Centrifuge modeling-of-models investigation on earthquake-induced excess pore pressure behavior of silty sand

Abstract

Two centrifuge experiments conducted at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the used centrifuge scaling laws and validate results obtained within the project, related to the liquefaction behavior of silty sand soils under simulated field drainage conditions. These experiments, replicating a 5-m thick silty sand layer under 1 atm overburden pressure and featuring a double drainage condition, were performed at two different centrifugal accelerations. Due to the difficulties encountered in saturating silty sand, this paper presents a bottom-up saturation method, verified through assessments of remaining air volume after saturation. Despite differing g-levels, the tests consistently demonstrated similar behaviors in terms of acceleration, pore pressure buildup and dissipation, and stress-strain responses, validating the saturation and modeling technique for silty sand.