Topics in vortex motion

Six topics in incompressible, inviscid fluid flow involving vortex motion are presented. The stability of the unsteady flow field due to the vortex filament expanding under the influence of an axial compression is examined in the first chapter as a possible model of the vortex bursting observed in aircraft contrails. The filament with a stagnant core is found to be unstable to axisymmetric disturbances. For initial disturbances with the form of axisymmetric Kelvin waves, the filament with a uniformly rotating core is neutrally stable, but the compression causes the disturbance to undergo a rapid increase in amplitude. The time at which the increase occurs is, however, later than the observed bursting times, indicating the bursting phenomenon is not caused by this type of instability.

In the second and third chapters the stability of a steady vortex filament deformed by two-dimensional strain and shear flows, respectively, is examined. The steady deformations are in the plane of the vortex cross-section. Disturbances which deform the filament centerline into a wave which does not propagate along the filament are shown to be unstable and a method is described to calculate the wave number and corresponding growth rate of the amplified waves for a general distribution of vorticity in the vortex core.

In Chapter Four exact solutions are constructed for two-dimensional potential flow over a wing with a free ideal vortex standing over the wing. The loci of positions of the free vortex are found and the lift is calculated. It is found that the lift on the wing can be significantly increased by the free vortex.

The two-dimensional trajectories of an ideal vortex pair near an orifice are calculated in Chapter Five. Three geometries are examined, and the criteria for the vortices to travel away from the orifice are determined.

Finally, Chapter Six reproduces completely the paper, "Structure of a linear array of hollow vortices of finite cross-section," co-authored with G. R. Baker and P. G. Saffman. Free streamline theory is employed to construct an exact steady solution for a linear array of hollow, or stagnant cored vortices. If each vortex has area A and the separation is L, then there are two possible shapes if A^(1/2)/L is less than 0.38 and none if it is larger. The stability of the shapes to two-dimensional, periodic and symmetric disturbances is considered for hollow vortices. The more deformed of the two possible shapes is found to be unstable, while the less deformed shape is stable.

Some problems of edge waves and standing waves on beaches

Some problems of edge waves and standing waves on beaches are examined.

The nonlinear interaction of a wave normally incident on a sloping beach with a subharmonic edge wave is studied. A two-timing expansion is used in the full nonlinear theory to obtain the modulation equations which describe the evolution of the waves. It is shown how large amplitude edge waves are produced; and the results of the theory are compared with some recent laboratory experiments.

Traveling edge waves are considered in two situations. First, the full linear theory is examined to find the finite depth effect on the edge waves produced by a moving pressure disturbance. In the second situation, a Stokes' expansion is used to discuss the nonlinear effects in shallow water edge waves traveling over a bottom of arbitrary shape. The results are compared with the ones of the full theory for a uniformly sloping bottom.

The finite amplitude effects for waves incident on a sloping beach, with perfect reflection, are considered. A Stokes' expansion is used in the full nonlinear theory to find the corrections to the dispersion relation for the cases of normal and oblique incidence.

Finally, an abstract formulation of the linear water waves problem is given in terms of a self adjoint but nonlocal operator. The appropriate spectral representations are developed for two particular cases.

Two new integral transforms and their applications

This thesis is in two parts. In Part I the independent variable θ in the trigonometric form of Legendre's equation is extended to the range ( -∞, ∞). The associated spectral representation is an infinite integral transform whose kernel is the analytic continuation of the associated Legendre function of the second kind into the complex θ-plane. This new transform is applied to the problems of waves on a spherical shell, heat flow on a spherical shell, and the gravitational potential of a sphere. In each case the resulting alternative representation of the solution is more suited to direct physical interpretation than the standard forms.

In Part II separation of variables is applied to the initial-value problem of the propagation of acoustic waves in an underwater sound channel. The Epstein symmetric profile is taken to describe the variation of sound with depth. The spectral representation associated with the separated depth equation is found to contain an integral and a series. A point source is assumed to be located in the channel. The nature of the disturbance at a point in the vicinity of the channel far removed from the source is investigated.

Some approximate solutions of dynamic problems in the linear theory of thin elastic shells

Some aspects of wave propagation in thin elastic shells are considered. The governing equations are derived by a method which makes their relationship to the exact equations of linear elasticity quite clear. Finite wave propagation speeds are ensured by the inclusion of the appropriate physical effects.

