Centrifuge modelling in liquefiable ground before and after the application of remediation techniques

This paper describes the small scale centrifuge modelling activities performed at ISMGEO (Is-tituto Sperimentale Modelli Geotecnici, formerly ISMES – Italy) laboratory in the frame of the H2020 LIQUEFACT project (http://www.liquefact.eu/). The main aim of the experimentation was to analyze the seismic behavior of loose, saturated, about 15 m deep sandy deposits, ho-mogeneous or stratified, subjected to increasing seismic excitations up to liquefaction and to verify the effectiveness of different liquefaction mitigation techniques. Some tests were car-ried out under free field condition, in some others a simple structure based on shallow founda-tions was modelled as well, in order to study the effects of soil-structure interaction. Thirty-seven centrifuge tests were carried out to this aim, organized in three series: the first one aimed at investigating the liquefaction triggering conditions, the second and third ones devot-ed at analyzing the effectiveness of three selected liquefaction mitigation techniques: vertical drains, horizontal drains and “Induced Partial Saturation” (IPS). Some of the most significant results are presented in this paper.