Comparison of PUF Barrier Reinforcement and Skirted Ground Reinforcement Techniques in Liquefiable Soils Under Repeated Loading Events
摘要
The impact produced by the earthquake ground motions on infra-structures highly depends on the near surface soil properties which may either amplify or de-amplify the incoming seismic waves. Generally, the loose saturated soil deposits tend to amplify the ground motions together with pore pressure generation resulting in the occurrence of liquefaction in soil. Stone column reinforcements are being employed to mitigate liquefaction and its associated failures. However, their performance under repeated loading events requires detailed investigations due to possible clogging effects. Alternatively, use of isolation system made with Poly Urethane Foam (PUF) barrier reinforcement was also found suitable for mitigating incoming ground motions generated during dynamic loading. However, its performance in liquefiable soil needs to be explored to validate its efficiency for field implementation. Hence in this study, a comparative study between PUF barrier isolation system and conventional stone column method with PUF isolation barrier was carried out under repeated loading events. Stone column was installed together with PUF barrier model replicating skirted ground reinforcement model. Experimental studies were performed with PUF barrier and the proposed skirted ground barrier reinforcement systems on saturated ground bed having 40% and 60% relative densities using 1-g uniaxial shaking table under repeated shaking intensities of 0.1 g, 0.2 g, and 0.3 g. The parameters influencing the performance of the proposed PUF barrier reinforcement and skirted ground reinforcement in liquefiable soil were evaluated. The results showed that the incorporation of stone columns in PUF barrier system in the form of a skirted barrier system enhanced reduction in foundation settlement, improved amplitude attenuation, and minimized the pore water pressure generation when compared to PUF barrier system.