Considerations for the Mitigation of Earthquake-Induced Soil Liquefaction in Urban Environments
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 144, Issue 10
Abstract
In cities, seismic coupling between structures is known to influence ground motions, settlement patterns, and demand on superstructures. Yet the effects of interactions between soil and building clusters on structural performance are poorly understood, particularly on ground susceptible to liquefaction. Existing analytical methods cannot capture the nonlinearity and complexity of seismic interactions between adjacent buildings and softened soil, while advanced numerical tools that can capture such complexities have not been validated. Consequently, liquefaction mitigation measures designed assuming no interaction between structures may perform poorly. To evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of a common mitigation strategy—prefabricated vertical drains—in urban environments, a series of experiments were conducted on a geotechnical centrifuge. Closely spaced, dissimilar, realistic model structures were placed on a layered liquefiable soil deposit and subjected to realistic earthquake motions. Mechanistic consequences of seismic coupling due to the use of drains around the shorter structure were evaluated. The results show that the use of drains around one structure may have drastic consequences for the performance of an adjacent unmitigated structure, even causing its collapse. Engineers and planners must consider integrated mitigation strategies in dense urban environments with the goal of improving performance in building clusters rather than individual buildings.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) through Grant No. 145431. The opinions or findings presented in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. We would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the staff and students at the University of Colorado Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility and Center for Infrastructure, Energy, and Space Testing (CIEST).
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 144 • Issue 10 • October 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 18, 2017
Accepted: Mar 29, 2018
Published online: Jul 19, 2018
Published in print: Oct 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Dec 19, 2018
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