Numerical study on liquefaction characteristics of granular materials under Rayleigh-wave strain conditions using 3D DEM

Abstract

In liquefaction analyses, liquefaction is conventionally assumed to originate from the vertical propagation of shear waves. However, some field and theoretical evidence has demonstrated that the risk of liquefaction may be induced or increased by surface waves. In this study, the liquefaction characteristics of K0-consolidated granular materials under Rayleigh-wave strain conditions, ideal deformation conditions under the assumption of constant volume, were investigated by the three-dimensional discrete element method (3D DEM). The results indicate that Rayleigh-wave strain conditions combine pure and simple shear modes. As the ratio of the shear strain amplitude to the normal strain amplitude (RSN) increases from 1 to +∞, granular materials tend to have a slower liquefaction rate and higher liquefaction resistance; however, the difference in the undrained responses is negligible when the RSN is less than 1. The distribution of the magnitude and orientation of the contact forces also varies with the RSN, while it is similar when the RSN is less than 1. The degradation of the skeleton structure and the evolution of the structural anisotropy accelerate the liquefaction of granular materials. Moreover, in situations with the same accumulated equivalent strain per cycle, the Rayleigh-wave strain condition with a low RSN value will make granular materials more vulnerable to liquefaction compared with Love- and SH-wave strain conditions.