Effectiveness of concrete rigid inclusions for coastal reclaimed liquefiable soils

Abstract

Various ground improvement methods have been utilized to reduce the risk of liquefaction and associated soil deformations. Limited research has been reported in literature pertaining the effectiveness of concrete rigid inclusions in reducing the liquefaction-induced deformations. This paper displays the outcomes of a numerical study that investigates the effectiveness of concrete rigid inclusions in mitigating liquefaction-induced deformation of coastal reclaimed liquefiable soils. For this purpose, series of numerical analyses using 2D finite element software package GeoStudio 2012 were performed for different replacement area ratios and inclusion lengths in reclaimed deposits. The case history of caisson quay wall in Rokko Island from 1995 Kobe earthquake was used as a basis for the analysis and for model verification. The results showed that concrete rigid inclusions technique is efficient in reducing the permanent liquefaction-induced horizontal and vertical deformations of coastal reclaimed backfill and foundation deposits and provides better performance for subjected coastal structures.

Keywords

• Liquefaction
• Soil deformations
• Coastal reclaimed soils
• Rigid inclusions
• Numerical analysis
• Ground improvement methods