The initial wave induced failure of silty seabed: Liquefaction or shear failure

Abstract A silty seabed can be destabilized in two ways under wave loading: by liquefaction or shear failure. In this paper, the wave-induced initial failure mode of a silty seabed under different consolidation conditions is studied using flume experiments. Through a comparison of the pore water pressure, initial failure, and liquefaction development patterns in a relatively soft and dense seabed, it is found that liquefaction is responsible for the initial failure of the soft seabed, while shear failure is responsible for the initial failure of the dense seabed. Liquefaction progresses from the surface and gradually downward in the soft seabed, but it propagates from the interface where the shear failure occurs in the dense seabed.