Chapter 6: Liquefaction: theoretical aspects

Liquefaction is a phenomenon in which the strength and stiffness of a soil are reduced by earthquake shaking or other rapid cyclic loading. Liquefaction and related phenomena have been responsible for tremendous amounts of damage in historical earthquakes around the world. Following the twin earthquakes in 1964 that occurred in Niigata, Japan, and in Alaska, USA, research on soil liquefaction has progressed significantly in terms of understanding the mechanism behind the phenomenon, especially the effect of cyclic loading on saturated sands, its impact on the built environment and the ways to mitigate the associated problems. The frequent observation of liquefaction-induced damage during major earthquakes has made liquefaction a major concern in geotechnical earthquake engineering.