Image Analyses of Liquefaction-Induced Settlements and Sand Boil in Shaking Table Tests

Sand boil associated with ground settlements is often observed due to soil liquefaction. A series of shaking table model tests were conducted to reproduce and examine the phenomenon. This study aims to utilize an adequate measuring tool, named the aerial triangulation technique in photogrammetry, to reconstruct the topography and measure the ground settlement at a top view location of the sandbox. A set of aluminum plates with known volume were used to verify the measuring technique. In addition, one 1-g shaking table test was conducted to prove that ground settlement and sand boil can be quantified. The volumes of the rigid plates, sand boil, and ground settlement were measured using a three-dimensional digital elevation model. The results show that the proposed image analysis can quantify objects’ volume on a model scale. In summary, aerial triangulation is a highly efficient and automatic technique that can provide complete spatial information.