• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.665-681
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• 2023

Liquefaction is one of the most devastating geotechnical phenomena that severely damage vital structures and lifelines. Before constructing structures on problematic ground, it is necessary to improve the site and solve the geotechnical problem. Among ground improvement methods dealing with liquefaction, gravel drain (GD) columns and deep soil mixing (DSM) columns are popular. In this study, the results of a series of seismic experiments in a 1g environment on a structure located over liquefiable ground with different thicknesses reinforced with GD and DSM techniques were presented. The dynamic response of the reinforced ground system was investigated based on the parameters of subsidence rate, excess pore water pressure ratio, and maximum acceleration. The time history of the input acceleration was applied harmonically with an acceleration range of 0.2g and at frequencies of 1, 2, and 3 Hz. The results show that the thickness of the liquefiable layer and the frequency of the input motion have a significant impact on the effectiveness of the improvement method and all responses. Among the two techniques used, DSM in thick liquefied layers was much more efficient than GD in controlling the subsidence and rupture of the soil under the foundation. Maximum settlement values, settlement rate, and foundation rotation in the thicker liquefied layer at the 1-Hz input frequency were higher than at other frequencies. At low thicknesses, the dynamic behavior of the GD was closer to that of the DSM.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.479-487
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• 2022

This study evaluates the performance of gravel impact compaction piers system (GICPs) in strengthening retrofitting a very loose silty sand layer with a very high liquefaction risk with a thickness of 3.5 meters in a multilayer coastal soil located in Bushehr, Iran. The liquefiable sandy soil layer was located on clay layers with moderate to very stiff relative consistency. Implementation of gravel impact compaction piers is a new generation of aggregate piers. After technical and economic evaluation of the site plan, out of 3 experimental distances of 1.8, 2 and 2.2 meters between compaction piers, the distance of 2.2 meters was selected as a winning option and the northern ring of the site was implemented with 1250 gravel impact compaction piers. Based on the results of the standard penetration test in the matrix soil around the piers showed that the amount of (N₁)₆₀ in compacted soils was in the range of 20-27 and on average 14 times the amount of (1-3) in the initial soil. Also, the relative density of the initial soil was increased from 25% to 63% after soil improvement. Also the safety factor of the improved soil is 1.5-1.7 times the minimum required according to the two risk levels in the design.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.48 no.7
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• pp.45-52
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• 2006

A cyclic viscoelastic-viscoplastic constitutive model for clay is incorporated into an effective stress based seismic response analysis to describe viscous effect of clay layer to sand layer during earthquake. The seismic response against main shock of 1995 Hyogoken Nambu Earthquake is analyzed in the present study. Acceleration responses in both clay layer and just upper liquefiable sand layer are damped due to viscous effect of clay. A cyclic viscoelastic-viscoplastic constitutive model for clay was implemented into a FEM code, and $Newmark{\beta}$ method was employed for the time discretization in the finite element formulation. Seismic responses were simulated by numerical method with recorded data at Port Island, Kobe, Japan. As results of this study, it was found that a cyclic viscoelastic-viscoplastic constitutive model can give good description of dynamic behavior characteristics including viscoelastic effect.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.135-148
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• 2023

The structure-soil-structure interaction (SSSI) effect in adjacent structures may affect the liquefaction-induced damage of shallow foundation structures. The existing studies only analysed the independent effects on the structural dynamic response but ignored the coupling effect of height difference and distance of adjacent structures (F) on liquefied foundations on the dynamic response. Therefore, this paper adopts finite element and finite difference coupled dynamic analysis method to discuss the effect of the F on the seismic response of shallow foundation structures. The results show that the effect of the short structure on the acceleration response of the tall structure can be neglected as F increases when the height difference reaches 2 times the height of the short structure. The beneficial effect of SSSI on short structures is weakened under strong seismic excitations, and the effect of the increase of F on the settlement ratio gradually decreases, which causes a larger rotation hazard. When the distance is smaller than the foundation width, the short structure will exceed the rotation critical value and cause structural damage. When the distance is larger than the foundation width, the rotation angle is within the safe range (0.02 rad).