The problem of a constant pressure front moving with constant velocity along a semi-infinite circular cylindrical shell is studied. The behavior of the solution immediately under the leading wave is found, as well as the short time solution behind the characteristic wavefronts. The main long time disturbance is found to travel with the velocity of very long longitudinal waves in a bar and an expression for this part of the solution is given.

When a constant moment is applied to the lip of an open spherical shell, there is an interesting effect due to the focusing of the waves. This phenomenon is studied and an expression is derived for the wavefront behavior for the first passage of the leading wave and its first reflection.

For the two problems mentioned, the method used involves reducing the governing partial differential equations to ordinary differential equations by means of a Laplace transform in time. The information sought is then extracted by doing the appropriate asymptotic expansion with the Laplace variable as parameter.

Measurement of the direct CP asymmetry in b-->s+gamma via sum of exclusive B Meson decays using the BABAR detector

We perform a measurement of direct CP violation in b to s+gamma Acp, and the measurement of a difference between Acp for neutral B and charged B mesons, Delta A_{X_s\gamma}, using 429 inverse femtobarn of data recorded at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector. B mesons are reconstructed from 16 exclusive final states. Particle identification is done using an algorithm based on Error Correcting Output Code with an exhaustive matrix. Background rejection and best candidate selection are done using two decision tree-based classifiers. We found $\acp = 1.73%+-1.93%+-1.02% and Delta A_X_sgamma = 4.97%+-3.90%+-1.45% where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic respectively. Based on the measured value of Delta A_X_sgamma, we determine a 90% confidence interval for Im C_8g/C_7gamma, where C_7gamma and C_8g are Wilson coefficients for New Physics amplitudes, at -1.64 < Im C_8g/C_7gamma < 6.52.

Learning and using taxonomies for visual and olfactory classification

Humans are able of distinguishing more than 5000 visual categories even in complex environments using a variety of different visual systems all working in tandem. We seem to be capable of distinguishing thousands of different odors as well. In the machine learning community, many commonly used multi-class classifiers do not scale well to such large numbers of categories. This thesis demonstrates a method of automatically creating application-specific taxonomies to aid in scaling classification algorithms to more than 100 cate- gories using both visual and olfactory data. The visual data consists of images collected online and pollen slides scanned under a microscope. The olfactory data was acquired by constructing a small portable sniffing apparatus which draws air over 10 carbon black polymer composite sensors. We investigate performance when classifying 256 visual categories, 8 or more species of pollen and 130 olfactory categories sampled from common household items and a standardized scratch-and-sniff test. Taxonomies are employed in a divide-and-conquer classification framework which improves classification time while allowing the end user to trade performance for specificity as needed. Before classification can even take place, the pollen counter and electronic nose must filter out a high volume of background “clutter” to detect the categories of interest. In the case of pollen this is done with an efficient cascade of classifiers that rule out most non-pollen before invoking slower multi-class classifiers. In the case of the electronic nose, much of the extraneous noise encountered in outdoor environments can be filtered using a sniffing strategy which preferentially samples the visensor response at frequencies that are relatively immune to background contributions from ambient water vapor. This combination of efficient background rejection with scalable classification algorithms is tested in detail for three separate projects: 1) the Caltech-256 Image Dataset, 2) the Caltech Automated Pollen Identification and Counting System (CAPICS) and 3) a portable electronic nose specially constructed for outdoor use.

Effects of particle size ratio on single particle motion in colloidal dispersions

