Liquefaction and settlements of backfill behind quay-walls, caused by seismic loads

The paper deals with modelling of earthquake-induced liquefaction and settlements of backfill behind quay-walls. The main goal of the present contribution is to describe these phenomena, using a simple compaction/liquefaction model elaborated in the Institute of Hydro-Engineering, for the specific field conditions in the Port of Derince (Turkey), where the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake damaged a number of coastal structures. In the first part of this paper, the geotechnical characteristics and mechanical properties of backfill soils in the Port of Derince are described. Then, a simulation of pore-pressure generation in the backfill and its re-solidification after liquefaction is shown, as well as a simple method which enables estimation of post-liquefaction settlements proposed. The results shown indicate that the method presented gives realistic predictions, and therefore may be considered as a candidate for a geotechnical standard.