Influence of Soil Saturation on the Free Field Response of Liquefiable Soils

Abstract

Free field response of partially saturated sands to cyclic loading, with a particular attention to soil liquefaction has been studied. The study has been conducted using a numerical model elaborated for the liquefaction of partially saturated soils together with a cyclic elastoplastic constitutive relation implemented in a finite element program. The numerical model and the analysis of the influence of soil saturation on the free field response, for different positions of the water table have been investigated respectively. The result shows that the soil saturation degree largely affects the free field response to cyclic loading, with a decrease in soil saturation leading to a decrease in the rate of generation of excess pore-water pressure, and consequently to a reduction in the liquefaction risk.