Influence of Particle Size and Gradation on Liquefaction Potential and Dynamic Response
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 148, Issue 6
Abstract
Centrifuge testing data are presented to elucidate the influence of particle size and gradation on liquefaction potential and dynamic response. The physical, index, and material properties of nine test soil mixtures, sharing a common geologic origin and ranging in from 0.18 to 2.58 mm and from 1.53 to 9.86, were quantified and compared to the range of values exhibited by clean sands in the literature. Each centrifuge model was subjected to 15 dynamic loading events across a range of relative density and Arias intensity levels. The high permeability of the poorly graded soils prevented flow liquefaction; however, the gap and well-graded soils generated excess pore pressures similar to clean sands even though large particles were present. Despite similar pore pressure responses, the gap and well-graded test soils exhibited lower cumulative volumetric strains than the clean sand because of enhanced dilation. The tendency for the gap and well-graded soils to dilate is theorized to stem from their enhanced packing efficiency and increased shear stiffness.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors appreciate the funding and supported provided by the National Science Foundation (#CMMI-1300518) and the California Department of Water Resources, Division of Safety of Dams. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or other agencies. This work would not have been possible without the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) shared-use centrifuge facility at the University of California, Davis, funded by the National Science Foundation (#CMMI-1520581) and the support from the technical staff at the UC Davis CGM: Chad Justice, Anatoliy Ganchenko, Tom Kohnke, and Dan Wilson. The assistance, training, and advice provided by graduate students Brian Sawyer, Greg Shepard, Mohammad Khosravi, Trevor Carey, and Kate Darby are greatly appreciated. The authors thank undergraduate interns Diana Melendez, Evan Barnell, and Brian Morales for their assistance.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 6 • June 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 15, 2021
Accepted: Jan 25, 2022
Published online: Apr 14, 2022
Published in print: Jun 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Sep 14, 2022
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