Analysis of PV Drains for Mitigation of Seismically Induced Ground Deformations in Sand Slopes
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 9
Abstract
Prefabricated vertical (PV) drain arrays have been proposed as a minimally intrusive technique for mitigating seismically induced ground deformations in sandy liquefiable slopes. This paper describes the representation of individual PV drains as line elements within a finite-element program. The elements can represent laminar or fully turbulent discharge regimes, based on classic Darcy-Weisbach pipe flow, as well as fluid storage above the water table. Two-dimensional, plane strain simulations of coupled flow and deformation are performed using the proposed PV drain elements, with equivalent permeability properties for the surrounding soil mass, and a constitutive soil model describing the nonlinear effective stress-strain behavior of the sand. The numerical predictions are evaluated through comparisons with pore pressures and deformations measured in a centrifuge model test. The results highlight the role of the PV drains and their discharge characteristics in controlling deformation mechanisms.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for support from National Science Foundation (NSR) Grant CMS-0530478, under the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Research (NEESR) Grand Challenge project “Seismic Risk Management for Port Systems.” The computations were performed on a cluster computer through the Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling (CENSAM), part of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) program in Singapore. The first author also received support from the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 9 • September 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 3, 2015
Accepted: Feb 6, 2017
Published online: May 27, 2017
Published in print: Sep 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Oct 27, 2017
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