Energy-Based Liquefaction Evaluation: The Port of Kushiro in Hokkaido, Japan, 2003 Tokachi-Oki Earthquake

The magnitude (Mw) 8.3 Tokachi-oki earthquake occurred in September 2003, causing extensive damage in Hokkaido, Japan, and triggering extensive soil liquefaction in the region. The Port of Kushiro was one of the locations where surficial evidence of liquefaction was observed but was also a well-instrumented location with four pore-water pressure transducers installed in the backfill of the quay wall. However, all of the sensors malfunctioned during the earthquake. As a result, the pore-water pressure response recorded by those sensors were inaccurate and unusable with regard to evaluating liquefaction triggering and extent. This study introduced the energy-based soil liquefaction evaluation to estimate the excess pore water pressure responses at the Port of Kushiro based on the cumulative strain energy of the soil during the 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake. In order to apply the energy-based method to this case history, this study explored the empirical equation describing a relationship between normalized cumulative energy and excess pore water pressure ratio while incorporating the bidirectional shaking effect on strain energy development. Although the energy-based method allowed for the estimation of the time needed to trigger liquefaction at a target site, it was derived using the empirical coefficients that were developed for a different soil from those at the site of interest. This indicated that an adjustment to the estimated timing of liquefaction was needed, which was accomplished by additional evaluation through a Stockwell transform and Arias intensity-based liquefaction assessment. Both procedures indicated a similar timing of liquefaction at the site. Based on the updated time of liquefaction triggering, the empirical coefficient was recalibrated to estimate the excess pore water pressure ratio, and the result provided reasonable excess pore water pressure responses at the backfill of the Port of Kushiro during the 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake.