Blast Liquefaction Testing
In December 2019, Assistant Professor Jonathan Hubler of Villanova University and OSU Professor Michael Olsen traveled to Christchurch, New Zealand, to take pre- and post-liquefaction measurements of soil and site parameters for two blast liquefaction tests. The team used RAPID’s medium long-range scanner, an ATOM seismic system, a portable cone penetrometer, three seismometers, two Leica GS18T GPS systems, and a Leica robotic total station.
Two years later, the RAPID Facility provided seismometers to support research led by Professor Richard Coffman of the University of Arkansas to investigate the effects of liquefaction-induced downdrag and dragload on deep foundations. This project will inform how earthquakes impact modern infrastructure. In particular, the researchers reference seismic waves from several earthquakes that occurred during the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquake sequence, which led to liquefaction hundreds of miles away. A similar earthquake today would cause great economic losses in the United States.
