Liquefaction triggering from a slow, drained increase in phreatic surface

David Reid

This location for this event has changed – please note that the event will take place at State Library of Western Australia, 25 Francis St., Perth.

Clear evidence of the ability of a slow, drained increase in phreatic surface to trigger liquefaction in loose soils – referred to typically as the constant shear drained (CSD) stress path – has been available for about 30 years. However, it is arguably the least appreciated and understood trigger mechanism for liquefaction. Clearly, increasing the appreciation of the CSD trigger mechanism is important to ongoing efforts to increase the safety of mine waste deposits, which often include loosely-placed materials and could have a rising phreatic surface under many conceivable scenarios.

This purpose of the talk is to provide a summary of the clear evidence of CSD triggering, historical examples where this was the cause of failure, and some theoretical background on the process in the context of critical state soil mechanics.

About the speaker

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