Shake table calibration and specimen preparation for liquefaction studies in the centrifuge

Recently, a new geotechnical centrifuge was installed at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). To use this facility in studying soil liquefaction required the development of a feedback correction procedure for the shake table input signals and an appropriate procedure for model preparation, as well as the design of a saturation system setup. These procedures are discussed in detail. Dynamic centrifuge tests at a scale of 60 g's were conducted on scaled pore fluid-saturated models. This fluid is a solution of a water-soluble polymer derived from cellulose at 60 times the viscosity of water. A comparison between the behavior of pore pressure responses during two identical dynamic centrifuge tests using either water or a scaled viscous fluid is documented in this paper.