Finite element analysis of rubber–soil mixture (RSM) for the pile response reduction under liquefaction

Abstract

Earthquake-induced liquefaction increases the pore water pressure, reducing soil stiffness and allowing lateral movement of crust layer above the liquefiable layer, considerably damaging the piles. In this paper, an attempt is made to investigate the response of piles under liquefaction using a spectrum-compatible accelerogram corresponding to the maximum credible earthquake for the most severe seismic zone of Indian standards, with finite element model (FEM) in the OpenSees platform. It is predicted that the maximum pile head deflection, bending moment, and shear force is 3.66, 15.31, and 3.09 times that pile responses due to non-liquefied soil condition, respectively. Further, a mitigation technique is proposed using rubber–soil mixture (RSM) around the pile. It is estimated that a 10% reduction in maximum pile head displacement is achieved with 1-m depth RSM layer, while the reduction of 40% and 60% is achieved with RSM depth 2.5m and 4m, respectively. Responses due to proposed FEM modeling in close agreement with that of SAP modeling using the Euler–Bernoulli-beam model.