Experimental Investigation on the Post-liquefaction Behavior of Sands in Simple Shear Conditions

Experimental evidence shows that earthquake induced liquefaction can occur more than once in sandy soils. Moreover, despite an increase in soil density caused by the dissipation of the excess pore pressure induced by earthquakes, the liquefaction resistance of soils that have experienced liquefaction may be lower than that of virgin soils. This paper offers insight into this topic starting from the analysis of the undrained monotonic behavior of post-liquefied sands by means of tests performed with a simple shear cell equipped with flexible boundaries, which maintains a constant diameter to guarantee the “K0-condition.” The control system of cyclic, reconsolidation, and monotonic phases is described in detail. The experimental results show that neither the relative density, effective confining stress, cyclic stress ratio, nor the direction of shear strain play important roles in the monotonic behavior of post-liquefied soils. Moreover, the comparison between the monotonic response of virgin and post-liquefied soils (prepared by moist tamping technique) shows that it is not affected by the stress–strain history experienced by soils. It can be explained through a microstructural interpretation. According to which, the initial soil fabric generated with the moist tamping method and that formed during liquefaction remain almost unchanged because of the rotation of principal stress directions occurring during simple shear tests. A further confirmation is given by the results of tests performed on specimens prepared by air pluviation method.