Assessment of liquefaction effects on dynamic soil-structure interaction for the 1908 Messina and Reggio Calabria scenario earthquake

Earthquake-induced liquefaction can significantly modify the dynamic response of a soil deposit and interacting structures. In this study, dynamic soil-structure interaction analyses have been performed for a strategic building resting on liquefiable soil. The structure, located in the city of Messina (Sicily, Italy), was built after the strong earthquake of 1908 that caused severe ground shaking and also liquefaction phenomena. Numerical analyses have been conducted with the finite element code PLAXIS3D that adopts the UBC3D-PLM model to simulate the seismic response of liquefiable soils. The advanced UBC3D-PLM model has been calibrated by means of the simulation of cyclic direct simple shear tests (CDSS) using PLAXIS3D software. The seismic behaviour of the soilstructure system on liquefiable soil has been analysed in terms of liquefaction potential, accelerations, response spectra and displacements under three seismograms of the 1908 earthquake. Findings of this study can be of great significance and interest for the prevention and mitigation of seismic liquefaction hazards in areas with high seismic risk.