The purpose of this grant with the regents of the university of colorado is to improve understanding of the impact of climate change-induced drought and heavy precipitation on the soil dynamic…

This Cooperative Agreement award from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards (CFDA 11.609) program totals $289,243 and will be performed by the Regents of the University of Colorado (CU) from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027. The purpose of this award is to improve understanding of the impact of climate change-induced drought and heavy precipitation on soil dynamic behavior and its subsequent effect on the risk of seismic liquefaction, excessive displacement, and damage to structures. The research activities will include four centrifuge tests to assess the seismic response of a shallow-founded building structure on various soil types under different thermo-hydraulic loading conditions. The University of Colorado will also develop a new open-source constitutive model and a novel statistical-finite-element model to synthesize the experimental data and finite element models. The expected outcomes of this research are to provide new numerical tools to assess the impact of temperature and moisture on soil dynamic characteristics and liquefaction susceptibility, addressing current gaps in building code requirements on liquefaction assessment under changing climate conditions.

Activities

Four centrifuge tests will be conducted to assess the seismic response of a shallow-founded building structure on various soil types subjected to different thermo-hydraulic loading conditions. A new constitutive model will be developed in an opensource platform to complement the experimental study. A novel statistical-finite-element model will be developed (and validated) to synthesize the experimental data and finite element models using a full markov chain monte carlo approach.

Expected outcomes

Results of this research will provide new numerical tools to assess the impact of temperature and moisture on the soil dynamic characteristics and in turn liquefaction susceptibility. This will address the current gaps in the building code requirement on liquefaction assessment under changing climate and can inform development of practical provisions for incorporation of sever climate effects on ground failure susceptibility.

Intended beneficiaries

Information gathered from this research will provide practicing engineers as well as decision-makers and other stakeholders with robust tools to assess and mitigate the risk of cyclic softening, seismic displacements, and ground failure under multi-hazard conditions. The outcome of this research will benefit the public by improving the safety and minimizing the damage and disruption of buildings and infrastructure systems constructed on soil susceptible to liquefaction.

Subrecipient activities

The recipient does not intend to subaward funds.