Seismic settlements of shallow foundations on liquefiable soil with a clay crust

A simplified analytical methodology is presented for the computation of the seismic settlements of strip and rectangle footings resting on liquefiable soil with a clay crust. It is based on results of fully-coupled dynamic numerical analyses, performed with a critical-state constitutive model, and captures the physical mechanism of settlement accumulation, which is associated to a “sliding-block” type of punching failure through the clay crust and within the liquefied sand layer. More specifically, liquefaction-induced settlements are correlated to the seismic excitation characteristics and the post-shaking degraded static factor of safety, while the effect of shear-induced dilation of the liquefied subsoil is also taken into account. Analytical predictions are evaluated against experimental observations from centrifuge and large-scale experiments, as well as, against in-situ observations from the City of Adapazari, during the 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake. Finally, easy to use, performance-based design (PBD) charts are developed for quick application of the proposed methodology in practice.

► Liquefaction-induced seismic settlements of shallow footings are addressed. ► We focused upon strip and rectangle footings on liquefiable soil with a clay crust. ► Advanced parametric analyses were performed for harmonic and seismic excitations. ► An analytical methodology is developed, based on a sliding-block failure mechanism. ► The methodology was verified against centrifuge experiments and field observations.