Submitted by

Prateek Vyas
1808/06
C-3

What is soil liquefaction?

When has soil liquefaction occurred in the
past?
Where does soil liquefaction commonly
occur?
Why does soil liquefaction occur?
How can soil liquefaction hazards be
reduced?

 Liquefaction is a phenomenon in which the

strength and stiffness of a soil is reduced by

earthquake shaking or other rapid loading.
Liquefaction and related phenomena have
been responsible for tremendous amounts of
damage in historical earthquakes around the
world.
Liquefaction occurs in saturated soils.

When liquefaction
occurs, the strength
of the soil decreases
and, the ability of a
soil deposit to support
foundations for
buildings and bridges
is reduced as seen in
the photo of the
overturned apartment
complex buildings in
Niigata in 1964

Increased water

pressure can also

trigger landslides
and cause the
collapse of dams.
Lower San
Fernando dam
suffered an
underwater slide
during the San
Fernando
earthquake, 1971

Liquefied soil
also exerts higher
pressure on
retaining walls
which can cause
them to tilt or
slide.

On level ground, the high pore water pressure caused

by liquefaction can cause pore water to flow rapidly
to the ground surface. These features can often be
observed at sites that have been affected by
liquefaction, such as in the field along Hwy 98
during the 1979 El Centro earthquake .

Liquefaction has been observed in

earthquakes for many years. In fact,
written records dating back hundreds and
even thousands of years describe
earthquake effects that are now known to
be associated with liquefaction. Some of
those earthquakes are listed .

As a part of the Pacific

Ring, the southern
coast area of Alaska
experiences many
earthquakes. On Good
Friday, March 27, 1964,
a great earthquake of
magnitude 9.2 struck
Prince William Sound
and caused severe
damage in the form of
landslides and
liquefaction

 The liquefied

seams and lenses

disturbed the
sensitive clays,
and caused their
strengths to drop
below the levels
needed for
stability. Here
shown road
embankment
failure.

The

October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta

earthquake (M=7.1) caused damage
not only in the vicinity of the epicenter
near Santa Cruz, to the north but also
in more distant areas around San
Francisco and Oakla.

Soil liquefaction caused major damage to

waterfront facilities, structures, and
buried pipelines at locations in the Bay
Area where loose saturated, sandy soils
were susceptible to liquefaction. The
numerous sand boils that were
observed provided indisputable
evidence of the occurrence of
liquefaction.

The 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake (M=6.9),

commonly referred to as the Kobe earthquake,
was one of the most devastating earthquakes
ever to hit Japan; more than 5,500 were killed
and over 26,000 injured .

 The spectacular

collapse of the
Hanshin expressway
illustrates the effects
of the high loads that
were imposed on
structures in the area.
The strong ground
motions that led to
collapse of the
Hanshin Express way
also caused severe
liquefaction damage.

Liquefaction only occurs in saturated

soil.
Its effects are most commonly observed
in low-lying areas near bodies of water
such as rivers, lakes, bays, and oceans.
Port and wharf facilities are often
located in areas susceptible to
liquefaction, and many have been
damaged by liquefaction in past
earthquakes.

 Most ports and

wharves have major

retaining structures, or
quay walls, to allow
large ships to moor
adjacent to flat cargo
handling areas.

 To understand liquefaction, it is important to

recognize the conditions that exist in a soil

deposit before an earthquake.

Observe how small the contact forces are

because of the high water pressure.

In such cases, the soil will have very little
strength, and will behave more like a liquid
than a solid - hence, the name "liquefaction".

There are basically three possibilities to reduce

liquefaction hazards -:
1.

Avoid Liquefaction Susceptible Soils

2.
Build Liquefaction Resistant
Structures
3.

Improve the Soil

There are a number of different ways to

evaluate the liquefaction susceptibility of a
soil deposit -:
1.Historical criteria
2.Geological criteria
3.Compositional criteria

Fraction finer than 0.005 mm< 15%

Liquid Limit, LL < 35%
Natural water content > 0.9 LL
Liquidity Index < 0.75

A structure that possesses ductility, has the

ability to accommodate large deformations .
To achieve these features in a building there
are various aspects to consider-:
1.Shallow foundation aspect
2.deep foundation aspect

It is important that all foundation elements in a

shallow foundation is tied together to make
the foundation move or settle uniformly, thus
decreasing the amount of shear forces
induced in the structural elements resting
upon the foundation.

The well-reinforced perimeter and interior wall

footings are tied together to enable them to

bridge over areas of local settlement and
provide better resistance against soil
movements

A stiff foundation mat (below) is a good

type of shallow foundation, which can

transfer loads from locally liquefied zones
to adjacent stronger ground.

 This can be achieved by densification of the

soil and improvement of its drainage

capacity .There are various technique-:

1. Vibroflotation

2. Dynamic Compaction
3. Stone Columns
4. Compaction Pile
5. Compaction Grouting