A semi-empirical model to predict excess pore pressure generation in partially saturated sand

Past studies revealed that excess pore pressure generation due to cyclic loading is highly governed by induced strains, volumetric deformation potential of soil, number of cycles, and bulk stiffness of pore fluid. It is well established that partial saturation can significantly reduce bulk stiffness of pore fluid and consequently excess pore pressure generation during seismic loading. On the basis of that, a number of researchers have investigated induced partial saturation as an effective soil improvement technique to increase the liquefaction resistance of fully saturated soils. This paper focuses on development of a semi- empirical model to interpret the effects of partial saturation on the excess pore pressure generation in sands. In this regard, an existing strain based excess pore pressure ratio (ru ) prediction model originally developed for fully saturated soils was modified to incorporate the effect of partial saturation on the excess pore pressure generation. The literature data as well as data from a series of strain-controlled direct simple shear test were used to evaluate the reliability of the proposed equation in predicting the excess pore pressure ratio in partial saturation condition.