Efficient Finite-Element Model for Seismic Response Estimation of Piles and Soils in Liquefied and Laterally Spreading Ground Considering Shear Localization
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 17, Issue 6
Abstract
A key challenge for estimating seismic response of piles and soils in liquefied and laterally spreading ground is the efficient prediction of local loosening phenomenon (shear localization) at the interlayer between the liquefied loose sand and the overburden crust. To this end, a simplified finite-element (FE) model was developed. In the soil model, a soft interlayer element with a thickness and corresponding low reference shear modulus was developed to represent the shear localization phenomenon. The proposed FE models were then used to simulate centrifuge tests of a single pile, a two-pile group, and a six-pile group in sloping liquefiable profiles that lead to lateral spreading. Predicted results of the shear-localization-induced soil lateral spreading displacement, as well as the structural response, agree reasonably well with the test records, indicating that the proposed FE model is capable of approximating the seismic responses of soil and piles in liquefied and laterally spreading ground. In addition, a parametric analysis was performed to build a relationship between the thickness and the low reference shear modulus of the soft interlayer element.
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Acknowledgments
Funding for this study was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 51278375) and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant SLDRCE15-B-05). Special thanks go to the Center for Geotechnical Modeling at the University of California, Davis, for providing centrifuge test results (http://cgm.engr.ucdavis.edu/library/). Also, the authors appreciate the assistance of Dr. Abdollah Shafieezadeh for providing comments that improved the manuscript. In addition, the first author appreciates the financial support from the China Scholarship Council (CSC). The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsoring organization.
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International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 17 • Issue 6 • June 2017
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 2, 2015
Accepted: Sep 13, 2016
Published online: Nov 9, 2016
Discussion open until: Apr 9, 2017
Published in print: Jun 1, 2017
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