The decrease of the bearing capacity of single pile foundation during earthquake on liquefiable soil (Study Case: Birobuli Area, South Palu)

Abstract

Birobuli is located South Palu, Indonesia. In Indonesia, earthquakes are frequent events. Consequently, it is crucial to consider the safety of building structures against earthquakes when calculating the factor of safety of the building. It is important to not only analyse the impact of earthquakes on the superstructure but also take into account their effect on the substructure. One potential substructure failure caused by earthquakes is soil liquefaction, which refers to a decrease in soil bearing capacity resulting from seismic activity. To assess this phenomenon, a quantitative approach was employed in this study, involving soil investigations and sampling from the field. The findings from the soil investigation were used to calculate the susceptibility of soil liquefaction in different soil layers and the axial bearing capacity of single pile foundations both before and during earthquake and liquefaction. The study site predominantly consisted of silty sand with ground water table (GWT) level at -4m with low CPT value, making it susceptible to liquefaction from depths ranging between -4 meters and -12 meters. Two single pile models were simulated in the study, with respective reductions in their axial pile bearing capacity of 71,6% and 38,9%