Module 73359

Geotechnical Engineering
Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Environmental Engineering
Curriculum: Earth Resources Engineering
Academic Year 2020-2021

Experimental strategies for

soil characterization (IVc)
Evaluation of Liquefaction Susceptibility from
CPT

Module Leader
Prof. Laura TONNI
CPT for Cyclic Liquefaction
The CPT can be used to evaluate the potential for soil liquefaction. Several
methods have been proposed in the literature, among them the approach
proposed by Robertson & Wride (1998).

 All methods require the estimate of the cyclic stress ratio (CSR) profile
caused by the design earthquake and the cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) of
the ground.
 If the CSR is greater than the CRR, cyclic liquefaction can occur.

Factor of Safety
against liquefaction
FSL

LIQUEFIABLE
ZONE
CPT for Cyclic Liquefaction
 The CSR is usually estimated based on a probability of occurrence for a
given earthquake.
 A simplified method to estimate CSR is the following (Seed and Idriss,
1971):

with: amax = peak ground surface acceleration at the site; av = average
cyclic shear stress; g = gravity acceleration; vo= total vertical stress; 'vo=
effective vertical stress; rd = stress reduction factor, dependent on depth.

rd

rd rd
CPT for Cyclic Liquefaction
In the R&W method, the CPT-based correlation to determine CRR for sand-
like soils (Ic<2.6) is:
CRR7.5 = cyclic resistance
ratio for an earthquake of
7.5 magnitude M;
Qtn,cs = equivalent clean
sand normalized cone
penetration resistance.

Atmospheric pressure
1) 2) Soil Behaviour Type Index

n = 0.5
n

Normalized cone penetration

resistance

Correction factor
3) 4)
n n n n
if n
if n
CPT for Cyclic Liquefaction
The factor of safely against cyclic liquefaction is defined as:

where MSF is the Magnitude Scaling Factor to convert the CRR7.5 for M =
7.5 to the equivalent CRR for the design earthquake.

Idriss, 1999

Idriss, 1995

Cetin et al., 2004

M
CPT for Cyclic Liquefaction
qt (MPa) u2 (MPa) fs (MPa) Ic
SBT
0 10 20 0 0.1 0.2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
0

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24
amax= 0.22 g
M = 6.14
CPT for Cyclic Liquefaction

SBT CRR, CSR FSLIQ

4.00
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0

amax= 0.22 g
M = 6.14