Wave-induced liquefaction of beds of sand in a centrifuge

The behaviour of beds of fine-grained sand under fluid wave trains was investigated using centrifuge modelling. Three sets of centrifuge wave tank tests with viscous scaling were performed, such that time-scaling laws for wave propagation as well as consolidation were matched. The test programme consisted of either progressive- or standing-wave tests on loosely packed, fresh deposits of soil, as well as repeated travelling-wave tests with intervening periods of consolidation. The results from the progressive- and standing-wave tests indicate that for each of the wave-loading regimes, there exists a critical cyclic stress ratio below which liquefaction does not occur. The critical value for the progressive-wave-loading series was found to be considerably smaller than that for the standing-wave-loading series. Moreover, the wave-induced liquefaction of the sand beds was of a progressive nature. In fact, under the action of severe travelling waves, liquefaction was first induced in the uppermost layer of the...