Liquefaction Potential of Inorganic and Organic Silts

Layers of soft inorganic and organic silts underlie many urban areas of Rhode Island. During an earthquake, it is not known whether these silts will liquefy, amplify ground motions, or experience significant losses in strength. Any of these effects would have a significant impact on overlying structures such as buildings, roads, and embankments. The relocation of Route 195 through Providence, which is scheduled for construction throughout the next decade, involves several highway embankments over thick deposits of silt, and there is presently no clear evidence or data about the dynamic behavior and liquefaction potential of these soils. This research will involve a detailed laboratory testing program involving cyclic triaxial tests and a sampling program involving fixed piston and block samples. A careful sampling program is critical for this type of study because of the extreme difficulty in obtaining undisturbed samples of saturated silts. The results of this research will have a direct impact on the seismic design of surface transportation infrastructure, such as highway bridges and embankments, built on the organic and inorganic silts of Rhode Island.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $64000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  SPR-2282 (277)

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Rhode Island Department of Transportation

  State Office Building, 2 Capitol Hill
  Providence, RI  United States  02903
• Project Managers:

  Franco, Collin

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Rhode Island, Kingston

  College of Engineering
  Kingston, RI  United States  02881
• Principal Investigators:

  Veyera, George

  Baxter, Christopher

• Start Date: 20030723
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 9284

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Embankments; Highway bridges; Infrastructure; Liquefaction; Organic deposits; Research projects; Silts; Soils
• Geographic Terms: Rhode Island
• Subject Areas: Economics; Geotechnology; Research; I30: Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01458890
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Rhode Island Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: SPR-2282 (277)
• Files: RiP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 12:52PM