The motion of a single Brownian particle of arbitrary size through a dilute colloidal dispersion of neutrally buoyant bath spheres of another characteristic size in a Newtonian solvent is examined in two contexts. First, the particle in question, the probe particle, is subject to a constant applied external force drawing it through the suspension as a simple model for active and nonlinear microrheology. The strength of the applied external force, normalized by the restoring forces of Brownian motion, is the Péclet number, Pe. This dimensionless quantity describes how strongly the probe is upsetting the equilibrium distribution of the bath particles. The mean motion and fluctuations in the probe position are related to interpreted quantities of an effective viscosity of the suspension. These interpreted quantities are calculated to first order in the volume fraction of bath particles and are intimately tied to the spatial distribution, or microstructure, of bath particles relative to the probe. For weak Pe, the disturbance to the equilibrium microstructure is dipolar in nature, with accumulation and depletion regions on the front and rear faces of the probe, respectively. With increasing applied force, the accumulation region compresses to form a thin boundary layer whose thickness scales with the inverse of Pe. The depletion region lengthens to form a trailing wake. The magnitude of the microstructural disturbance is found to grow with increasing bath particle size -- small bath particles in the solvent resemble a continuum with effective microviscosity given by Einstein's viscosity correction for a dilute dispersion of spheres. Large bath particles readily advect toward the minimum approach distance possible between the probe and bath particle, and the probe and bath particle pair rotating as a doublet is the primary mechanism by which the probe particle is able to move past; this is a process that slows the motion of the probe by a factor of the size ratio. The intrinsic microviscosity is found to force thin at low Péclet number due to decreasing contributions from Brownian motion, and force thicken at high Péclet number due to the increasing influence of the configuration-averaged reduction in the probe's hydrodynamic self mobility. Nonmonotonicity at finite sizes is evident in the limiting high-Pe intrinsic microviscosity plateau as a function of bath-to-probe particle size ratio. The intrinsic microviscosity is found to grow with the size ratio for very small probes even at large-but-finite Péclet numbers. However, even a small repulsive interparticle potential, that excludes lubrication interactions, can reduce this intrinsic microviscosity back to an order one quantity. The results of this active microrheology study are compared to previous theoretical studies of falling-ball and towed-ball rheometry and sedimentation and diffusion in polydisperse suspensions, and the singular limit of full hydrodynamic interactions is noted.

Second, the probe particle in question is no longer subject to a constant applied external force. Rather, the particle is considered to be a catalytically-active motor, consuming the bath reactant particles on its reactive face while passively colliding with reactant particles on its inert face. By creating an asymmetric distribution of reactant about its surface, the motor is able to diffusiophoretically propel itself with some mean velocity. The effects of finite size of the solute are examined on the leading order diffusive microstructure of reactant about the motor. Brownian and interparticle contributions to the motor velocity are computed for several interparticle interaction potential lengths and finite reactant-to-motor particle size ratios, with the dimensionless motor velocity increasing with decreasing motor size. A discussion on Brownian rotation frames the context in which these results could be applicable, and future directions are proposed which properly incorporate reactant advection at high motor velocities.

Geological evolution of two crustal scale shear zones. Part I. The Rand thrust complex, northwestern Mojave Desert, California. Part II. The Magdalena metamorphic core complex, north central Sonora, Mexico

The geology and structure of two crustal scale shear zones were studied to understand the partitioning of strain within intracontinental orogenic belts. Movement histories and regional tectonic implications are deduced from observational data. The two widely separated study areas bear the imprint of intense Late Mesozoic through Middle Cenozoic tectonic activity. A regional transition from Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary plutonism, metamorphism, and shortening strain to Middle Tertiary extension and magmatism is preserved in each area, with contrasting environments and mechanisms. Compressional phases of this tectonic history are better displayed in the Rand Mountains, whereas younger extensional structures dominate rock fabrics in the Magdalena area.

In the northwestern Mojave desert, the Rand Thrust Complex reveals a stack of four distinctive tectonic plates offset along the Garlock Fault. The lowermost plate, Rand Schist, is composed of greenschist facies metagraywacke, metachert, and metabasalt. Rand Schist is structurally overlain by Johannesburg Gneiss (= garnet-amphibolite grade orthogneisses, marbles and quartzites), which in turn is overlain by a Late Cretaceous hornblende-biotite granodiorite. Biotite granite forms the fourth and highest plate. Initial assembly of the tectonic stack involved a Late Cretaceous? south or southwest vergent overthrusting event in which Johannesburg Gneiss was imbricated and attenuated between Rand Schist and hornblende-biotite granodiorite. Thrusting postdated metamorphism and deformation of the lower two plates in separate environments. A post-kinematic stock, the Late Cretaceous Randsburg Granodiorite, intrudes deep levels of the complex and contains xenoliths of both Rand Schist and mylonitized Johannesburg? gneiss. Minimum shortening implied by the map patterns is 20 kilometers.

Some low angle faults of the Rand Thrust Complex formed or were reactivated between Late Cretaceous and Early Miocene time. South-southwest directed mylonites derived from Johannesburg Gneiss are commonly overprinted by less penetrative north-northeast vergent structures. Available kinematic information at shallower structural levels indicates that late disturbance(s) culminated in northward transport of the uppermost plate. Persistence of brittle fabrics along certain structural horizons suggests a possible association of late movement(s) with regionally known detachment faults. The four plates were juxtaposed and significant intraplate movements had ceased prior to Early Miocene emplacement of rhyolite porphyry dikes.

