Deterministic and Probabilistic Assessment of Liquefaction Hazards Using the Liquefaction Potential Index and Liquefaction Reduction Number
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 10
Abstract
The liquefaction potential index (LPI) has increasingly been used for assessing liquefaction hazards induced by earthquake shaking. The LPI allows an integral number of soil horizons to be evaluated for liquefaction potential. Considerable uncertainty exists in cases where the LPI thresholds for classifying liquefaction hazards statistically rely on the data sets and/or the framework. This study explored what the appropriate LPI classification thresholds should be and developed a liquefaction reduction number () to better account for the impact of nonliquefiable layers. The LPI and values were then analyzed at the standard penetration test (SPT) data sites reported in case studies. The results suggested that most SPT-based LPI thresholds should be modified upward in comparison with Iwasaki’s original scale. These corrections are of particular importance when clay minerals are part of the soil mixture, rather than simply using the minus 200-sieve fraction as the liquefaction susceptibility criterion. Nonliquefied sites appear to exhibit higher values, suggesting that the could supplement the LPI as a valuable proxy for liquefaction hazard assessments. Probabilistic liquefaction hazard assessments could be estimated using a logistic regression of the LPI and/or values.
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Acknowledgments
The Karl F. Hasselmann Endowment of the Missouri University of Science & Technology supported this work. The authors thank C. Hsein Juang (Clemson University) and Jonathan D. Bray and Rodolfo B. Sancio (through PEER) for posting the SPT data sets on the Internet. The authors are also grateful for the critical reviews and discussions with Thomas L. Holzer (U.S. Geological Survey), Jonathan D. Bray (University of California, Berkeley), Harun Sönmez (Hacettepe University), and anonymous reviewers for their suggestions that significantly improved the manuscript.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 10 • October 2017
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©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Mar 24, 2016
Accepted: Apr 26, 2017
Published online: Jul 25, 2017
Published in print: Oct 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Dec 25, 2017
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