Earthquakes are natural calamities that occur as a result of sudden release of strain energy stored in fault planes. Earthquakes have been observed to cause huge damage to infrastructures and lives. Earthquakes result in development of fissures, abnormal or unequal movement of foundations, and loss of strength and stiffness of the soils. Liquefaction is attributed as a major cause for the loss of strength and stiffness of soil during earthquakes. In the past, liquefaction was attributed only to coarse-grained to medium-grained sand and was extensively studied but the fine-grained soils were generally considered as non-liquefiable. However, from observations during recent earthquakes, fine-grained soils having low plasticity (plasticity index (PI) <20) have experienced ground failures due to liquefaction or large deformations. Moreover, laboratory experiments show that not only saturated cohesionless soils but also fine-grained soils may liquefy if certain criteria are met. One of the parameters which influences the liquefaction characteristics of fine-grained soils is its plasticity. This study may become helpful in understanding the effect of plasticity on liquefaction resistance of fine-grained soils. The objective of this study were to investigate the (1) effect of plasticity on pore pressure built up and deformation characteristics of fine-grained soils, and (2) effects of cyclic shear stress on liquefaction resistance of fine-grained soils. A total of 24 tests were conducted using a stress controlled cyclic triaxial testing machine on identically prepared specimens at an initial effective confining pressure of 5.0psi. The plasticity index (PI) was varied from non-plastic (NP) to 14.53. Sil-Co-Sil #40, a non-plastic commercial silt (product of US Silica Company) and EPK Kaolin clay (product of Edgar Minerals Inc.) were used as base materials. These materials were mixed in different proportions to obtain desired plasticity index. Out of the twenty-four tests, eleven tests were conducted on clean silt samples. Among the tests on clean silt samples, four tests were conducted on specimens having a post consolidation void ratio of 0.74 to 0.76. Further, six tests were conducted on specimens having a post consolidation void ratio of 0.74 to 1.04 by using a cyclic stress ratio (CSR) of 0.2 and 0.25. Seventeen tests were grouped to study the influence of plasticity on liquefaction characteristics of fine-grained soil. The PI of specimens tested ranged from non-plastic (NP) to 14.53. Each of the specimens with a definite PI was tested at an initial confining pressure of 5.0 psi using a CSR of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4. The results obtained from the tests were used to compare the effects of plasticity on liquefaction characteristics of fine-grained soils. Based on the limited tests conducted, it was observed that plasticity index had distinct influence on the cyclic strength of the samples. It was found that CSR required to cause a pre-determined strain in a given number of loading cycles reduces as the plasticity index increases from non-plastic (NP) to 3.46, but increases for soils having PI greater than 3.46. Moreover, the liquefaction resistance decreases with the increase in cyclic shear stress for all soils regardless of plasticity indices (PIs). The critical PI value corresponds to 15% of EPK clay content in the specimen which gives a PI of 3.46.

En esta investigación se presenta el análisis del costo de construcción e instalación del pozo de bombeo tipo tubular y la eficiencia de este mismo, en zonas susceptibles a licuación de suelos, para reducir su vulnerabilidad sísmica. Las zonas susceptibles, se determinaron con el cálculo del factor de seguridad del potencial de licuación de Seed e Idriss. En la etapa inicial, sin la instalación de los pozos, el FS resultó menor a la unidad (FS<1), ya que, la zona de estudio presenta nivel freático superficial. El mismo, que tiene una alta incidencia en la ocurrencia de licuación, debido a que se genera una excesiva presión de poros originada por los sismos que reducen los esfuerzos efectivos del suelo hasta hacerlos nulo. Con ello, el suelo pierde toda resistencia. Con la instalación de pozos, se logró incrementar el FS por encima de la unidad (FS>1). Para ello fue necesario la instalación de 4 pozos tubulares, con caudal de bombeo unitario de 20 litros/seg y una profundidad de 3.0 m, para un área de 1.20 Ha. La profundidad de los pozos y el caudal de bombeo deberá garantizar el abatimiento del nivel freático por encima de la profundidad óptima para que se mitigue la licuación de suelos. Finalmente, costo de construcción e instalación de los pozos, asciende a $. 14,270.90 dólares. / This research presents the analysis of the cost of construction and installation of the tubular type pumping well and its efficiency, in areas susceptible to soil liquefaction, to reduce its seismic vulnerability. The susceptible areas were determined with the calculation of the safety factor of the liquefying potential of Seed and Idriss. In the initial stage, without the installation of the wells, the FS was less than unity (FS <1), since the study area has a surface water table. The same, which has a high incidence in the occurrence of liquefaction, due to the excessive pore pressure generated by earthquakes that reduce the effective stresses of the soil until they are null. With this, the ground loses all resistance. With the installation of wells, it was possible to increase the FS above the unit (FS> 1). For this, it was necessary to install 4 tubular wells, with a unit pumping flow of 20 liters / sec and a depth of 3.0 m, for an area of ​​1.20 Ha. The depth of the wells and the pumping flow should guarantee the abatement of the water table above the optimal depth to mitigate the liquefaction of soils. Finally, the cost of construction and installation of the wells amounts to $. $ 14,270.90. / Trabajo de investigación

