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Geotechnics
Special Issues
New Trends in Ground Response Analysis and Liquefaction Assessment
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New Trends in Ground Response Analysis and Liquefaction Assessment

A Special Issue of Geotechnics (ISSN 2673-7094).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 2735

Editor

Dr. Anna Chiaradonna

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil, Construction-Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of L'Aquila, Piazzale E. Pontieri, 1, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
Interests: geotechnical engineering; earthquake geotechnical engineering; soil mechanics; ground motion; seismic site effects; liquefaction; numerical modelling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil response during strong ground shaking is governed by rather complex mechanical processes, which are ascribed to hysteretic behavior associated with an increase in energy dissipation, and volumetric–distortional coupling, due to the accumulation of irreversible plastic strains induced by either volumetric responses under drained conditions or pore pressure changes under undrained conditions. The latter volumetric effects may evolve into liquefaction in loose, saturated sandy soils. The amount of soil nonlinearity mobilized during shaking controls site response and related consequences induced to structures and infrastructures, including strategic facilities like dams, ports, bridges, and pipelines.

Ground response analysis and soil liquefaction are two binding issues that have undergone a rapid evolution in recent decades due to the propulsive case studies after strong earthquakes, monitoring of test-sites, and cutting-edge experiments. The core focus, connecting these two topics in Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering, is the modeling of soil mechanical behavior under cyclic and dynamic loading up to the point of failure.

This Special Issue aims to collect the most recent advancements able to highlight the most prominent trends in ground response analysis and liquefaction assessment. High-quality papers are welcome which focus on, but are not limited to, discussing numerical approaches for modeling soil nonlinearity at large strains, including limitations of the equivalent linear methods, challenges of simulating excess pore water pressure in saturated soils, compatibility between soil strength and stiffness, post-liquefaction triggering behavior, and induced settlement estimation; liquefaction case studies with special emphasis on soil characterization; validation of soil modeling against experimental results; and semi-empirical methods and simplified indices that measure soil nonlinearity at a regional scale. Within the framework of synthetic methods, validation of new models and methods is particularly interesting in the range of medium-intensity earthquakes, where the efficacy of simplified approaches is more debated.

Contributions from academia and industry are encouraged to critically discuss the state of practice and define horizons for future developments.

Dr. Anna Chiaradonna
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Geotechnics is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ground response analysis
  • liquefaction assessment
  • soil nonlinearity
  • excess pore-water pressure
  • post-liquefaction settlement
  • case-study validation
  • semi-empirical index

