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U.S. Department of Energy
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Cone penetration testing for evaluating the liquefaction potential of sands. Master's thesis

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5872174

Before the Niigata and Alaskan earthquakes of 1964, most geotechnical engineers had expressed little concern about the dynamic behavior of saturated sand layers. Regardless of their density, sands were generally considered quite incompressible and stable for foundation and construction uses. The only disadvantages for the universal use of sands considered were the consequences of their high permeabilities. Damage to many structures founded on saturated sand beds and other physical signs of loss of strength in sand layers during the two 1964 earthquakes resulted in the formation of a new area of geotechnical engineering. A new term, 'liquefaction,' was coined to describe the more visible outcomes of earthquake-related failures.

Research Organization:
Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO (USA)
OSTI ID:
5872174
Report Number(s):
PB-89-178826/XAB; REC-ERC-87-9
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English