Liquefaction in fluid‐saturated soils

Abstract

AbstractLiquefaction phenomena can be observed if fluid‐saturated soils are subjected to transient loading conditions, as they arise, for instance, during earthquakes. The term “liquefaction” comprises more specific liquefaction phenomena, such as flow liquefaction, which is an instability phenomenon in loose soils, and cyclic mobility, which is associated with medium‐dense to dense soils, where, in contrast to flow liquefaction, the overall stability of the granular assembly is maintained. However, soil liquefaction is always associated with a pore‐pressure build‐up, which consequently reduces the intergranular frictional forces, and thus, the load bearing capacity of the fluid‐saturated soil. In order to model these particular liquefaction phenomena, we proceed from a continuum‐mechanical framework based on the Theory of Porous Media (TPM), where the solid skeleton is described as an elasto‐(visco)plastic material with isotropic hardening and a stress‐dependent failure surface. The numerical solution of the resulting coupled system of partial differential equations is carried out by the finite‐element method (FEM). (© 2013 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)