فهرست مطالب behrooz mehrzad

The effect of liquefaction depth on co-seismic and post-seismic settlements of shallow foundation has been studied using three centrifuge test series. The models were constructed in 1/80 scale and subjected to the centrifugal acceleration of 80g. They involved two rigid foundations with two different static surcharges and sufficient spacing to minimize the interaction. Poorly graded sand known as No. 306 sand with a relative density of 55% was used. The model was excited with a 15-cycle sinusoidal base motion having constant amplitude and 2 Hz frequency. In the free-field, liquefaction occurred in the shallower layers first, propagated rapidly to the deeper layers. The full depth of soil profile was liquefied in the strongest event. The liquefied depths were about 2.4 m and 7.2 m for amax=0.04g and amax=0.07g, respectively. Liquefaction caused severe deterioration of soil stiffness resulted in significant decay of accelerations. After excitation ceased, upward seepage from deeper layers enforced the shallower layers to remain in liquefied state for longer time. The free-field settlement commenced immediately after the first cycles and accumulated until excitation ceased. Its rate stopped for a while. The free-field settlement began again and continued up to full EPWP dissipation. Large negative EPWP was observed beneath the foundations, which are attributed to the deviatoric stress induced by their surcharge and soil dilation due to lateral movement of subsoil. Amplification was observed in acceleration time histories within the foundation soil, which is attributed to the negative EPWP generated in this zone. Large horizontal and vertical hydraulic gradient was developed during shaking, causing water flow towards the foundations. Once the water pressure equalized in each level, reconsolidation commenced. The foundations settled linearly with time during shaking with decreasing rate after excitation ceased. The extent of liquefaction had a major impact on the foundation settlement in this period. The higher the extent of liquefaction, the more the foundation settlement occurred. It seems that partial bearing failure and the inertial forces are two dominant mechanisms. The settlement and EPWP time histories can be separated into three different phases: (1) shaking, (2) progressive failure, and (3) reconsolidation. The rate of settlement significantly decreased during the second phase. Previous researchers noted that most of foundation settlement occurs during shaking period, but the results of this research show that most of the foundation settlement occurs after shaking. Foundation settlement continued progressively due to partial bearing failure and strength loss in the foundation soil. It seems that liquefaction extent and soil permeability have major impact on Phase (2). The thicker the liquefied layer or the lower the permeability of foundation soil, the longer time the foundation has to settle. Although the foundation settlement is significant in this phase, it has been neglected in geotechnical designs. The foundation settlement mechanisms are clearly different from that of the free-field. Volumetric-induced deformations are dominant mechanisms in the free-field, whereas, deviatoric-induced strains are the main cause of foundation settlement. It seems that the widely used procedure for the estimation of liquefaction-induced settlements of shallow foundations that is based on volumetric strains might be revised.

Currently, there is no reliable design procedure which considers all aspects of liquefaction effects on shallow foundations. There are many light and heavy structures resting on saturated sand with high liquefaction potential in seismic areas. The aim of this experimental and numerical study is to evaluate the performance of two shallow foundations with different contact pressures in liquefaction. The results of the centrifuge experiment of shallow foundations with surcharges of three-story and nine-story buildings on liquefiable sand are presented in detail. Although entire soil profile is liquefied, no liquefaction is observed under the foundations. There is a clear difference in settlement mechanisms observed beneath the shallow foundation and in the free-field. The heavy foundation fluctuated more strongly compared with the lighter one. The effect of soil permeability and contact pressure on foundation response is investigated during numerical study. Subsequently, the experiment is simulated two dimensionally using a fully coupled nonlinear constitutive model (UBCSAND) implemented in a finite-difference program, FLAC-2D. The results show that settlement of foundations increased with the increase of soil permeability. Trends of excess pore water pressure are captured reasonably by the soil model, but the settlement mechanisms are different. The soil model underestimates total liquefaction-induced settlement of shallow foundation, especially for light foundation.