SEEPAGE FAILURE ANALYSES OF SANDY GROUND USING A LIQUEFACTION ANALYSIS METHOD BASED ON FINITE DEFORMATION THEORY

Abstract

Most of seepage failure problems can be classified as liquefaction problem, because effective stresses of sand deposits near/at failure state statically come close to zero. It is, therefore, difficult to predict the seepage failure using conventional deformation analysis methods for saturated soil. In the present paper, a newly developed liquefaction analysis method, which is based on the finite deformation theory, is applied to seepage failure problems. Firstly, 1-D unsteady seepage problem is discussed. Numerical solutions under various initial and boundary conditions are compared with analytical solutions based on the one-dimensional elastic consolidation theory. Secondary, 2-D classical seepage failure problem of horizontal ground with an embedded sheet pile is discussed. It is found that a proposed analysis method can quantitatively explain the distributions of the pore water pressure and the mean effective stress in sand deposit during the unsteady seepage flow until failure, but we need further study to accurately predict the deformation.