3D Numerical Modeling of Seismic-Induced Settlement of Pile Groups in Liquefiable Sands

Subject Areas : Soil-Structure Interaction

shima aghakasiri ^{1 *} , sanaz aghakasiri ² , محمود قضاوی ³ , farzad farrokhzad ⁴ , Saeed Farokhi Zadeh ⁵

1 - Department of Civil Engineering, ST.C , Islamic Azad University, Teharn, Iran.
2 - Department of Civil Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology (NIT), Babol, Mazandaran, (Iran)
3 - استاد، دانشکده مهندسی عمران، دانشگاه خواجه نصیرالدین طوسی
4 - Department of Civil Engineering, Mazandaran Institute of Technology, Mazandaran (Iran)
5 - Assistant Professor, Department of civil Engineering, Islamic Azad University, south Tehran branch, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2025-08-25 Accepted : 2025-09-22 Published : 2025-10-07

Keywords: 3D numerical modeling, Liquefaction, settlement, Pile groups, Finite difference method,

Abstract :

During historical seismic events, soil liquefaction beneath structures founded on shallow foundations has caused substantial economic losses. As reported in various case histories, structures located on liquefiable soils experience excessive settlement, tilting, and significant lateral deformation due to the low bearing capacity of such soils. Seismic-induced ground deformation in liquefiable soils poses significant challenges to the stability and serviceability of pile-supported structures. This study presents a comprehensive three-dimensional numerical investigation into the settlement behavior of pile groups embedded in liquefiable sands under seismic loading. Using the finite difference-based software FLAC3D, the coupled effects of soil liquefaction, excess pore water pressure generation, and dynamic soil-structure interaction were considered. Parametric analyses were conducted to assess the influence of pile spacing, group configuration, and input motion characteristics on the magnitude of post-earthquake settlement. The results highlight the critical role of 3D interaction effects in amplifying or mitigating the settlement response. This study provides valuable insights into the design and performance assessment of deep foundations in liquefaction-prone areas.

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