Centrifuge Modeling for Liquefaction Mitigation Using Colloidal Silica Stabilizer

This paper reports the results of two centrifuge tests that were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of colloidal silica for liquefaction mitigation. Colloidal silica has been selected as a stabilizer material in soils because of its permanence and ability to increase the strength of soils over time. The centrifuge model geometry was selected to study the effects of lateral spreading in a 4.8-m-thick liquefiable layer overlain by a silty clay sloping toward a central channel. The centrifuge test evaluates the response of untreated loose sands versus loose sands treated with 9, 5, and 4% colloidal silica concentrations (by weight). The models were subjected to a series of peak horizontal base accelerations ranging from 0.007 up to 1.3g (prototype) with a testing centrifugal acceleration of 15g. The results show a reduction in both lateral spreading and settlement in colloidal silica–treated sands versus untreated sands. The shear modulus at low strains was determined from shear wave velocity measurements for the untreated and treated loose sands. The hysteretic response during cyclic loading was also determined for various levels of shaking. The results from the centrifuge tests show an increase in cyclic resistance ratios and a decrease in cyclic shear strains for increasing colloidal silica concentrations.