Mechanics of Lateral Spreading Observed in a Full-Scale Shake Test

Abstract

This paper examines in detail the mechanics of lateral spreading observed in a full-scale test of a sloping saturated fine sand deposit, representative of liquefiable, young alluvial and hydraulic fill sands in the field. The test was conducted using a 6-m tall inclined laminar box shaken at the base. At the end of shaking, nearly the whole deposit was liquefied, and the ground surface displacement had reached 32 cm. The presented analysis of lateral spreading mechanics utilizes a unique set of lateral displacement results, DH, from three independent techniques. One of these techniques—motion tracking analysis of the experiment video recording—is especially useful as it produced DH time histories for all laminar box rings and a complete picture of the lateral spreading initiation with an unprecedented degree of resolution in time and space. A systematic study of the data identifies the progressive stages of initiation and accumulation of lateral spreading, lateral spread contribution of various depth ranges and sliding zones, their relation to the simultaneous pore pressure buildup, and the soil shear strength response during sliding.