United States-New Zealand-Japan International Workshop on Liquefaction-Induced Ground Movements Effects; Berkeley, California; November 2-3, 2016

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

There is much to learn from the recent New Zealand and Japan earthquakes. These earthquakes produced differing levels of liquefaction-induced ground movements that damaged buildings, bridges, and buried utilities. Along with the often spectacular observations of infrastructure damage, there were also many cases where well-built facilities located in areas of liquefaction-induced ground failure were not damaged. Researchers are working on characterizing and learning from these observations of both poor and good performance. The "Liquefaction-Induced Ground Movements Effects" workshop provides an opportunity to take advantage of recent research investments following these events to develop a path forward for an integrated understanding of how infrastructure performs with various levels of liquefaction. Approximately 50 leading researchers in the field, two-thirds from the US and one-third from New Zealand and Japan, will convene in Berkeley. The objective of this workshop is to identify which empirical and analytical methods hold the greatest potential for advancing insight on the effects of liquefaction-induced ground movements on structures and therefore should be considered high priority for further research. The workshop will also advance the development of younger researchers through identifying research approaches that appear to be promising, as well as to promote future collaborations among participants. Simplified liquefaction-induced ground movement evaluation procedures cannot explain the different levels of liquefaction-induced infrastructure performance during recent earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. These earthquakes with their excellent ground motion recordings, comprehensive subsurface investigations, and well-documented performances of structures, provide an exceptional opportunity to advance our understanding of the effects of liquefaction. There are not well-validated procedures available to evaluate the effects of liquefaction-induced ground movements on infrastructure. With the limitations inherent in investigating liquefaction effects solely in the laboratory or through numerical simulations, there is a pressing need to use well-documented case histories to gain insights and to develop analytical procedures for evaluating the effects of liquefaction. The quantity and quality of the ground characterization and ground failure data in the recent earthquakes are unparalleled. These events provide the opportunity for an integrated study of building and lifeline performance at a degree of detail and level of complexity that has not been realized previously. The project will support international collaborations between New Zealand, Japan, and US earthquake researchers and help young US researchers develop promising international research contacts. The interactions and information exchange among the experts will advance liquefaction engineering as well as new collaborations.