The Kumamoto earthquake of April 2016 produced two foreshocks of moment magnitude 6.0 and 6.2 and a mainshock of 7.0, which should have been followed by widespread and intense soil liquefaction. A Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance team (GEER) led by Professor Rob Kayen of UC Berkley was dispatched to the Kumamoto Plain--which is in Kumamoto Prefecture, the southern main island of Japan--immediately following the earthquake. The Japanese and U.S. engineers in the GEER team observed mostly minor and sporadic liquefaction, which was unexpected as the local site geology, known soil stratigraphy, and intensity of the seismic loading made the Kumamoto Plain ripe for soil liquefaction. The paucity and limited scale of liquefaction shows a clear gap in our understanding of liquefaction in areas with volcanic soils. This study is a direct response to the GEER team's preliminary findings regarding the lack of significant liquefaction. An extensive literature review was conducted on the Kumamoto Plain and its volcanic soil. The liquefaction of the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake was also researched, and several sites were selected for further analysis. Four sites were analyzed with SPT, CPT, and laboratory testing during the spring of 2017. A slope stability analysis and undisturbed testing were performed for specific sites. The results of the analysis show a general over-prediction of SPT and CPT methods when determining liquefaction hazard. The Youd et al. (2001) NCEES method was the most consistent and accurate in determining liquefaction. The soils in the area including sands and gravels had high levels of fines, plasticity, and organic matter due to the weathering of volcanic ash and pyroclastic material. The volcanically derived coarse-grained soils may also have exhibited some crushability, which gave lower resistance readings. Filled river channels had the worst liquefaction with natural levees and the Kumamoto flood plains having only minor liquefaction. Publicly available boring logs rarely showed laboratory test data of bore holes which led to a general inaccurate soil classification. Boring logs were also not updated with laboratory classifications and data. Undisturbed cyclic triaxial testing of soils at one site showed that volcanic soils had relatively high resistance to soil liquefaction, though drying of samples may have compromised the results. Embankment cracking at one test location was calculated a lateral spread and a seismic slope failure along the pyroclastic flow deposit.

This research consists of full-scale cyclic shake table tests to investigate liquefied residual strength of #2/16 Monterey Sand. A simple shear testing apparatus was mounted to a full-scale one-dimensional shake table to mimic a confined layer of saturated sand subjected to strong ground motions. Testing was performed at the Parson’s Geotechnical and Earthquake Laboratory at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. T-bar penetrometer pullout tests were used to measure residual strength of the liquefied soil during cyclic testing. Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) was performed on the soil specimen throughout testing to relate the laboratory specimen to field index test data and to compare CPT results of the #2/16 Monterey sand before and after liquefaction. The generation and dissipation of excess pore pressures during cyclic motion are measured and discussed. The effects of liquefied soil on seismic ground motion are investigated. Measured residual strengths are compared to previous correlations comparing liquefied residual strength ratios and CPT tip resistance.

Soil liquefaction, or loss of strength due to excess pore water pressures generated during dynamic loading, is a main cause of damage during earthquakes. When a soil liquefies (referred to as triggering), it may lose its ability to support overlying structures, deform vertically or laterally, or cause buoyant uplift of buried utilities. Empirical liquefaction models, used to predict liquefaction potential based upon in-situ soil index property measurements and anticipated level of seismic loading, are the standard of practice for assessing liquefaction triggering. However, many current models do not incorporate predictor variable uncertainty or do so in a limited fashion. Additionally, past model creation and validation lacks the same rigor found in predictive modeling in other fields. This study examines the details of creating and validating an empirical liquefaction model, using the existing worldwide cone penetration test liquefaction database. Our study implements a logistic regression within a Bayesian measurement error framework to incorporate uncertainty in predictor variables and allow for a probabilistic interpretation of model parameters. Our model is built using a hierarchal approach account for intra-event correlation in loading variables and differences in event sample sizes that mirrors the random/mixed effects models used in ground motion prediction equation development. The model is tested using an independent set of case histories from recent New Zealand earthquakes, and performance metrics are reported. We found that a Bayesian measurement error model considering two predictor variables, qc,1 and CSR, decreases model uncertainty while maintaining predictive utility for new data. Two forms of model uncertainty were considered – the spread of probabilities predicted by mean values of regression coefficients (apparent uncertainty) and the standard deviations of the predictive distributions from fully probabilistic inference. Additionally, we found models considering friction ratio as a predictor variable performed worse than the two variable case and will require more data or informative priors to be adequately estimated.

