Abstract
There has been serious damage to embankments on liquefied ground due to large earthquakes. To understand such damage process, two-dimensional shaking table model tests have been usually performed, in both gravitational and centrifugal fields, to investigate the dynamic behaviour and residual displacement of embankments on liquefiable ground. In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) numerical analysis has been used in practical design to consider dynamic behaviours of 3D embankments on liquefiable ground. However, there are only a limited number of cases in which the applicability of 3D analysis has been validated based on comparisons with data measured at model tests or actual disasters. Therefore, in this study, a series of shaking table tests were conducted to investigate the seismic behaviour of a 3D embankment on liquefiable ground. In addition, the effect of the shaking direction on the seismic behaviour of the embankment was evaluated. The experiment revealed that the residual deformation and its dominant direction were significantly affected by the 3D shape and total weight of the embankment, not by the shaking direction. This result indicates that the influence of the 3D shape of the embankment on the deformation behaviour cannot be ignored, and that the influence should be properly evaluated in seismic design.
Highlights
Liquefaction of sandy soil during earthquakes causes settlements in embankments and river dikes, which are constructed on loose sandy deposits – for example, the 1983 Nihonkai-Chubu earthquake caused deformations in road embankments, and several cracks in the pavement were observed in the longitudinal direction of the embankment on the liquefied ground (PWRI, 1985; Towhata, 2008)
Based on such actual cases of damage, several two-dimensional (2D) shaking table model tests have been performed in both gravitational and centrifugal fields to investigate the dynamic behaviour of embankments and river dikes on liquefiable ground (Koga & Matsuo, 1990; Sasaki et al, 1992; Adalier et al, 1998; Okamura & Tamura, 2004; Sharp & Adalier, 2006; Maharjan & Takahashi, 2014)
In this study, a series of shaking table tests were conducted to investigate the seismic behaviour of a 3D embankment on liquefiable ground
Summary
Liquefaction of sandy soil during earthquakes causes settlements in embankments and river dikes, which are constructed on loose sandy deposits – for example, the 1983 Nihonkai-Chubu earthquake caused deformations in road embankments, and several cracks in the pavement were observed in the longitudinal direction of the embankment on the liquefied ground (PWRI, 1985; Towhata, 2008). A similar failure of river dikes caused by liquefaction was observed during the 1993 Kushiro-oki earthquake, the 1995 Kobe earthquake (Towhata, 2008) and the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku earthquake (Koseki et al, 2012; Sasaki et al, 2012; Yamaguchi et al, 2012) Based on such actual cases of damage, several two-dimensional (2D) shaking table model tests have been performed in both gravitational and centrifugal fields to investigate the dynamic behaviour of embankments and river dikes on liquefiable ground (Koga & Matsuo, 1990; Sasaki et al, 1992; Adalier et al, 1998; Okamura & Tamura, 2004; Sharp & Adalier, 2006; Maharjan & Takahashi, 2014). Published with permission by the ICE under the CC-BY license
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
