Author(s)

J. Chu

Abstract

Liquefaction of dilating granular soils J. Chu School of Civil and Structural Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 2263 Singapore ABSTRACT A special kind of liquefaction, manifesting as a flow type of instability at a stress level below failure, is studied in this paper. It is shown ex- perimentally that this kind of liquefaction can occur for dilating granular soils under non-undrained conditions. The factors influencing this kind of liquefaction are studied. It is identified that generation of pore water pres- sure is the key factor affecting the liquefaction behaviour. The practical implications of this kind of liquefaction are addressed. INTRODUCTION The essential characteristic of liquefaction is the 'flow' behaviour, that is, the mass of soil undergoes very large unidirectional shear strains. Such a 'flow' may be triggered by an earthquake, such as the slide in the up- stream slope of Lower San Fernando Dam in California in 1971. On the other hand, the 'flow' m

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