Numerical modelling of the dynamic response of liquefiable deposits in the presence of small scale buildings

The impact of liquefaction in building performance during earthquakes is an aspect that has been recently receiving more attention by the technical and scientific communities, in an attempt to reduce the vulnerability of structures located in loose sandy saturated deposits. Currently, the design of buildings in liquefiable layers is performed based on empirical rules, where the liquefaction potential and the ground settlements are usually assessed free-field conditions, i.e., neglecting the presence of the surface structures. Even in the probabilistic approaches that tend to incorporate Earthquake Liquefaction Induced Damages (ELID) from some case-histories that include buildings at the surface, have never incorporated foundations characteristics and loading conditions. However, recent advances in numerical modelling allow performing a more rigorous assessment of the effects induced by liquefaction, namely the settlements that are expected to occur in the spread footings of structures, one of the most common foundation system implemented in small-to-mid-rise constructions in Europe. Therefore, the present paper focuses research on the assessment of the settlements due to earthquake-induced liquefaction that is being conducted within the European Project LIQUEFACT.