Liquefaction of Seabeds under Progressive Waves Excitation

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on seabed liquefaction under progressive waves. To analyze the potential of the soil to liquefy, the position of the critical state line (CSL) was determined in a series of monotonic triaxial shear tests that were carried out on soil samples, which were characterized by different initial states that correspond to contractive and dilative behavior. Based on these results, the main experiments in the wave flume were designed. They were performed to investigate the effect of wave height and wave period on the possibility of soil liquefaction. Pore water pressures were measured at different depths of the subsoil. The correlation between the wave parameters and the susceptibility of the soil subgrade to liquefaction was analyzed. A three-dimensional (3D) analysis of the effect of the wave height and period on the variation in the maximum excess pore pressure and the sequences in the liquefaction process was performed. The experimental results show that the level of the maximum excess pore pressure and sequence of the liquefaction process are strongly affected by the wave height and period.