ABSTRACT
Earthquake-induced liquefaction causes extensive damage to infrastructure. Soil liquefaction induced effects can account for a significant proportion of damage such as settlement of shallow foundations in saturated soils. Several mitigation measures for liquefaction phenomenon have been previously studied, such as the use of vertical drains. They are used as a method to dissipate excess of pore pressure generated during an earthquake and their efficiency has been previously examined. However, no studies have been focused on the effectiveness of vertical drains below existing structures after a seismic event. In this study, a dynamic centrifuge test was performed to address this issue. Under foundation, vertical drains containing coarse high permeable sand were placed in a square arrangement. The same test was performed for a similar foundation without drains to facilitate direct comparison. The effectiveness of vertical drains under structures was evaluated by comparing the settlement of the foundation with and without drains after ground shaking. In this paper, the reduction in the settlement of structures and the excess pore pressure in the presence of drains are presented.
