Numerical Evaluation of Liquefaction Resistance for Desaturated Sands
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 6
Abstract
Desaturation has been a cost-effective and straightforward ground improvement method for liquefaction mitigation. Recent advancements in geotechnical numerical simulations have allowed for the simulation of desaturated soils in dynamic problems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the numerical capabilities of predicting liquefaction resistance for desaturated sands. A finite-element method (FEM) analysis was performed to simulate a large shaking table test (STT) that aimed to evaluate the desaturation ground improvement method for liquefaction mitigation. This paper consists of three parts: (1) a brief description of STTs carried out by the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (NILIM). In the STTs, the degree of saturation was controlled to within approximately 80%–100%. (2) Simulation of elemental scale tests for desaturated sands under undrained triaxial cyclic conditions. (3) FEM analysis of the STTs. Numerical analyses were performed using LIQCA2D17. The results showed that the numerical analysis reasonably predicted the ground motion intensities and pore water pressure responses of the desaturated sand. The numerical analysis indicated that volumetric strains and pore water seepage induced changes in during loading. These phenomena resulted in a transition from desaturated to saturated conditions.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank the NILIM for providing the STT results. The authors are also grateful to Dr. Azegami, who conducted the triaxial test for the desaturated silica sand. The data were very useful for performing the numerical analysis in this study.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 6 • June 2020
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 13, 2019
Accepted: Oct 30, 2019
Published online: Mar 19, 2020
Published in print: Jun 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Aug 19, 2020
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