The effect of confinement in liquefaction tests carried out in a cyclic simple shear apparatus

Abstract

The cyclic simple shear tests can be used to reproduce in laboratory the complex behaviour of the soil during an earthquake, simulating the continuous rotation of the principal stress axes. In this research a comparison of results between cyclic simple shear tests carried out with confining pressure or confining rings is reported. A cyclic simple shear apparatus is used to carry out tests with confining rings (the conventional way to carry out cyclic simple shear tests) and with a confining pressure applied to the specimen through pressurized water, where the K0 condition during consolidation is guaranteed by a sophisticated control system. The apparatus, in both the configurations, is described in detail. All tests were carried out on reconstituted specimens of an Italian sand with similar initial conditions, such as low relative density and confining pressure. All experimental results are reported in the plane cyclic stress ratio (CSR) and number of cycles where liquefaction occurs (Nliq) in order to evaluate the effect of confinement on the liquefaction resistance of the studied sand.