Abstract
The following expression of the factor of safety against liquefaction is found useful:
Fle=√Wl0/We0
where Wl0 is the energy accumulated in the pore-water from the initial state until liquefaction; We0 is the work done to the pore-water by the ground motion. Fle can be directly related to the pore-water pressure ratio. From the historical data of liquefaction sites and earthquakes, compiled by Kuribayashi and Tatsuoka, the effect of the ground motion is found to be captured by the quantity X=SAC, in which S is the slip displacement of the unit mass with critical acceleration of sliding AC. The procedure for evaluating Fle statistically from the JMA magnitude, epicentral distance, effective compressibility of the pore-water and critical angle of dislocation is presented.