The thermodynamics inside the helium liquefier in the FREIA laboratory still contains many unknowns. The purpose of this project is to develop a theoretical model and implement it in MATLAB, with the help of the CoolProp library. This theoretical model of the FREIA liquefaction cycle aims at finding the unknown parameters not specified in the manual of the manufacturer, starting from the principle of enthalpy conservation. Inspiration was taken from the classical liquefaction cycles of Linde-Hampson, Claude and Collins. We developed a linear mathematical model for cycle components such as turboexpanders and heat exchangers, and a non-linear model for the liquefaction in the phase separator. Liquefaction yields of 10% and 6% were obtained in our model simulations, with and without liquid nitrogen pre-cooling respectively - similar to those in the FREIA liqueuefier within one percentage point. The sensors placed in FREIA showed similar pressure and temperature values, even though not every point could be verified due to the lack of sensors. We observed an increase of more than 50% in yield after adjustments of the heat exchanger design in the model, especially the first one. This constitutes a guideline for possible future improvements of the liquefier. / Termodynamiken bakom heliumförvätskaren i FREIA-laboratoriet innehåller fortfarande många okända aspekter. Detta kandidatarbete syftar till att utveckla en teoretisk modell och implementera den i MATLAB med hjälp av biblioteket CoolProp. Denna modell av FREIA:s förvätskningscykel syftar till att hitta de okända parametrar som inte specificerats av tillverkaren, och baserar sig på principen om entalpins bevarande. Inspiration togs från de klassiska förvätskningscyklerna Linde-Hampson, Claude och Collins. Vi utvecklade en linjär matematisk modell för cykelkomponenter såsom expansionsturbiner och värmeväxlare, och en icke-linjär modell för själva förvätskningen i fasseparatorn. En förvätskningsverkningsgrad på 10% och 6% uppnåddes i våra modellsimuleringar, med respektive utan förkylning med flytande kväve - liknande verkningsgraderna i FREIA- förvätskaren inom en procentenhet. Sensorerna placerade i FREIA visade på liknande tryck och temperaturer, även om bristen på sensorer gjorde att vi inte kunde bekräfta varje punkt. Vi observerade en ökning på mer än 50% i verkningsgrad efter att ha justerat värmeväxlardesignen något, speciellt för den första. Detta kan utgöra riktlinjer för var man framöver kan förbättra den faktiska förvätskaren. / <p>Subject reader/Ämnesgranskare: Roger Ruber</p>

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The global dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels to meet energy needs cannot be sustained for a long time and it is already evident in the escalation of fuel prices over the past decade. This research was performed towards renewable energy production from agricultural and food waste. The use of agricultural and food waste has benefits such as being grown in a land that is not in competition with food crops protein, all year round availability, and having high lipid content. The produced bio-crude oil can be upgraded to remove moisture and acidity level, and can be used as a substitute for heavy oils such as diesel to power static appliances or can be used as petrol distillate fuel alternative. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process is one of the commonly used technologies for converting agricultural and food waste into liquid biofuels.

A liquefaction opportunity map was developed for Cache Valley, Utah. The study was the initial phase to determine the potential for liquefaction in Cache Valley. The method used in this study to develop the liquefaction opportunity map was based on a procedure developed by Youd and Perkins (1977). This opportunity map is proposed to be combined with a map delineating liquefaction susceptible soils to produce a liquefaction potential map. The liquefaction susceptibility map is being developed in a companion study. The liquefaction potential map will assist in the evaluation of earthquake response in general and microzonation in particular. The liquefaction potential map may also be used by contractors, consultants, governmental organizations, etc., for preliminary planning and decision making to determine the suitability of a given site.

Microalgae have many desirable attributes as a renewable energy recourse. These include use of poor quality land, high yields, and it is not a food recourse. This research focusses on the energetic and environmental impact of processing microalgae into a renewable diesel. Two thermochemical bio-oil recovery processes are analyzed, pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). System boundaries include microalgae growth, dewatering, thermochemical bio-oil recovery, bio-oil stabilization, conversion to renewable diesel, and transportation to the pump. Two system models were developed, a small-scale experimental and an industrial-scale. The small-scale system model is based on experimental data and literature. The industrial-scale system model leverages the small scale system model with scaling and optimization to represent an industrial-scaled process. The HTL and pyrolysis pathways were evaluated based on net energy ratio (NER), defined here as energy consumed over energy produced, and global warming potential (GWP). NER results for biofuel production through the industrial-scaled HTL pathway were determined to be 1.23 with corresponding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of -11.4 g CO2 eq (MJ renewable diesel)-1. Biofuel production through the industrial-scaled pyrolysis pathway gives a NER of 2.27 and GHG emissions of 210 g CO2 eq (MJ renewable diesel)-1. For reference, conventional diesel has an NER of 0.2 and GHG emissions of 18.9 g CO2 eq MJ-1 with a similar system boundary. The large NER and GHG emissions associated with the pyrolysis pathway are attributed to feedstock drying requirements and combustion of co-products to improve system energetics. Process energetics with HTL and pyrolysis are not currently favorable for an industrial scaled system. However, processing of microalgae to biofuel with bio-oil recovery through HTL does produce a favorable environmental impact and a NER which is close to the breakeven point of one.

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