Liquefaction and Undrained Cyclic Behaviour in Fully and Partially Saturated Sands

The reduction in the degree of saturation is considered one of the most efficient methods to improve the cyclic resistance of sands. Hence, one of the most promising liquefaction mitigation techniques involves the induction of partial saturation. This paper compiles and analyses a series of cyclic triaxial tests results conducted in different sands under different degrees of saturation to assess the performance of induced partial saturation on the undrained cyclic behaviour of sands. The results confirmed the improvement in liquefaction resistance and cyclic behaviour of the five sands. This finding accentuates the effectiveness of induced partial saturation as a method for mitigating the liquefaction phenomenon. To conclude, a novel approach to quantify the effectiveness of induced partial saturation for the improvement of liquefaction resistance and undrained cyclic behaviour in sands is suggested.