Experimental and numerical investigations of nonlinearity in soils using advanced laboratory-scaled models (ENINALS Project). From a site-test to a centrifuge model

The historical centre of Rome is built for a great part on an alluvial plain, filled by sediments from the Tiber river, and in part on hills, where pyroclastic deposits from the Albani Hill and Sabatino volcanic districts are exposed. The L’Aquila seismic sequence of 2009 caused some damages to Rome historical centre, especially in the area of the alluvial deposits which are characterized by a stratigraphic juxtaposition of more deformable clayey-silty deposits and stiffer sandy and sandy-silty deposits. However, much more extensive records from the last millennium point to strong earthquake-induced damage in the alluvial plain of the Tiber river and of its tributaries . This is why, in the past two decades, some dedicated studies placed emphasis on the amplification effects of the Tiber alluvial deposits in Rome historical centre.In this regard, the ENINALS (Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Nonlinearity in soils using Advanced Laboratory-Scaled models) project is intended to investigate the effects of permanent deformation induced on stratified soil columns from Tiber over alluvia in Rome, with special regard to alternating succession sequence of loose sands and weakly consolidated clays, by experiencing an analogical modeling approach through the use of a centrifuge device.