Assessing effect of dynamic compaction on liquefaction potential using statistical methods – a case study

ABSTRACT

This article is aimed at illustrating the practical use of statistical methods in geotechnical engineering. As an example, the efficacy of dynamic compaction (DC) in the mitigation of liquefaction hazard is studied through a case study of a site in the Chang-Hwa Coastal Industrial Park in Changhua County, Taiwan. Before DC, the soil at the study site, which mainly consists of a layer of hydraulic fill of silty sand to fine sand underlain by recent alluvial plains (Qa), is deemed susceptible to liquefaction. After DC, the soil at the study site is improved such that the liquefaction potential is greatly reduced. The efficacy of DC in reducing liquefaction potential is evaluated quantitatively using the statistical methods, and the effectiveness of these statistical methods, especially when used with visualisation technique, is demonstrated. This provides a basis towards risk-based communication and decision making in the setting of practical applications.

KEYWORDS:

• Case study
• dynamic compaction
• liquefaction
• soil variability
• statistical methods

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Mengfen Shen http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8936-4633

C. Hsein Juang http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2181-8947

Additional information

Funding

The first author wishes to acknowledge the financial support from the National Key R&D Program of China [2016YFC0800200], and Clemson University during her PhD study in the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering, Clemson University. The second author wishes to acknowledge the support of the Ministry of Education, Taiwan for its “Yushan Scholar” Award.