Abstract
A novel application of multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) technique to seismic soil liquefaction, a complex problem in earthquake geotechnical engineering, is presented. Seismic soil liquefaction depends on a diversified set of physical parameters with highly non-linear interconnections. Factors governing liquefaction may broadly be grouped as seismic parameters, site conditions and primarily dynamic soil properties, as the stimulus itself is manifestly dynamic. Each of these factors incorporates a wide range of variety of parameters that characterize liquefaction, to a varying degree of significance, such as: the magnitude, effective overburden pressure, shear modulus, normalized standard penetration blow count [N1]60, etc. Estimating rapid, yet accurate and reliable liquefaction susceptibility requires identification of the most significant factors controlling liquefaction. Thus a new concept of extracting significant parameters and gauging their importance is carried out by assigning them weights by applying MCDM introduced herein, whose evaluation is accomplished by means of an ‘entropy method’. In line with this, a relative reliability risk index (R3I) is computed indicating the ranking that directly reflects the severity of risk for liquefaction. Although the entropy analysis is carried out separately for the three multivariate criteria, it is remarkable that the R3I evaluated for each of these gives consistent ranking.
Abbreviations | ||
ELM: | = | empirical liquefaction model |
(N1)60: | = | normalised standard penetration blow count for a soil |
σ’v: | = | effective overburden pressure at a site |
r: | = | epicentral distance for a site |
amax: | = | peak ground acceleration of induced earthquake |
vmax: | = | peak ground velocity of induced earthquake |
dmax: | = | peak ground displacement of induced earthquake |
Dr: | = | relative density of soil |
D50: | = | mean grain diameter for a soil |
FC: | = | fines content in a soil |
k0: | = | Coefficient of earth pressure at rest for a soil |
MCDM: | = | multi criteria decision making |
R3I: | = | relative reliability risk index |
AHP: | = | analytic hierarchy process |
CI: | = | consistency index |
RI: | = | reliability index |
CR: | = | consistency ratio |
LP: | = | liquefaction potential |
Abbreviations | ||
ELM: | = | empirical liquefaction model |
(N1)60: | = | normalised standard penetration blow count for a soil |
σ’v: | = | effective overburden pressure at a site |
r: | = | epicentral distance for a site |
amax: | = | peak ground acceleration of induced earthquake |
vmax: | = | peak ground velocity of induced earthquake |
dmax: | = | peak ground displacement of induced earthquake |
Dr: | = | relative density of soil |
D50: | = | mean grain diameter for a soil |
FC: | = | fines content in a soil |
k0: | = | Coefficient of earth pressure at rest for a soil |
MCDM: | = | multi criteria decision making |
R3I: | = | relative reliability risk index |
AHP: | = | analytic hierarchy process |
CI: | = | consistency index |
RI: | = | reliability index |
CR: | = | consistency ratio |
LP: | = | liquefaction potential |