Shallow-founded structures on liquefiable layers: Experimental & numerical insights

Synopsis

Structures with shallow foundations resting on liquefiable layers can suffer excessive displacements in the event of an earthquake. Recent advancements have significantly improved the tools available to practicing engineers for settlement and rotation estimation. However, significant uncertainty remains in such estimations, related to dynamic soil response and soil–structure interaction during a liquefaction event. In this two-part presentation, insight on the response of shallow-founded structures resting on liquefiable layers will be given, stemming from experimental and numerical campaigns.

In the first part of the presentation, Prof. Adamidis will present results from dynamic centrifuge experiments, which reveal the dominant deformation mechanisms that develop under a structure during a liquefaction event, focusing on the effect of the depth of the liquefiable layer and the weight of the structure.

In the second part of the presentation, Dr. Kassas will present results from advanced numerical modelling of the same problem, highlighting the need for detailed calibration of the constitutive model and thorough validation of the simulations. Subsequently, results from a parametric investigation on boundary effects will be presented, revealing key considerations for numerical and physical modelling of this problem.

About the speakers

Prof. Orestis Adamidis studied Civil Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), specialising in geotechnical engineering. He then moved to the University of Cambridge where he completed a PhD examining the response of shallow-founded structures in the event of earthquake-induced liquefaction. Afterwards, he joined ETH Zurich in Switzerland, with a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. There, his work focused on the importance of co-seismic drainage during liquefaction. Since July 2020, Orestis has been appointed Associate Professor at the department of Engineering Science of the University of Oxford and Tutorial Fellow at St Catherine’s College.

Dr Konstantinos Kassas graduated from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) in 2013 with a Diploma in Civil Engineering. Subsequently, he attended the research-oriented M.Sc. in Geotechnical Earthquake and Offshore Engineering at the University of Dundee, which he completed in October 2015 with distinction. In 2021, he successfully completed his doctoral studies at the Chair of Geotechnical Engineering of the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zürich). As part of his doctoral thesis, Konstantinos studied the effect of Structure-Soil-Structure Interaction (SSSI) of adjacent buildings on liquefied soil.

Further information

This event is organised by the Young Members' Subcommittee in SECED. The event will be preceded by the AGM for the Young Members of SECED (at 6pm). The event will be chaired by Fiona Hughes (Arup). The event will held in-person at the Institution of Civil Engineers (see below). Attendance at this meeting is free. Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be served from 5.30pm - 6pm. The event will also be broadcast online. To attend the presentation online, please register for the event prior to joining. The registration process will provide you with the link you need to join main event.

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