Liquefaction Tank

Scope

Liquefaction Tank consists of an instrumented inclinable container to investigate the susceptibility of loose sand seabed to flow slides triggered by sudden changes in the water level, fast sedimentation, scouring, or shock loads. The facility assures an ample range of applications ranging from offshore geotechnical engineering (e.g. submarine landslides and flowslides, dredging in sand layers), soil-structure interaction of shallow foundation, slope stability, dykes and embankments, soil vegetation interaction, unsaturated soil mechanics, and dynamic effects of geotechnical structures.

Specifications

The Liquefaction Tank is a 2 m (width) × 2 m (height) × 5 m (length) inclinable structure composed of two main metal frames (upper and base frames), two glass sidewalls, and two metal end-walls. The base frame enables the tank frame to be rotated. Four sets of base isolators under the frame are installed to prevent the possible external vibratory triggers. The isolators supporting the base frame only allow the passing of externally induced vibrations with frequencies well below the eigenfrequency of the very loose sand layers and slopes. A pair of hinges and jack-up screws connect the base frame to the tank frame. The liquefaction tank is equipped with a fluidization system to prepare the uniform sand bed in a loose and uniform state with a thickness ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 m.

Recent studies in the Liquefaction Tank have been focusing on static liquefaction of submarine slopes in loosely packed sand layers and scour protection to prevent static liquefaction induced flow slides. Nevertheless, the Liquefaction Tank can assure an ample range of applications ranging from offshore geotechnical engineering, soil-structure interaction of shallow foundation, slope stability, dykes and embankments, soil vegetation interaction, unsaturated soil mechanics, and dynamic effects of geotechnical structures.
Submersed slope in the Liquefaction Tank prepared with th esuction dredging system and the shallow waves absorbers