An Energy-Based Approach for the Liquefaction Resistance of Sand: Experimental Results

In this paper, the results of a series of undrained cyclic triaxial tests carried out on two different sands are presented and critically discussed within an energy-based framework. Attention is given to the influence of the initial effective confining pressure, relative density, and cyclic stress ratio on the dissipated energy during cyclic loading. An existing experimental database for one of the analyzed sands is also included for comparison and discussion. The results show that the dissipated energy to liquefaction depends on the relative density and on the initial mean effective confining stress, while it is independent of the applied cyclic stress ratio.