An Alternative Performance-Based Liquefaction Initiation Procedure for the Standard Penetration Test

摘要

For slopes and embankments, the potential of liquefaction initiation and its associated effects are important hazards that must be considered, particularly in areas of high seismicity. Engineers are beginning to evaluate these hazards using performance-based design methods in order to consider risk in a logical, consistent, and objective manner. Kramer and Mayfield (2007) introduced a performance-based procedure for evaluating liquefaction initiation with the Standard Penetration Test (SPT). However, the Kramer and Mayfield procedure incorporates the probabilistic liquefaction triggering model developed by Cetin et al. (2004), which has come under question by a few researchers beginning in 2010 for inconsistencies in its liquefaction case history database (Idriss and Boulanger 2010; Boulanger and Idriss 2011). Using the framework developed by Kramer and Mayfield, an alternative performance-based liquefaction initiation procedure for the SPT is presented that utilizes the probabilistic liquefaction triggering model of Boulanger and Idriss (2012) instead of Cetin et al. (2004). The substitution simplifies the performance-based procedure somewhat by eliminating the need for average shear wave velocity measurement in the upper 12-meters of soil (V_(S,12m)). A preliminary comparison between the two methods is presented.