Dynamic 1 g Model Tests on Liquefiable Sands in Newly Proposed ETILam Soil Container and Verification Through 2D and 3D Numerical Analyses

Liquefaction-induced damages related to excess pore water pressure generation in soils and stiffness degradation significantly influence infrastructure and seismic ground response, requiring reliable experimental testing setups and validated numerical models for accurate assessment. This study investigates the free-field liquefaction behavior of saturated sands using the newly proposed ETILam (Enhanced Transparent Impermeable Laminar) soil container under 1 g shaking table conditions. Specimens composed of loose and dense saturated sands overlain by a dry sand layer were prepared and tested under two harmonic motions (0.1 g–2 Hz and 0.2 g–2 Hz), the second motion being two consecutive 6 s excitations. Dynamic response was evaluated through acceleration time histories, shear strains obtained through displacement measurements, excess pore water ratio (r_u), response spectra, transfer functions, and Fourier amplitude computations. Fully coupled effective stress analyses were performed in 2D and 3D using calibrated PM4Sand and P2PSand constitutive models. Experimental results showed limited liquefaction for the lower-amplitude motion, whereas the higher-amplitude motion triggered significant shear strains (up to 10%) and r_u values approaching 0.8, with depth-dependent dissipation patterns between sequential shakings. Numerical simulations reproduced acceleration amplitudes and general pore-pressure trends, with the 2D model providing closer agreement in both generation and dissipation behavior. The findings validate the ETILam container’s capability to simulate free-field liquefaction response and demonstrate that a well-calibrated 2D approach can reliably capture the essential features of the observed behavior.