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[O11-P61] Does liquefaction vary with temperature?
1.Purpose
Liquefaction is a phenomenon in which the ground behaves like a liquid due to strong shaking caused by an earthquake. It can cause significant damage to buildings and roads. Liquefaction is known to be more likely in conditions where the underground water content is high and the sand particles are uniform in size. However, there have been few studies focusing on the temperature of groundwater.
Our school is located in Suwa City, has a high risk according to the hazard map and hot springs near. Therefore, research that focuses on temperature information related to liquefaction is of particular importance. This study aims to clarify the differences in liquefaction behavior under high-temperature and low-temperature conditions by conducting model experiments in which the temperature of the water is varied.
2.Date
fig.1 fig.2
3. Method
(1) Equipment
sand, plastic container, liquefaction apparatus, sponge, spatula, thermometer, mass scale.
(2) Experimental Conditions
The sand used was dried and size between 125 µm and less than 500 µm. The container measured 15.4 cm in width, 9.2 cm in depth, and 8.7 cm in height. The liquefaction apparatus refers to a device capable of producing constant vibrations.
(3) Experimental Procedure
(i) 360 g of water was poured into the container, followed by 820 g of sand, which was carefully dropped from above (until it reached a height of 5 cm in the container).
(ii) The surface was leveled using a spatula, and any water remaining on the surface was absorbed with a sponge to make the water level equal to the ground surface.
(iii) The container was vibrated for 30 seconds using the liquefaction apparatus, and the process was recorded from both the side and the top.
(iv) Water that emerged on the surface was absorbed with a sponge and then weighed.
4. Results
Experiments were conducted using two water temperature conditions: approximately 10°C and 50°C. From this point on, the 10°C condition is referred to as low temperature, and the 50°C condition as high temperature. Focusing on the amount of water that surfaced, an average of 67.3 g of water appeared under low temperature conditions, while under high temperature conditions the average was 63.0 g. This indicates that less water rose to the surface in the high temperature condition (Fig. 1). On the other hand, the amount of water that did not surface during liquefaction was 336 g on average for the low temperature condition, and 340.8 g for the high temperature condition. Thus, slightly more water remained in the sand under high temperature conditions, while less water remained under low temperature conditions (Fig. 2). Regarding ground subsidence due to liquefaction, the average subsidence was 0.65 cm under low temperature and 0.7 cm under high temperature. Therefore, no significant difference in the amount of ground subsidence was observed between the two temperature conditions.
5.Discussion
When the temperature was around 50°C, the amount of water that did not emerge due to liquefaction was less compared to when the temperature was around 10°C. Furthermore, this difference remained almost constant.This can be attributed to the change in water viscosity with temperature, which in turn affects the amount of water that the sand can retain after liquefaction. As the temperature of water increases, its viscosity decreases, which allows water to permeate more easily into the sand. As a result, in higher temperature conditions, the sand contained more water, leading to a smaller amount of water being expelled.
References
Yamaguchi, A., Yoshida, N., & Tobita, Y.(2008). Relationship between sand boiling due to liquefaction and thickness of liquefied layers. Journal of Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Series C (Geosphere Engineering), Vol. 64, No. 1, 79–89.
Tsukuda, T. (2021). What is the deep fluid upwelling hypothesis?
Fluid Industry Co., Ltd. (2025). Technical materials – Liquid vol. 6: Density, viscosity, and sound speed of water. Retrieved January 11, 2025
Liquefaction is a phenomenon in which the ground behaves like a liquid due to strong shaking caused by an earthquake. It can cause significant damage to buildings and roads. Liquefaction is known to be more likely in conditions where the underground water content is high and the sand particles are uniform in size. However, there have been few studies focusing on the temperature of groundwater.
Our school is located in Suwa City, has a high risk according to the hazard map and hot springs near. Therefore, research that focuses on temperature information related to liquefaction is of particular importance. This study aims to clarify the differences in liquefaction behavior under high-temperature and low-temperature conditions by conducting model experiments in which the temperature of the water is varied.
2.Date
fig.1 fig.2
3. Method
(1) Equipment
sand, plastic container, liquefaction apparatus, sponge, spatula, thermometer, mass scale.
(2) Experimental Conditions
The sand used was dried and size between 125 µm and less than 500 µm. The container measured 15.4 cm in width, 9.2 cm in depth, and 8.7 cm in height. The liquefaction apparatus refers to a device capable of producing constant vibrations.
(3) Experimental Procedure
(i) 360 g of water was poured into the container, followed by 820 g of sand, which was carefully dropped from above (until it reached a height of 5 cm in the container).
(ii) The surface was leveled using a spatula, and any water remaining on the surface was absorbed with a sponge to make the water level equal to the ground surface.
(iii) The container was vibrated for 30 seconds using the liquefaction apparatus, and the process was recorded from both the side and the top.
(iv) Water that emerged on the surface was absorbed with a sponge and then weighed.
4. Results
Experiments were conducted using two water temperature conditions: approximately 10°C and 50°C. From this point on, the 10°C condition is referred to as low temperature, and the 50°C condition as high temperature. Focusing on the amount of water that surfaced, an average of 67.3 g of water appeared under low temperature conditions, while under high temperature conditions the average was 63.0 g. This indicates that less water rose to the surface in the high temperature condition (Fig. 1). On the other hand, the amount of water that did not surface during liquefaction was 336 g on average for the low temperature condition, and 340.8 g for the high temperature condition. Thus, slightly more water remained in the sand under high temperature conditions, while less water remained under low temperature conditions (Fig. 2). Regarding ground subsidence due to liquefaction, the average subsidence was 0.65 cm under low temperature and 0.7 cm under high temperature. Therefore, no significant difference in the amount of ground subsidence was observed between the two temperature conditions.
5.Discussion
When the temperature was around 50°C, the amount of water that did not emerge due to liquefaction was less compared to when the temperature was around 10°C. Furthermore, this difference remained almost constant.This can be attributed to the change in water viscosity with temperature, which in turn affects the amount of water that the sand can retain after liquefaction. As the temperature of water increases, its viscosity decreases, which allows water to permeate more easily into the sand. As a result, in higher temperature conditions, the sand contained more water, leading to a smaller amount of water being expelled.
References
Yamaguchi, A., Yoshida, N., & Tobita, Y.(2008). Relationship between sand boiling due to liquefaction and thickness of liquefied layers. Journal of Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Series C (Geosphere Engineering), Vol. 64, No. 1, 79–89.
Tsukuda, T. (2021). What is the deep fluid upwelling hypothesis?
Fluid Industry Co., Ltd. (2025). Technical materials – Liquid vol. 6: Density, viscosity, and sound speed of water. Retrieved January 11, 2025