Numerical Study on Liquefaction Caused by Love Wave Strain Condition by 3D Discrete Element Method

To clarify the influence of the Love wave on the liquefaction resistance of saturated sands and its mechanism, a series of simulations based on the 3D discrete element method were conducted in this study. Four types of cyclic loading were applied to the specimens, with different void ratios. The normalized accumulated dissipation energy was used in this study to represent the liquefaction resistance of soils under different wave strain conditions. Results show that the liquefiable saturated sands have a lower liquefaction resistance under the Love wave strain condition than in other cases. The reasons could be explained from two aspects: (1) The natural soils are K0-consolidated, and the shear strain induced by the Love wave strain mainly occurs in the horizontal plane; (2) In the Love wave strain condition, the shear strain of soil elements are multi-directional. This indicates that under the same strain amplitude, the saturated sands subject to Love wave excitation would be more liable to liquefaction than those under the S-wave, in most cases.