In order to investigate the influence of the vertical vibration loading on the liquefaction of saturated sand, one dimensional model for the saturated sand with a vertical vibration is presented based on the two phase continuous media theory. The development of the liquefaction and the liquefaction region are analyzed. It is shown that the vertical vibration loading could induce liquefaction.The rate of the liquefaction increases with the increase of the initial limit strain or initial porosity or amplitude and frequency of loading, and increases with the decrease of the permeability or initial modulus. It is shown also that there is a phase lag in the sand column. When the sand permeability distribution is non-uniform, the pore pressure and the strain will rise sharply where the permeability is the smallest, and fracture might be induced. With the development of liquefaction, the strength of the soil foundation becomes smaller and smaller. In the limiting case, landslides or debris flows could occur.
In the purple hilly region, erosions and landslides are all serious, and it is of great scientific value and practical significance to study their formation mechanism and distribution features there. In this paper, soil micromorphological methods and techniques were used to study the erosion zonal distribution in the region. The results indicated: (1) According to erosion process, the spacial distribution zones of the erosions and landslides in the purple hilly region with different solums were divided into scouring erosion zone, transport-diffusion zone, rocks and soil turbulence zone and sediment-bury zone; (2) The soil micromorphologic taxonomic feature identifying different erosion-landslide zone were found by studying the soil micromorphology of erosive zone in purple hilly region; (3) As for the erosion–landslide formation in the region, besides the external factors, the internal factors were found more important and favorable for landslide formation through the studies on the micormorphological features of slide soil.
Centrifuge experiments are carried out to investigate the responses of suction bucket foundations under horizontal dynamic loading. The effects of loading amplitude, the size of the bucket and the structural weight on the dynamic responses are investigated. It is shown that, when the loading amplitude is over a critical value, the sand at the upper part around the bucket softens or even liquefies. The liquefaction index (excess pore pressure divided by initial effective stress. In this paper, the developmental degree of excess pore pressure is described by liquefaction index) decreases from the upper part to the lower part of the sand foundation in the vertical direction and decreases from near to far away from the bucket′s side wall in the horizontal direction. Large settlements of the bucket and the sand around the bucket are induced by the horizontal dynamic loading. The dynamic responses of the bucket of a smaller height (when the diameter is the same) are heavier. A cyclic crack some distance near the bucket occurs in the sand.