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 15901 KB  
Article
Numerical Study of Blast-Induced Liquefaction Test in Silty Sands
by Paul Pinedo, Lluís Monforte, Marcos Arroyo, Antonio Gens, Sara Amoroso, Kyle Rollins, Maurizio Vassallo and Giuseppe Di Giulio
Geotechnics 2026, 6(3), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/geotechnics6030089 - 8 Sep 2026
Viewed by 222
Abstract
Soil liquefaction typically occurs during and following earthquakes, although it may also be triggered by non-seismic dynamic loading. While liquefaction is systematically investigated using laboratory element tests, critical field-scale aspects, such as soil fabric and complex boundary conditions, remain challenging to replicate. Consequently, [...] Read more.
Soil liquefaction typically occurs during and following earthquakes, although it may also be triggered by non-seismic dynamic loading. While liquefaction is systematically investigated using laboratory element tests, critical field-scale aspects, such as soil fabric and complex boundary conditions, remain challenging to replicate. Consequently, researchers have evaluated field liquefaction through controlled explosive detonations. The primary objective of this study is the numerical simulation of a controlled blast-induced liquefaction test conducted at a silty sand site. An advanced constitutive model was employed to capture the highly non-linear soil behaviour under blast loading. Modelling blast loading is inherently challenging due to extreme near-field deformations, high-frequency accelerations (exceeding 100 Hz), and rapid excess pore water pressure generation on the order of milliseconds. Particular attention is paid to replicating acceleration time histories and Fourier amplitude spectra. Furthermore, computed pore water pressures are validated against experimental transducer data, providing relevant insights into the spatial and temporal development of blast-induced liquefaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Ground Response Analysis and Liquefaction Assessment)
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20 pages, 90723 KB  
Article
Insights into Liquefaction-Triggered Lateral Spreading in Brest Pokupski During the 2020 Petrinja Earthquake
by Mario Bačić, Nicola Rossi, Sanel Mešić and Marijan Car
Geotechnics 2026, 6(3), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/geotechnics6030080 - 25 Aug 2026
Viewed by 219
Abstract
This paper presents a numerical analysis of liquefaction-induced lateral spreading at Brest Pokupski in Croatia, observed during the 2020 Mw6.4 Petrinja earthquake. The site is composed of Holocene alluvial deposits consisting of loose to medium-dense sands, silty sands, and sandy silts [...] Read more.
This paper presents a numerical analysis of liquefaction-induced lateral spreading at Brest Pokupski in Croatia, observed during the 2020 Mw6.4 Petrinja earthquake. The site is composed of Holocene alluvial deposits consisting of loose to medium-dense sands, silty sands, and sandy silts with high groundwater levels, locally confined by low-permeability cohesive layers, which together created favourable conditions for excess pore pressure generation, liquefaction and lateral spreading. During the 2020 Petrinja earthquake, the area experienced large-scale ground failures, including widespread soil deformations, sand ejecta, ground cracking and settlement, making it one of the most prominent manifestations of earthquake-induced liquefaction in the affected region. The study applies dynamic analyses using the advanced constitutive models and soil parameters derived from laboratory tests and CPT investigations. The model simulates excess pore water pressure development and resulting ground deformations, with displacements evaluated at advanced stages of dissipation. During the dissipation phases, the model exhibits a high sensitivity to hydraulic conductivity, which may be attributed to slight residual numerical imbalances at the end of shaking. Consequently, scaling factors of 100 and 1000 result in horizontal displacements of approximately 20–30 cm and 60–70 cm, respectively, within the liquefiable layer. Trends of ground displacement with distance along the profile, however, remain consistent regardless of the applied scaling factors, and can therefore be used in conjunction with displacement measurements to assess the response. Numerical results are used in conjunction with InSAR observations from the European Ground Motion Service (EGMS) and geodetic benchmark measurements to assess the displacement field changes along the profile. The comparison from two points showed a shift in the displacement direction towards the river by about 14∘. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Ground Response Analysis and Liquefaction Assessment)
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27 pages, 5637 KB  
Article
Characterization of Sand–Gravel Mixtures Using Shear Wave Velocity Method and Intergranular State Concept
by Abilash Pokhrel, Sean Rees, Ali Tasalloti and Gabriele Chiaro
Geotechnics 2026, 6(2), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/geotechnics6020047 - 15 May 2026
Viewed by 968
Abstract
Shear wave velocity (VS) measurements are widely used to characterize geomaterials, evaluate small-strain stiffness, and develop indirect approaches for estimating the liquefaction resistance of various soil types. In this study, the bender element method was employed to investigate the V [...] Read more.
Shear wave velocity (VS) measurements are widely used to characterize geomaterials, evaluate small-strain stiffness, and develop indirect approaches for estimating the liquefaction resistance of various soil types. In this study, the bender element method was employed to investigate the VS characteristics of sand–gravel mixtures (SGMs), with the aim of clarifying the combined effect of key factors such as gravel content (GC), relative density (Dr), packing state, and soil fabric. Laboratory tests were performed on reconstituted specimens composed of two sandy soils and pea gravel with GC of 0, 10, 25, 40, 60, 80 and 100% and Dr of 20, 30, 45 and 60%. Specimens were prepared using wet tamping (WT) and air pluviation (AP) techniques. VS measurements were conducted under effective confining stresses (σ′0) of 50, 100, 150 and 200 kPa. The results show that the VS of SGMs increases with increasing Dr and p′0, whereas the influence of GC depends on the limiting and threshold sand contents. The effect of soil fabric was found to be marginal. Furthermore, the combined effects of GC and Dr on VS can be uniquely captured using the equivalent void ratio approach for SGMs with sand-dominated microstructures, while the skeleton void ratio approach is more appropriate for SGMs with gravel-dominated microstructures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Ground Response Analysis and Liquefaction Assessment)
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