• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.10 no.3 s.49
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• pp.125-134
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• 2006

Conventional methods for the assessment of liquefaction potential were primary for severe earthquake regions $(M{\geq}7.5)$ such as North America and Japan. In Korea, an earthquake related research has started in 1997, but most contents in the guidelines were still quoted from literature reviews of North America and Japan, which are located in strong earthquake region. Those are not proper in a moderate earthquake regions including Korea. Also the equivalent uniform stress concept (Seed & Idriss, 1971) using regular sinusoidal loading which is used, in a conventional method for the assessment of liquefaction potential, can't reflect correctly the dynamic characteristics of real irregular earthquake motions. In this study, cyclic triaxial tests using irregular earthquake motions are performed with different earthquake magnitudes, relative densities, and fines contents. Assessment of liquefaction potential in moderate earthquake regions is discussed based on various laboratory test results. From the results, screening limits in seismic design were re-investigated and proposed using normalized maximum stress ratios under real irregular earthquake motions. Also from the tests using constant wedge loading and incremental wedge loading, the characteristics of liquefaction resistance of saturated sand under irregular ground motions are investigated.