RESEARCH PROPOSAL

TOPIC: Numerical Modelling of Liquefaction induced uplift of tunnels in

sand-granulated copper slag mixture.
Name- Nikita Chauhan, NIT Kurukshetra, Geotechnical Engineering
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
In past studies several researchers have conducted substantial
experimental and numerical works to probe uplift resistance. In most of
the studies, some small-scale centrifuge model tests were conducted,
and the comparisons were made in terms of excess pore water pressure
and acceleration time histories. These experimental results were
validated using some finite element or finite difference based numerical
analyses. A majority of the sophisticated constitutive models available
studied the effect of liquefaction while considering the plain strain
conditions. An effective 3D numerical model to simulate mitigation of the
liquefaction induced uplift of the tunnels are not available. Moreover,
studies on the effect of ground motion characteristics on the uplift are
very limited. 2D numerical studies on uplift mitigation using continuous
replacement are available; however, a 3D approach is necessary to
show the effect of replacement with regular intervals.
INTRODUCTION
The construction of underground structures in India is not as extensive
as compared to many developed countries. Many underground
structures lie in the regions with high liquefaction potential and large
ground displacement. Hence the seismic risk associated with the
structures in those regions is quite high and needs serious consideration
to reduce the probability of any hazard following an earthquake. Thus,
there is a need to look into the various factors that affect the liquefaction
induced uplift and to come up with an effective countermeasure so as to
avoid such a seismic risk. Therefore, a 3D numerical study can be
proposed to investigate liquefaction induced floatation of an
underground structure.
ABSTRACT
Liquefaction induced uplift of underground structures is a major concern
as observed during recent earthquakes. Sand-granulated copper slag
mixture can be effectively applied as a liquefaction mitigation filling
material around an underground structure. In this study, finite difference
modelling will be carried out to study the liquefaction induced uplift of an
underground structure with or without the replacement of in-situ fine
sand around the structures with slag. The soil behavior will be
represented using elastic-perfectly plastic Mohr-Coulomb model, where
the pore pressures will be computed using Finn-Byrne formulation. The
predicted pore pressures and uplift of the structure due to sinusoidal
input motion will be validated with the centrifuge tests reported in
previous studies and an empirical equation will be developed eventually
for the determination of liquefaction induced uplift of a tunnel.
OBJECTIVES
Following can be the objectives of the research work:
1. To develop a finite difference model to capture the liquefaction-
induced uplift of a tunnel.
2. To carry out shake table experiments to study the behavior of a
tunnel in liquefiable soil.
3. To study factors influencing the liquefaction induced uplift of a
tunnel such as PGA, frequency content, depth of embedment etc.
using the developed numerical model.
4. To study various mitigation schemes to reduce the liquefaction
induced uplift of the structure using 3D finite-difference simulations
using FLAC 3D program.