A magnitude 9.0 earthquake by the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) is believed to be capable of causing widespread soil liquefaction in the Pacific Northwest (PACNW). Affected infrastructures include highway bridges specifically the ones crossing the Columbia and Willamette rivers and along the I-5 corridor. The need to study the effects of soil liquefaction in the PACNW has been raised by a group of experts in liquefaction and stakeholders from involved states (DOGAMI/OSU 2013). 

To fulfill this need, we plan to perform laboratory tests using cyclic direct simple shear device (cyclic DSS). The cyclic DSS is an advanced geotechnical equipment that was recently purchased by the CEE Department. Local agencies and consulting firms (ODOT, City of Portland, Port of Portland, GRI, Hart Crowser, and CH2M) have agreed to collaborate with us by providing soil samples from their ongoing projects. This collaboration is beneficial for both us and these agencies considering the broader impacts of the potential research findings on the seismic assessment of bridges in the Willamette Valley.