Resistance of Soil to Liquefaction and Settlement

This paper presents a quantitative method of organizing field observations concerning liquefaction and non-liquefaction during actual earthquakes. The ratio τc/δv is evaluated for 13 sites affected by 8 earthquakes and plotted against relative density (τc is the average peak dynamic stress during the earthquake, and δv is the vertical effective overburden stress, both evaluated at the critical depth). The effect of the duration of shaking is considered by means of a correction to For recent fluvial deposits and uncompacted hydraulic fills, the critical level of τc/δv for fine sands is about 0.15. This result is in reasonable agreement with results from laboratory investigations. More evidence is required concerning coarser and denser granular deposits.