Cyclic Behaviour of Palu Sandy Soils in Cyclic Simple Shear Test

Abstract

A 7.5-moment magnitude earthquake hit Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, in September 2018. This earthquake caused many damages and casualties, including tsunami and liquefaction. Following these events, Palu sand's cyclic properties were investigated under cyclic simple shear testing conditions, which could convincingly portray the real seismic ground shaking under repeated shear force. All the tests were performed under the frequency of 1.0Hz with varied relative densities and cyclic stress ratio (CSR). The results show that grain size distribution plays a significant role in liquefaction resistance of sandy soils tested-the soils tested under higher CSR need fewer cycles to liquefy. Furthermore, soils which in loose conditions tend to have lower liquefaction resistance.