Numerical and Centrifuge Modeling of Seismic Soil–Foundation–Structure Interaction on Liquefiable Ground

The effective mitigation of the liquefaction hazard requires an improved understanding of the consequences of liquefaction in terms of ground shaking, permanent displacement, and building performance. In this paper, results from centrifuge experiments of a shallow-founded structure on liquefiable sand are used to evaluate the predictive capabilities of a state-of-the-art numerical tool. Solid-fluid, fully-coupled 3D nonlinear numerical simulations were performed using the PDMY02 soil model implemented in a software modeling domain. The numerical model captured excess pore pressures and accelerations well in the free-field, but largely underestimated volumetric settlements due to loss of water during shaking. This was associated with the drastic increase in soil hydraulic conductivity when approaching liquefaction, which was not taken into account numerically, as well as the underestimation of soil volumetric compressibility. The contribution of volumetric strains to total building settlement was, however, relatively minor. Hence, by capturing the excess pore pressures and accelerations under the foundation, the model could capture deviatoric displacements and hence building’s settlement and tilt response. The results of the experiments and numerical simulations are combined in this paper to provide guidance on the evaluation of building response on liquefiable ground.