Liquefaction and Ground Response Analysis of Indian Pond Ash Using Shear Wave Velocity Measurements

Abstract

In this paper liquefaction and ground response analysis of Panki pond ash (seismic zone-III) in India has been studied using in-situ shear wave velocity measurements. One borehole was drilled at upstream site of Panki pond ash embankment and seismic downhole test was carried out at every 0.5 m interval up to 15 m depth. Chamba (Mw-5.1), Chamoli (Mw-6.4), Uttarkashi (Mw-6.5), and April 2015 Nepal (Mw-7.8) earthquakes were considered for liquefaction potential evaluation of pond ash deposit. The factor of safety against liquefaction using shear wave velocity was observed to be less than one for Chamoli, Uttarkashi, and Nepal earthquakes. In addition, nonlinear ground response analysis of the pond ash deposit has been carried out using Cyclic1D software. From the results, amplification in PGA was observed under the excitation of given earthquakes. These results can be useful for seismic response analyses of structures made of pond ashes from Panki in India. © 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.