Assessment of the Liquefaction Susceptibility of Fine-Grained Soils
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VIEW THE REPLYPublication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 9
Abstract
Observations from recent earthquakes and the results of cyclic tests indicate that the Chinese criteria are not reliable for determining the liquefaction susceptibility of fine-grained soils. Fine-grained soils that liquefied during the 1994 Northridge, 1999 Kocaeli, and 1999 Chi-Chi earthquakes often did not meet the clay-size criterion of the Chinese criteria. Cyclic testing of a wide range of soils found to liquefy in Adapazari during the Kocaeli earthquake confirmed that these fine-grained soils were susceptible to liquefaction. It is not the amount of “clay-size” particles in the soil; rather, it is the amount and type of clay minerals in the soil that best indicate liquefaction susceptibility. Thus plasticity index (PI) is a better indicator of liquefaction susceptibility. Loose soils with and were susceptible to liquefaction, and loose soils with and were systematically more resistant to liquefaction. Soils with tested at low effective confining stresses were not susceptible to liquefaction. Additionally, the results of the cyclic testing program provide insights regarding the effects of confining pressure, initial static shear stress, and stress-path on the liquefaction of fine-grained soils.
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Acknowledgments
Financial support for the testing program was provided by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. NSFCMS-0116006. Professor Michael Riemer of the University of California helped supervise the experimental studies, and Professor Turan Durgunoglu of Bosphorus University supported the field and laboratory testing in Turkey. ZETAS Corporation provided the laboratory equipment and facilities in Istanbul, as well as the drilling equipment in Adapazari. Discussions of the response of the soils in Adapazari with Professor Akin Onalp of Istanbul Kultur University and with Professors Ross Boulanger and Raymond Seed of the University of California were invaluable. Many others participated in the post-earthquake reconnaissance and follow-up field study of Adapazari, and their assistance is acknowledged. Housing was provided by ZETAS Corporation and our Turkish colleagues, and this and all support is greatly appreciated.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 9 • September 2006
Pages: 1165 - 1177
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 14, 2005
Accepted: Mar 2, 2006
Published online: Sep 1, 2006
Published in print: Sep 2006
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