Paper Title
Liquefaction Susceptibility of Silty Soils
Abstract
The phenomenon of liquefaction which has done considerable loss over the years is often associated with sandy
soils whereas same level of emphasis is not given to silt. To determine the extent of remedial measures required for a soil
against liquefaction, susceptibility to liquefaction of the same must be checked. This paper advocates a simple criterion
based on two key soil parameters that differentiate liquefiable and non-liquefiable silts. Firstly, some imperative physical
characteristics of silts are briefly discussed to clarify the misconceptions about silts. Following that, clay content and liquid
limit are taken as two key parameters that help partition liquefiable and non-liquefiable silts. Analogy between liquid limit
and the shear strength of silts is used to show that liquid limit can be regarded as a key soil parameter to measure
liquefaction susceptibility. Need of using clay content as another factor is also discussed, while explaining the inadequacies
of basing criterion for liquefaction of silts on just one key parameter. The applicability of using clay content as a key soil
parameter is also illustrated using several case histories. Lastly, this research paper leads to the promotion off simple criteria
for liquefaction of silts, utilizing together both the clay content and the liquid limit soil parameters.
Index Terms— Susceptibility, liquefaction, liquid limit, strength.