Validation of the applicability of a drainage method for reducing settlement and inclination of utility poles in liquefied ground

Abstract

In the 2011 Earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, extensive liquefaction occurred in the Kanto region. This resulted in the settlement and inclination of thousands of utility poles. In urban areas, utility poles are often installed in narrow easements with limited clearance. Therefore, a simple and inexpensive countermeasure is desired. In this study, we attempted to reduce the settlement and inclination of utility poles in the liquefied ground by providing drain holes in the utility pole. In the centrifugal model tests conducted using pole models with drain holes at the bottom and sides, settlement and inclination decreased in relation to the amount of drainage. Therefore, it was determined that the drainage method has a definite effect on the reduction of both settlement and inclination of utility poles in the liquefied ground.