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.211-217
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• 2020

Earthquake preparedness has become more important with recent increase in the number of earthquakes in Korea, but many existing structures are not prepared for earthquakes. There are various types of liquefaction prevention method that can be applied, such as compaction, replacement, dewatering, and inhibition of shear strain. However, most of the liquefaction prevention methods are applied before construction, and it is important to find optimal methods that can be applied to existing structures and that have few effects on the environment, such as noise, vibration, and changes in underground water level. The purpose of this study is to estimate the correlation between the displacement of a structure and variations of pore water pressure on the ground in accordance with the depth of the sheet file when liquidation occurs. To achieve this, a shaking table test was performed for Joo-Mun-Jin standard sand and an earth pressure, accelerometer, pore water pressure transducer, and LVDT were installed in both the non-liquefiable layer and the liquefiable layer to measure the subsidence and excess pore water pressure in accordance with the time of each embedded depth. Then the results were analyzed. A comparison of the pore water pressure in accordance with Hsp/Hsl was shown to prevent lateral water flow at 1, 0.85 and confirmed that the pore water pressure increased. In addition, the relationship between Hsp/Hsl and subsidence was expressed as a trend line to calculate the expected settlement rate formula for the embedded depth ratio.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.38 no.11
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• pp.149-161
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• 2022

This study selected the indexes for evaluating the damage of the railway embankments due to liquefaction from the earthquake damage cases of railway embankments. The study correlated the selected indexes and the settlement of the embankment crest from the dynamic numerical analysis. Further, the correlation was used to develop a method for evaluating the liquefaction damage to the railway embankment. The damage cases and damage types were analyzed, and referring to the liquefaction damage assessment method for other structures, the embankment height (H), the non-liquefiable layer thickness (H₁), and the liquefaction potential index were selected as indexes for evaluating the damage. The study performed dynamic effective stress analyses on the railway embankment, and the PM4-Sand model was applied as the constitutive liquefaction model for the embankment foundation ground. The model's validity was first verified by comparing it with the existing dynamic centrifugal model test results performed on the railway embankment. Nine sites where the foundation ground can be liquefied were selected from the data of 549 embankments of the Honam High-speed Railway in Korea. Further, dynamic numerical analyses using four seismic waves as input earthquake load were performed for the selected site sections. The numerical analysis results confirmed the correlation between the evaluation indexes and the embankment crest settlement. A method for efficiently evaluating the damage to the embankment due to liquefaction was proposed using the chart obtained from this correlation.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.357-367
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• 2018

Recent earthquakes in Gyeongju and Pohang have raised interest in liquefaction in South Korea. Liquefaction, which is a phenomenon that excessive pore pressure is generated and the shear strength of soil is decreased by repeated loads such as earthquakes, causes severe problems such as ground subsidence and overturning of structures. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and prepare for the possibility of liquefaction in advance. In general, the possibility of liquefaction is quantitatively assessed using the Liquefaction Potential Index (LPI), but it takes a lot of time and effort for performing site response analysis which is essential for the liquefaction evaluation. In this study, a simple method to evaluate the liquefaction potential without executing the site response analysis in a downtown area with a lot of borehole data was proposed. In this simple method, the correlation between the average shear wave velocity of the target location ground and the LPI divided by thickness of liquefiable layer was established. And the applicable correlation equation for various rock outcrop accelerations were derived. Using the 104 boreholes information in Seoul, the correlation equation between LPI and the shear wave velocity (ground water level: 0m, 1m, 2m, 3m) is obtained and the possibility of liquefaction occurrence in Seoul and Gyeongju is evaluated. The applicability of the proposed simple method was verified by comparing the LPI values calculated from the correlation equation and the LPI values derived using the existing site response analysis. Finally, the distribution map of LPI calculated from the correlation was drawn using Kriging, a geostatistical technique.