Canlex full-scale experiment and modelling

A major aim of the Canadian Liquefaction Experiment (CANLEX) was to verify analysis procedures for predicting liquefaction phenomena. Towards this purpose, two loading events were carried out: a field event comprising a clay embankment built over a loose sand foundation layer, and a centrifuge test performed on a model of a sand embankment structure. Both the field event and the centrifuge model were planned so as to induce a static liquefaction failure and were instrumented to observe their response in terms of displacement and pore pressure. The fundamental mechanical characteristics of the foundation layer were determined from laboratory element tests (triaxial and simple shear). These tests formed the basis for the stress-strain modelling used in the numerical analyses. Two fundamentally different modelling techniques were used. One involved a fully coupled plasticity model, and the other involved a model based on a collapse-surface approach. The model and prototype structures were then analyzed and t...