Imagine that in the final hours of loading a time-sensitive consignment at a busy port in a relatively secluded location, all loading operations are ordered to stop. Free water has appeared in the corners of the hold and the obvious excessive moisture content of the cargo causes it to be considered unsafe for shipment. The cargo is rejected by the Master based on his visual inspection of its wet appearance. He fears that some or all of the mineral ore cargo has the potential to 'liquefy' during shipment. What should be done to resolve this situation as quickly as possible with the least amount of business interruption for all parties concerned? In the field of geotechnical engineering, liquefaction is a phenomenon that can be caused by earthquakes, which can trigger a sudden loss of shear strength. The flow point depends on a number of factors, including: particle size, shape and roughness; shear strength; plasticity index; permeability; confining stress and self-weight; relative density versus bulk density; the critical void ratio; the cyclic stress ratio and wave frequencies; the soil compressibility; flotation; internal angle of friction; and, of course, moisture content.
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