Shallow-founded structures on liquefiable layers

Overview

Structures with shallow foundations resting on liquefiable layers can suffer excessive displacements in the event of an earthquake. Recent advancements have significantly improved the tools available to practicing engineers for settlement and rotation estimation. However, significant uncertainty remains in such estimations, related to dynamic soil response and soil–structure interaction during a liquefaction event. In this two-part seminar, insight on the response of shallow-founded structures resting on liquefiable layers will be given, stemming from experimental and numerical campaigns.

In the first part of the seminar, Prof. Adamidis will present results from dynamic centrifuge experiments, which reveal the dominant deformation mechanisms that develop under a structure during a liquefaction event, focusing on the effect of the depth of the liquefiable layer and the weight of the structure.

In the second part of the seminar, Dr. Kassas will present results from advanced numerical modelling of the same problem, highlighting the need for detailed calibration of the constitutive model and thorough validation of the simulations. Subsequently, results from a parametric investigation on boundary effects will be presented, revealing key considerations for numerical and physical modelling of this problem.