In the Magdalena region of north central Sonora, components of a pre-Middle Cretaceous stratigraphy are used as strain markers in tracking the evolution of a long lived orogenic belt. Important elements of the tectonic history include: (1) Compression during the Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary, accompanied by plutonism, metamorphism, and ductile strain at depth, and thrust driven? syntectonic sedimentation at the surface. (2) Middle Tertiary transition to crustal extension, initially recorded by intrusion of leucogranites, inflation of the previously shortened middle and upper crustal section, and surface volcanism. (3) Gravity induced development of a normal sense ductile shear zone at mid crustal levels, with eventual detachment and southwestward displacement of the upper crustal stratigraphy by Early Miocene time.

Elucidation of the metamorphic core complex evolution just described was facilitated by fortuitous preservation of a unique assemblage of rocks and structures. The "type" stratigraphy utilized for regional correlation and strain analysis includes a Jurassic volcanic arc assemblage overlain by an Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous quartz pebble conglomerate, in turn overlain by marine strata with fossiliferous Aptian-Albian limestones. The Jurassic strata, comprised of (a) rhyolite porphyries interstratified with quartz arenites, (b) rhyolite cobble conglomerate, and (c) intrusive granite porphyries, are known to rest on Precambrian basement north and east of the study area. The quartz pebble conglomerate is correlated with the Glance Conglomerate of southeastern Arizona and northeastern Sonora. The marine sequence represents part of an isolated arm? of the Bisbee Basin.

Crosscutting structural relationships between the pre-Middle Cretaceous supracrustal section, younger plutons, and deformational fabrics allow the tectonic sequence to be determined. Earliest phases of a Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary orogeny are marked by emplacement of the 78 ± 3 Ma Guacomea Granodiorite (U/Pb zircon, Anderson et al., 1980) as a sill into deep levels of the layered Jurassic series. Subsequent regional metamorphism and ductile strain is recorded by a penetrative schistosity and lineation, and east-west trending folds. These fabrics are intruded by post-kinematic Early Tertiary? two mica granites. At shallower crustal levels, the orogeny is represented by north directed thrust faulting, formation of a large intermontane basin, and development of a pronounced unconformity. A second important phase of ductile strain followed Middle Tertiary? emplacement of leucogranites as sills and northwest trending dikes into intermediate levels of the deformed section (surficial volcanism was also active during this transitional period to regional extension). Gravitational instabilities resulting from crustal swelling via intrusion and thermal expansion led to development of a ductile shear zone within the stratigraphic horizon occupied by a laterally extensive leucogranite sill. With continued extension, upper crustal brittle normal faults (detachment faults) enhanced the uplift and tectonic denudation of this mylonite zone, ultimately resulting in southwestward displacement of the upper crustal stratigraphy.

Strains associated with the two ductile deformation events have been successfully partitioned through a multifaceted analysis. R_f/Ø measurements on various markers from the "type" stratigraphy allow a gradient representing cumulative strain since Middle Cretaceous time to be determined. From this gradient, noncoaxial strains accrued since emplacement of the leucogranites may be removed. Irrotational components of the postleucogranite strain are measured from quartz grain shapes in deformed granites; rotational components (shear strains) are determined from S-C fabrics and from restoration of rotated dike and vein networks. Structural observations and strain data are compatable with a deformation path of: (1) coaxial strain (pure shear?), followed by (2) injection of leucogranites as dikes (perpendicular to the minimum principle stress) and sills (parallel to the minimum principle stress), then (3) southwest directed simple shear. Modeling the late strain gradient as a simple shear zone permits a minimum displacement of 10 kilometers on the Magdalena mylonite zone/detachment fault system. Removal of the Middle Tertiary noncoaxial strains yields a residual (or pre-existing) strain gradient representative of the Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary deformation. Several partially destrained cross sections, restored to the time of leucogranite emplacement, illustrate the idea that the upper plate of the core complex bas been detached from a region of significant topographic relief. 50% to 100% bulk extension across a 50 kilometer wide corridor is demonstrated.

Late Cenozoic tectonics of the Magdalena region are dominated by Basin and Range style faulting. Northeast and north-northwest trending high angle normal faults have interacted to extend the crust in an east-west direction. Net extension for this period is minor (10% to 15%) in comparison to the Middle Tertiary detachment related extensional episode.

Wind-driven desertification: process modeling, remote monitoring, and forecasting

Arid and semiarid landscapes comprise nearly a third of the Earth's total land surface. These areas are coming under increasing land use pressures. Despite their low productivity these lands are not barren. Rather, they consist of fragile ecosystems vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance.

