Abstract Trench barrier isolation is very popular but less adopted technique for the isolation of buildings and important structures. Here the structures are to be protected against the energetic surface waves, which are confined up to 3–4.5 m depth below the surface. Several types of trenches with different in-fill materials have been tried with some degree of success. The difficulty comes from the nature of the waves, which are a changed form of the gravitational waves. Gravitational waves are very difficult to screen. Open trenches simply provide a vacuum through which waves can easily transmit. The most recent advance is the use of phononic materials which act as a sort of filter for a band of frequencies. They protect the structures in this bandwidth of frequency against their resonance within this range. Phononic crystals are nothing but a combination of materials with high impedance contrast. The same mechanism of action is offered by Bentonite slurry, which is a material of almost negligible impedance ratio (0.12) against the soil. Ultimately, there is a dissipation of energy inside the trenches. But it will be very useful to rely on the materials or a combination of materials, which can facilitate the phenomenon of liquefaction inside the trenches. In the present study, such types of materials have been identified and their use is recommended for complete energy dissipation. Keywords: Impedance ratio, phononic crystals, resonance, energy dissipation, surface wavesCite this Article Ranjan A, Swami RK, Sinha AK et al. Use of Liquefiable Materials for Vibration Isolation. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering. 2016; 3(3): 33–36p.
