Damage Cases Induced by Liquefaction of Sandy Soils and Anti-Liquefaction Measures in Japan

Liquefaction of sandy soils is one type of main disasters triggered by earthquakes. The mechanism of liquefaction is that the pore water pressure in saturated silts and fine sands with a medium and low density increases sharply under the action of vibration. When the effective stress drops to zero, soil particles are suspended in water, and the silt or sand is liquefied. The liquefaction of sandy soils can cause the loss of foundation strength, which aggravates the damage of buildings, disables important lifeline facilities, and thus causes huge economic losses and casualties. This paper summarizes the historical records of liquefaction, its mechanism, and the damages caused by liquefaction of sandy soils, and introduces the evaluation method of liquefaction potential of sandy soils in Japan, and mitigation measures for liquefaction and their successful examples, hoping to provide useful reference for the research of liquefaction and the selection of liquefaction mitigation measures .