Numerical Modeling of Shallow Foundation on Liquefiable Soil

Abstract

Liquefaction of soil is one of the most unpredictable event which causes failure of the structure during an earthquake which causes settlement, tilt and lateral sliding of structure and sub-structure. Therefore, it is essential to study the effect of an earthquake before the construction of any structure for a particular site, residing in high seismic zone. In the present paper, a shallow foundation resting on liquefiable is numerically modeled to find out displacement and excess pore pressure during and after for an earthquake like motion. The basic equation of Biot's theory of porous media has been considered to analysis the shallow foundation using finite element method. The inelastic behaviour which include dilatancy and hardening has been modelled using Pastor-Zienkiewicz Mark III model. The effect of some key parameters like shear modulus and permeability has been also studied. Parametric study shows that chance of liquefaction becomes less as shear modulus increases. Permeability also play an important role in triggering the liquefaction phenomena.