ABSTRACT
Current practice for assessing soil liquefaction susceptibility of sands and silts during earthquakes and their post-cyclic undrained shear strength relies strongly on empirical methodologies. Procedures for soil liquefaction evaluation include both in-situ and laboratory test methods that require correction factors which are not always fully-understood nor well-defined. Consequently, much uncertainty still remains after a routine analysis is conducted, particularly for natural soil deposits, reclaimed lands, and geologies for which the empirical databases were not developed. Under funding from both the USGS and NSF, the initial development and trial calibrations of an impulse-type piezovibrocone test have begun as a joint study by Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. The piezovibrocone will serve as a specialized in-situ testing tool for the direct evaluation of soil liquefaction potential and post-cyclic residual undrained shear strength on site-specific projects. The data produced from preliminary field tests at historic liquefaction sites in Charleston, SC will be evaluated qualitatively and ongoing research will be reviewed to assess the potential for future quantitative analyses.
