Liquefaction of soils

during Earthquakes
@ICE Indonesian branch - Wednesday, 26th August 2015
Eastern Promise Restaurant, Kemang, Jakarta, Indonesia
Wilham G. Louhenapessy PhD (Wales)

Founder
PT Signifikan Solusi Integrasi
wilham.george@gmail.com
wilham@signtegra.com

Yudha Prima Satya Adhi

Senior Geotechnical Engineer

PT. Mott MacDonald Indonesia
Yudha.adi@mottmac.co.id
Yudhatebe@yahoo.co.id

Content
Introduction of Liquefaction
Method and the tools
Pile design example for the foundation in potentially liquefied layers
The soil improvement methods to minimize the risk of liquefaction

Sharing post-project information of soil improvements against liquefaction

What Happened?

t = f(sn - u)

Potential cost increase and construction delay

Strength and stiffness of a loose saturated granular soil is
reduced by earthquake shaking or by any other kind of rapid
loading and high ground water level. What happens during
the liquefaction?
Increase in the pore water pressure (u) during undrained
shearing; a reduction in the s which in turn reduces the shear
strength Pore pressure is often released through sand or
water boils. The soil behaves more like a viscous fluid in that
case.
So, obviously heavy structures will sink down (Niigata 1964, Jogja 2006,
Padang 2009) & if it is a light structure; it may float due to lose of
confining pressure.

Original
sediment
structure

Shear = function of (Vertical

stress, sn minus porewater
pressure)

Liquefaction
(Pencairan Tanah Berpasir/lanau)
Void
collapse

Pore pressure
increases
result

Content
Introduction of Liquefaction
Method and the tools
Pile design example for the foundation in potentially liquefied layers
The soil improvement methods to minimize the risk of liquefaction

Sharing post-project information of soil improvements against liquefaction

Quick Check
Granular Soil (cohessionless)
Loose/ Poor Graded
GWL high/ near surface
N-SPT < 20 Seed 1971
Earthquake Magnitude > 5 ML(Local Magnitude) National
Research Council 1985, Ishihara 1985 (See next slide related with
distances)
PGA > 0.1 g
Maximum possible distances (See next slide related with MMI)

Maximum possible distances

for liquefaction
Ms6
20 km

Ms7
125 km
21-Dec-2013
Ms=5

M s 8.5
1500 km

M s 8.0
650 km

Epicenter:
9 km NNE of
Meulaboh

Meulaboh

What is the impact?

How to predict the potential liquefaction depth zone?
There are some methods considered:
Based on Shear Strength & Probability-Method
Seed and Iddris 1971
Simplified Method Youd et al. (2001), Idriss & Boulanger (2008)
Probabilistic-Seed (refinements suggested by Cetin et.al. 2004)
By the soils physical properties such as grain-size, density, and saturation:
Tsuchida method

Chinese Criteria (Wang, 1979)

Jonathan Bray et. al. Method (Bray, Sancio et.al 2004)

Fraction Finer than 0.005mm 15%
Plasticity Index 12 < PI 20
Ratio of Water Content to Liquid Limit (wc/LL 0.85)
Observation in the Adapazari (Turkey) following the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake have shown that buildings on
soil deposits that exhibit cyclic mobility in the laboratory can settle and tilt excessively and that surface
manifestations of liquefaction such as sediment eject may also occur under conditions of cyclic mobility.
They evaluate the effectiveness of the previous criterion or the Chinese criteria. FOUND: It is not the percent
of clay-size particles that is important, but rather it is the percent of active clay minerals present in the soils.
As warned by Casagrande as early as 1933 , use of particle size alone as a basis for classifying soil is not
prudent. A soil deposit is considered to be susceptible to liquefaction or cyclic mobility if the ratio of the
water content to liquid limit is equal to or greater than 0.85 (Wc/LL 0.85), and the soil PI12.

NOLIQUEFACTION

Shear Strength & Probability-Method

Soil types most susceptible to

liquefaction can be described as
saturated, very loose to medium
dense fine to medium grained sand
and non-plastic silt.

Tsuchida method

To be continue

SUMMARY and CONCLUSION

Explanation: the definition of, and what triggers liquefaction of soils
Discusses the related post earthquake phenomenon due to it.
How to check the liquefaction potential of soils (method and the tools) Boulanger-Idriss
2004, Tsukida 1971, J.W. Brays Criteria of 2004
Pile design (example & strategies) for the foundation in potentially liquefied layers
The pile length for the foundation has been chosen.
Modelling of Fixity Point: The Port Structures of Potential Liquefied sub-layers has been
design and construct without any obstacle
The strategy in Pile Foundation Design and other type of Soil Improvement (Stone Column,
Sand Column etc.)
Projects Seismicity, Subsoil layer, Eng Prop, Liquef Potential Pile of The REACTOR Foundation + Calc
Result (Pakai Group kah?, thx)
Method of Soil Improvement (how to chose and requirement) Dynamic Compaction, VibroFlotation,
VibroReplacement dll.

SUMMARY and CONCLUSION

Sharing post-project with description of solutions :

(by Wilham) The various example of projects from top west corner of Sumatera Island where
the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake of Mw 9.1 (USGS) and A power plant in Banten Province

(by Yudha) A Coal Power Plant in Padang, West Sumatra

(by Yudha) ZOOMING In for Cilegon a Power Plant in Cilegon (KDL)

A refinery in Central Java

Toll Road Project (East Java)

There is a need to understand the geological hazard and implementation for an

earthquake resistant design for the foundation and prevent them from postearthquake effect such as liquefaction.

Liquefaction of soils during Earthquakes

Thank You / Terima Kasih

Q/A or Email us - Tanya/Jawab atau Email kami
Wilham G. Louhenapessy PhD (Wales)

Founder
PT Signifikan Solusi Integrasi
wilham.george@gmail.com
wilham@signtegra.com

Yudha Prima Satya Adhi

Senior Geotechnical Engineer

PT. Mott MacDonald Indonesia