. The writers would also like to thank those at the UC Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling, and in particular Dr. Bruce Kutter, for their assistance.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 136 • Issue 1 • January 2010
Pages: 151 - 164
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 28, 2008
Accepted: Jun 9, 2009
Published online: Jun 20, 2009
Published in print: Jan 2010
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