The purpose of this thesis is threefold: (I) to develop and test a process model of wind-driven desertification, (II) to evaluate next-generation process-relevant remote monitoring strategies for use in arid and semiarid regions, and (III) to identify elements for effective management of the world's drylands.

In developing the process model of wind-driven desertification in arid and semiarid lands, field, remote sensing, and modeling observations from a degraded Mojave Desert shrubland are used. This model focuses on aeolian removal and transport of dust, sand, and litter as the primary mechanisms of degradation: killing plants by burial and abrasion, interrupting natural processes of nutrient accumulation, and allowing the loss of soil resources by abiotic transport. This model is tested in field sampling experiments at two sites and is extended by Fourier Transform and geostatistical analysis of high-resolution imagery from one site.

Next, the use of hyperspectral remote sensing data is evaluated as a substantive input to dryland remote monitoring strategies. In particular, the efficacy of spectral mixture analysis (SMA) in discriminating vegetation and soil types and detennining vegetation cover is investigated. The results indicate that hyperspectral data may be less useful than often thought in determining vegetation parameters. Its usefulness in determining soil parameters, however, may be leveraged by developing simple multispectral classification tools that can be used to monitor desertification.

Finally, the elements required for effective monitoring and management of arid and semiarid lands are discussed. Several large-scale multi-site field experiments are proposed to clarify the role of wind as a landscape and degradation process in dry lands. The role of remote sensing in monitoring the world's drylands is discussed in terms of optimal remote sensing platform characteristics and surface phenomena which may be monitored in order to identify areas at risk of desertification. A desertification indicator is proposed that unifies consideration of environmental and human variables.

A Direct Approach to Robustness Optimization

This dissertation reformulates and streamlines the core tools of robustness analysis for linear time invariant systems using now-standard methods in convex optimization. In particular, robust performance analysis can be formulated as a primal convex optimization in the form of a semidefinite program using a semidefinite representation of a set of Gramians. The same approach with semidefinite programming duality is applied to develop a linear matrix inequality test for well-connectedness analysis, and many existing results such as the Kalman-Yakubovich--Popov lemma and various scaled small gain tests are derived in an elegant fashion. More importantly, unlike the classical approach, a decision variable in this novel optimization framework contains all inner products of signals in a system, and an algorithm for constructing an input and state pair of a system corresponding to the optimal solution of robustness optimization is presented based on this information. This insight may open up new research directions, and as one such example, this dissertation proposes a semidefinite programming relaxation of a cardinality constrained variant of the H ∞ norm, which we term sparse H ∞ analysis, where an adversarial disturbance can use only a limited number of channels. Finally, sparse H ∞ analysis is applied to the linearized swing dynamics in order to detect potential vulnerable spots in power networks.

Observation and interpretation of tectonic strain release mechanisms

In four chapters various aspects of earthquake source are studied.

Chapter I

Surface displacements that followed the Parkfield, 1966, earthquakes were measured for two years with six small-scale geodetic networks straddling the fault trace. The logarithmic rate and the periodic nature of the creep displacement recorded on a strain meter made it possible to predict creep episodes on the San Andreas fault. Some individual earthquakes were related directly to surface displacement, while in general, slow creep and aftershock activity were found to occur independently. The Parkfield earthquake is interpreted as a buried dislocation.

Chapter II

The source parameters of earthquakes between magnitude 1 and 6 were studied using field observations, fault plane solutions, and surface wave and S-wave spectral analysis. The seismic moment, M_O, was found to be related to local magnitude, M_L, by log M_O = 1.7 M_L + 15.1. The source length vs magnitude relation for the San Andreas system found to be: M_L = 1.9 log L - 6.7. The surface wave envelope parameter AR gives the moment according to log M_O = log AR₃₀₀ + 30.1, and the stress drop, τ, was found to be related to the magnitude by τ = 0.54 M - 2.58. The relation between surface wave magnitude M_S and M_L is proposed to be M_S = 1.7 M_L - 4.1. It is proposed to estimate the relative stress level (and possibly the strength) of a source-region by the amplitude ratio of high-frequency to low-frequency waves. An apparent stress map for Southern California is presented.

