Laboratory Measurement of Permeability in Postseismic Flow
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 23, Issue 3
Abstract
Permeability is a critical parameter that reflects the physical and mechanical states of soil. The variation in permeability through the liquefaction and postliquefaction phases is important in evaluating dynamic soil behavior and establishing adequate numerical models. This aspect has been addressed by several empirical methods. Conversely, in this study, the postseismic behavior of soil was investigated experimentally. Several undrained cyclic strain-controlled and permeability tests on Ottawa C-109 sand, 1–1.3 mm calibrated beads, and blank samples were performed. An experimental strategy is proposed after highlighting the major committed mistakes and factors affecting the permeability variation in a triaxial cell, i.e., the sample’s diameter-to-height ratio, stone porosity, flow trajectory, tube diameter, and flow rate. This paper provides suggestions on the experimental setup signature, which frequently results in unreliable measurements. The permeability variation in the postseismic phase was measured during the time history of the excess pore pressure dissipation by following the falling head test rule. Permeability increased, reaching a peak of 2.5–3 times the initial value, and then decreased after a 50% regain of effective stress. The test results were verified by performing permeability tests before cyclic loading and after the dissipation process in triaxial conditions.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 23 • Issue 3 • March 2023
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 6, 2022
Accepted: Sep 6, 2022
Published online: Dec 21, 2022
Published in print: Mar 1, 2023
Discussion open until: May 21, 2023
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