Numerical Assessment of the Loading Factors Affecting Liquefaction-Induced Failure

This paper presents parametric studies that assess the role of loading factors (i.e., number of cycles, frequency, and amplitude) on liquefaction-induced failure by performing numerical simula-tions. Most of the existing literature considers the effects of the soil properties on the development of excess pore pressure with few research endeavours focusing on the effects of the input motion itself. Numerical simulations are performed herein, via the advanced software platform OpenSees, to generate several finite element models that consider non-linear development of pore pressure inside the soil. Several sinusoidal inputs were considered to study the effects of the various loading factors and compare the responses. The main findings arise from evaluating the effects of several input motion parameters (number of cycles, frequency, and amplitude) on soil liquefaction through numerical simulations. This research study, based on state-of-the-art knowledge, may be applied to assess future seismic events and to update or propose new code provisions for soil liquefaction.