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A liquefaction case study of gently sloping gravelly soil deposits in the near-fault region of the 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake

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Abstract

The 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake in China caused widespread soil liquefaction and ground failures. A liquefaction case study of gently sloping ground at Yingxiu Town in the near-fault region is presented, which features its relatively thick deposits of sand-gravel mixtures, high soil stiffness, extremely intensive ground motion, large lateral spreading and severe damage of superstructure. The details of ground motion, site condition, field manifestations of liquefaction, subsurface soil profiles and field testing of shear wave velocities are presented. A conceptual binary mixture model is proposed to explain the gravel content effect on the stiffness and liquefaction resistance of gravelly soils. A preliminary liquefaction triggering evaluation method for gravelly soils is proposed by considering the gravel content correction of shear wave velocities based on the existing simplified procedure for typical sandy soils. The failure mechanism of the Baihua Bridge built at this site is explored, and the liquefaction-induced lateral spreading in down-slope direction might aggravate the failure process by imposing a large kinematic load on the piers besides the inertial forces transferred from the superstructure.

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Acknowledgements

This study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51778573, 51978613, 51988101), the Chinese Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to University (the 111 Project, No. B18047) and the Science Technology Department of Zhejiang Province (Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility, CHIEF). The authors would thank Dr. Chao Han and Dr. Hongguang Jiang for their kind help during the field investigations.

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  1. MOE Key Laboratory of Soft Soils and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, Center for Hypergravity Experimental and Interdisciplinary Research, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Rd., Zijingang Campus, Anzhong Bldg. B-404, Hangzhou, 310058, P. R. China

    Yan-Guo Zhou, Peng Xia, Dao-Sheng Ling & Yun-Min Chen

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  1. Yan-Guo Zhou
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  2. Peng Xia
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  3. Dao-Sheng Ling
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Correspondence to Yan-Guo Zhou.

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Zhou, YG., Xia, P., Ling, DS. et al. A liquefaction case study of gently sloping gravelly soil deposits in the near-fault region of the 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake. Bull Earthquake Eng 18, 6181–6201 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-020-00939-4

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