Comparison of Fine-Grained Soil Liquefaction Using Numerical Modeling and Susceptibility Criteria: A Case Study

• Published in: Geotechnical and geological engineering Vol. 42; no. 7; pp. 5753 - 5767
• Main Authors: Johari, A., Pourbeirak, S., Amjadi, A. H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.09.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Amplitude; Amplitudes; Case studies; Civil Engineering; Constitutive models; Criteria; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earthquake prediction; Earthquakes; Fine-grained soils; Finite element method; Geological hazards; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Hydrogeology; Liquefaction; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Modelling; Numerical analysis; Numerical models; Original Paper; Sandy soils; Seismic activity; Silty soils; Soil; Susceptibility; Terrestrial Pollution; Waste Management/Waste Technology; Case study; Fine-grained soil; Finite element modeling; Liquefaction; PM4Silt
• ISSN: 0960-3182; 1573-1529
• DOI: 10.1007/s10706-024-02858-6

Although most of the previous studies focused on the effect of liquefaction on clean sandy soils, new observations revealed that silty soils are also prone to liquefaction. Therefore evaluating the liquefaction hazard at silty soil sites is also of particular importance. The primary objective of this research paper was to assess the liquefaction occurrence of a fine-grained silty profile at a specific site in southern Iran. This assessment was conducted through a combination of numerical analysis and the application of liquefaction susceptibility criteria. To achieve this, a finite element model incorporating the PM4Silt advanced constitutive model was employed. The findings of our study revealed that the liquefaction susceptibility criteria exhibited a higher likelihood of predicting liquefaction compared to numerical modeling when applied to the case study site. Therefore in some depths, despite the prediction of liquefaction by susceptibility criteria, in the numerical modeling results, liquefaction has not been observed even by relatively strong earthquakes. Furthermore, the numerical modeling results reveal that one of the most important parameters affecting soil liquefaction in addition to earthquakes’ amplitude is the input motion frequency content so that earthquakes with lower PGA but larger Fourier amplitude at low frequencies have a greater effect on the liquefaction of fine-grained soils.