LIQUEFACTION ANALYSIS OF FEW SAND BY CYCLIC SIMPLE SHEAR TESTS

Abstract

The extensive and immense damages caused by soil liquefaction induced due to earthquakes have focused the attention of geotechnical engineers towards the systematic study of earthquake induced liquefaction of cohesion less soils. Cyclic liquefaction of saturated loose sand is associated with reduced cyclic shear strength and decreased stiffness of the sand due to excess pore water pressure generated by shocks such as earthquakes. The resulting ground failure generally takes the form of excess settlement, bearing capacity failure, sand blow, flow slide or similar phenomenon. Such ground failure induced by liquefaction due to earthquake can cause catastrophic failure to earth dams, nuclear power plants, water front structures and off-shore structures etc. Any sandy soil can develop cyclic mobility, if cyclic stresses are large enough. However, liquefaction is most likely in saturated fine, clean, loose, uniform sand. To improve our understanding of the liquefact...