Chapter III

Seismic triggering and seismic shaking are proposed as two closely related mechanisms of strain release which explain observations of the character of the P wave generated by the Alaskan earthquake of 1964, and distant fault slippage observed after the Borrego Mountain, California earthquake of 1968. The Alaska, 1964, earthquake is shown to be adequately described as a series of individual rupture events. The first of these events had a body wave magnitude of 6.6 and is considered to have initiated or triggered the whole sequence. The propagation velocity of the disturbance is estimated to be 3.5 km/sec. On the basis of circumstantial evidence it is proposed that the Borrego Mountain, 1968, earthquake caused release of tectonic strain along three active faults at distances of 45 to 75 km from the epicenter. It is suggested that this mechanism of strain release is best described as "seismic shaking."

Chapter IV

The changes of apparent stress with depth are studied in the South American deep seismic zone. For shallow earthquakes the apparent stress is 20 bars on the average, the same as for earthquakes in the Aleutians and on Oceanic Ridges. At depths between 50 and 150 km the apparent stresses are relatively high, approximately 380 bars, and around 600 km depth they are again near 20 bars. The seismic efficiency is estimated to be 0.1. This suggests that the true stress is obtained by multiplying the apparent stress by ten. The variation of apparent stress with depth is explained in terms of the hypothesis of ocean floor consumption.

Steady surface wave pattern in a shear flow

The subject under investigation concerns the steady surface wave patterns created by small concentrated disturbances acting on a non-uniform flow of a heavy fluid. The initial value problem of a point disturbance in a primary flow having an arbitrary velocity distribution (U(y), 0, 0) in a direction parallel to the undisturbed free surface is formulated. A geometric optics method and the classical integral transformation method are employed as two different methods of solution for this problem. Whenever necessary, the special case of linear shear (i.e. U(y) = 1+ϵy)) is chosen for the purpose of facilitating the final integration of the solution.

The asymptotic form of the solution obtained by the method of integral transforms agrees with the leading terms of the solution obtained by geometric optics when the latter is expanded in powers of small ϵ r.

The overall effect of the shear is to confine the wave field on the downstream side of the disturbance to a region which is smaller than the wave region in the case of uniform flows. If U(y) vanishes, and changes sign at a critical plane y = y_cr (e.g. ϵy_cr = -1 for the case of linear shear), then the boundary of this asymmetric wave field approaches this critical vertical plane. On this boundary the wave crests are all perpendicular to the x-axis, indicating that waves are reflected at this boundary.

Inside the wave field, as in the case of a point disturbance in a uniform primary flow, there exist two wave systems. The loci of constant phases (such as the crests or troughs) of these wave systems are not symmetric with respect to the x-axis. The geometric optics method and the integral transform method yield the same result of these loci for the special case of U(y) = U_o(1 + ϵy) and for large Kr (ϵr ˂˂ 1 ˂˂ Kr).

An expression for the variation of the amplitude of the waves in the wave field is obtained by the integral transform method. This is in the form of an expansion in small ϵr. The zeroth order is identical to the expression for the uniform stream case and is thus not applicable near the boundary of the wave region because it becomes infinite in that neighborhood. Throughout this investigation the viscous terms in the equations of motion are neglected, a reasonable assumption which can be justified when the wavelengths of the resulting waves are sufficiently large.

Understanding Micro- and Macro-Mechanics of Soil Liquefaction: A Necessary Step for Field-Scale Assessment

Liquefaction is a devastating instability associated with saturated, loose, and cohesionless soils. It poses a significant risk to distributed infrastructure systems that are vital for the security, economy, safety, health, and welfare of societies. In order to make our cities resilient to the effects of liquefaction, it is important to be able to identify areas that are most susceptible. Some of the prevalent methodologies employed to identify susceptible areas include conventional slope stability analysis and the use of so-called liquefaction charts. However, these methodologies have some limitations, which motivate our research objectives. In this dissertation, we investigate the mechanics of origin of liquefaction in a laboratory test using grain-scale simulations, which helps (i) understand why certain soils liquefy under certain conditions, and (ii) identify a necessary precursor for onset of flow liquefaction. Furthermore, we investigate the mechanics of liquefaction charts using a continuum plasticity model; this can help in modeling the surface hazards of liquefaction following an earthquake. Finally, we also investigate the microscopic definition of soil shear wave velocity, a soil property that is used as an index to quantify liquefaction resistance of soil. We show that anisotropy in fabric, or grain arrangement can be correlated with anisotropy in shear wave velocity. This has the potential to quantify the effects of sample disturbance when a soil specimen is extracted from the field. In conclusion, by developing a more fundamental understanding of soil liquefaction, this dissertation takes necessary steps for a more physical assessment of liquefaction susceptibility at the field-scale.