Behavior of Structures with Basements Located in Liquefiable Soils

Abstract

There is an increasing tendency for buildings in urban areas to have basements. However, the coseismic behavior of these structures is not well understood. Dynamic centrifuge experiments were performed to investigate the behavior of structures with narrow basements located in liquefiable soils. The tests showed that basements can be used to reduce the liquefaction-induced settlement of structures. However, it may be misleading to model only a simplified geometry of the basement which ignores the realistic, postconstruction geometry. The inclusion of diaphragm walls extending below the bottom of the basement worsened the settlement for heavier structures and worsened the rotation for lighter structures. Digital image correlation provided novel insight into the soil–structure interaction for these scenarios. The inclusion of a continuous wider base slab was found to prevent rotation. The width of the widest section of the basement and the net weight of the structure during liquefaction were found to be the key design parameters to ensure that structures with basements in liquefiable soils accumulated minimal settlement and rotation.