Abstract
The evaluation and design of stone column improvement ground for liquefaction mitigation is a challenging issue for the state of practice. In this paper, a shear wave velocity-based approach is proposed based on the well-defined correlations of liquefaction resistance (CRR)-shear wave velocity (V s)-void ratio (e) of sandy soils, and the values of parameters in this approach are recommended for preliminary design purpose when site specific values are not available. The detailed procedures of pre- and post-improvement liquefaction evaluations and stone column design are given. According to this approach, the required level of ground improvement will be met once the target V s of soil is raised high enough (i.e., no less than the critical velocity) to resist the given earthquake loading according to the CRR-V s relationship, and then this requirement is transferred to the control of target void ratio (i.e., the critical e) according to the V s-e relationship. As this approach relies on the densification of the surrounding soil instead of the whole improved ground and is conservative by nature, specific considerations of the densification mechanism and effect are given, and the effects of drainage and reinforcement of stone columns are also discussed. A case study of a thermal power plant in Indonesia is introduced, where the effectiveness of stone column improved ground was evaluated by the proposed V s-based method and compared with the SPT-based evaluation. This improved ground performed well and experienced no liquefaction during subsequent strong earthquakes.
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Acknowledgment
This study is partly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51578501, No. 51127005), the Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of P.R. China (No. 201160), the National Program for Special Support of Top-Notch Young Professionals (2013), the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (No. LR15E080001), the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Project) (No. 2014CB047005), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2014FZA4016) and Zhejiang University K. P. Chao’s High Technology Development Foundation (2014). All of the supports are greatly appreciated.
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Supported by: National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 51578501 and No. 51127005; the Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of P R China under Grant No. 201160; the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. LR15E080001; the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Project) under Grant No. 2014CB047005; the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities under Grant No. 2014FZA4016 and Zhejiang University K. P. Chao’s High Technology Development Foundation (2014)
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Zhou, Y., Sun, Z., Chen, J. et al. Shear wave velocity-based evaluation and design of stone column improved ground for liquefaction mitigation. Earthq. Eng. Eng. Vib. 16, 247–261 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-017-0380-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-017-0380-2