Probing Fabric Evolution and Reliquefaction Resistance of Sands Using Discrete-Element Modeling
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 148, Issue 6
Abstract
Recent case histories have demonstrated that soil liquefaction can occur repeatedly at a site during a sequence of earthquake events. Field observations and laboratory tests imply that reliquefaction resistance can be markedly different, depending on the strain histories and induced fabric change. However, direct observation of fabric evolution during the entire process remains limited. In this study, we perform simulation using a three-dimensional (3D) discrete-element method (DEM) to quantify fabric evolution in granular soils during liquefaction, reconsolidation, and reliquefaction processes, with the goal of investigating the effects of fabrics on reliquefaction resistance. Clumped particles are used to construct realistic particle shapes of Toyoura sand in the DEM, and soil fabric is characterized by a coordination number and a degree of anisotropy . By reconsolidating samples at different states after the first liquefaction, we describe the relationships between the maximum preshear strains versus volumetric compression and the resulting soil fabrics (, ) after reconsolidation. Finally, we set up correlations between the reliquefaction resistance and soil fabrics (, ). This study shows that the effects of strain histories on reliquefaction resistance are intrinsically attributed to changes in soil fabrics before and after reconsolidation. The DEM simulation also generates data that are consistent with laboratory tests and provides micromechanical insights into the reliquefaction phenomenon.
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Data Availability Statement
Numerical simulation data used in this study is available from the corresponding author by request.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge support from the Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52039005), the General Research Fund from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (Grant Nos. 16214220 and 16204618), and the China Huaneng Headquarter Technological Project (Grant No. HNKJ20-H25) from the Huaneng Tibet Hydropower Safety Engineering Technology Research Center.
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Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 148 • Issue 6 • June 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 22, 2021
Accepted: Jan 13, 2022
Published online: Mar 18, 2022
Published in print: Jun 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Aug 18, 2022
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