Horizontal drains
Horizontal drains represent an innovative techniques to mitigate the liquefaction of soil. As common vertical drains, they are able to dissipate exess pore pressures build-up during the seismic event. This innovative technique has been tested by means of true-scale trial-field, realised in Pieve di Cento (BG), measuring the evolution of the excess pore pressures in the sourraunding soil, during a shaking induced by a special machine. The field tests have proved a higth effectiveness in the excess pore pressures dissipation. Moreover, the horizontal drains can be applied under the existing structures, being highly appealing as a metigation action for urbanized areas
Bio-Induced Partial Saturation (IPS)
A recent research activity has been based on the development of an IPS methodology to nucleate gas bubbles within the voids of the liquefiable soil. Takink advantage of microrganism metabolism, it has been possible to develop a bio-chemical solution able to induce the partial saturation directly within the soil, leading to a higher compressibility of the equivalent pore fluid as well as a higher resistance to liquefaction. The technology tested at lab scale has been proved to be effective and environmental compatible
Laponite
The injection of high plasticity material has been tested in laboratory tests to asses its effectiveness to decrease liquefaction susceptibility. By mixing to the soil grains a low amount of Laponite (a synthetic nanoparticle) it has been proved a lower relative-mobility of the grains themselves, leading to an increase in the liquefaction resistance