Effectiveness of Different Reinforcement Alternatives for Mitigating Liquefaction in Sands

Lakkimsetti, B and Latha, GM (2023) Effectiveness of Different Reinforcement Alternatives for Mitigating Liquefaction in Sands. In: International Journal of Geosynthetics and Ground Engineering, 9 (4).

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Abstract

Liquefaction in sands is a natural hazard associated with an earthquake and remains a major concern for geotechnical engineers, as the shear strength of saturated loose sands reduces drastically with the development of positive pore pressures under dynamic loads resulting in the breakage of grain contacts. Traditional remedial measures to avoid liquefaction include densifying the ground, installing vertical drains to dissipate the pore pressures, and grouting with binders to impart cohesion. These techniques are not sustainable as they are quite expensive, energy, and resource intensive. This study examines the efficacy of various sustainable alternatives for mitigating the liquefaction hazard in sands, including the use of polymeric geotextiles, geofoam, coir fibers, and encased granular columns, and compares their performance. For this, a series of constant volume cyclic simple shear tests were performed on the sand in its natural condition and after modification with different techniques. Loading intensity is varied to simulate different seismic scenarios. Results are interpreted in terms of pore pressures, shear strains, energy dissipation, and modulus degradation, and the efficacy of these techniques for liquefaction mitigation is quantified and compared. Internal mechanisms responsible for the improvement in liquefaction resistance through different techniques were critically examined. It was found that the liquefaction resistance of sand increased using these techniques. However, the maximum benefit is found to be with the inclusion of geofoam, followed by encased granular columns, coir fibers, and geotextile. Findings from this study have direct relevance for capacity building against earthquakes through different sustainable methods.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	International Journal of Geosynthetics and Ground Engineering
Publisher:	Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Additional Information:	The copyright for this article belongs to the Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH.
Keywords:	Cyclic simple shear test; Earthquakes; Geosynthetics; Liquefaction; Sustainability; UNSDG11: sustainable cities and communities.
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Civil Engineering
Date Deposited:	17 Jul 2023 11:20
Last Modified:	17 Jul 2023 11:20
URI:	https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/82451

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