Accuracy of prediction with effective stress analysis for liquefaction-induced earth pressure on a pile group

Abstract

Numerous buildings with pile foundation adjacent to quay walls were seriously damaged during the 1995 Kobe earthquake. The mechanism of the earth pressure on a pile group has not yet been clarified, and the precise prediction of the earth pressure is also very difficult. In this paper, we predicted the earth pressures on a pile group due to liquefaction-induced ground flow by a 3-dimensional soil-water coupled dynamic analysis. We simulated the series of large shaking table tests in order to validate the analysis. As a result, the predicted earth pressures on the piles and displacement of footing showed a quantitative agreement with the measured ones