Unified compression model for venice lagoon natural silts

Over the last 50 years, the city of Venice, Italy, has observed a significant increase in the frequency of flooding. Numerous engineering solutions have been proposed, including the use of movable gates located at the three lagoon inlets. A key element in the prediction of performance is the estimation of settlements of the foundation system of the gates. The soils of Venice Lagoon are characterized by very erratic depositional patterns of clayey silts, resulting in an extremely heterogeneous stratigraphy with discontinuous layering. The soils are also characterized by varying contents of coarse and fine-grained particles. In contrast, the mineralogical composition of these deposits is quite uniform, which allows us to separate the influence of mineralogy from that of grain size distribution. A comprehensive geotechnical testing program was performed to assess the one-dimensional compression of Venice soils and examine the factors affecting the response in the transition from one material type to another. The compressibility of these natural silty clayey soils can be described by a single set of constitutive laws incorporating the relative fraction of granular to cohesive material. © 2007 ASCE.

Stiffness of clays and silts: Normalizing shear modulus and shear strain

An analysis is presented of a database of 67 tests on 21 clays and silts of undrained shear stress-strain data of fine-grained soils. Normalizations of secant G in terms of initial mean effective stress p9 (i.e., G=p9 versus log g) or undrained shear strength cu (i.e., G=cu versus log g) are shown to be much less successful in reducing the scatter between different clays than the approach that uses the maximum shear modulus,Gmax, a technique still not universally adopted by geotechnical researchers and constitutive modelers. Analysis of semiempirical expressions forGmax is presented and a simple expression that uses only a void-ratio function and a confining-stress function is proposed. This is shown to be superior to a Hardin-style equation, and the void ratio function is demonstrated as an alternative to an overconsolidation ratio (OCR) function. To derive correlations that offer reliable estimates of secant stiffness at any required magnitude of working strain, secant shear modulus G is normalized with respect to its small-strain value Gmax, and shear strain g is normalized with respect to a reference strain gref at which this stiffness has halved. The data are corrected to two standard strain rates to reduce the discrepancy between data obtained from static and cyclic testing. The reference strain gref is approximated as a function of the plasticity index.Aunique normalized shear modulus reduction curve in the shape of a modified hyperbola is fitted to all the available data up to shear strains of the order of 1%. As a result, good estimates can be made of the modulus reduction G/Gmax ±30% across all strain levels in approximately 90% of the cases studied. New design charts are proposed to update the commonly used design curves. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Fracturing pressure in clay

Hydraulic fracturing in clayey soils can be triggered by either tensile or shear failure. In this paper, the physical meanings of various equations to predict fracture initiation pressure proposed in the past are discussed using the cavity expansion theory. In particular, when fracturing pressure is plotted against initial confining pressure, published laboratory test results as well as analytical models show a linear relationship. When the slope is close to 2, fracture is initiated by tensile failure of the clay, whereas when the slope is close to 1, it is initiated by shear failure of the clay. In this study, the analytical models, validated only on laboratory test data to date, were applied to unique data from field grouting work in which extensive soil fracturing was carried out to improve the mechanical characteristics of the soft silty clay underlying a bell tower in Venice, Italy. By a careful assessment of initial confining pressure in the field, the variation in recorded injection pressures with confining pressure was examined. Results suggest that the fractures at this site were likely to be initiated by shear failure of the clay, and the values were similar to what was predicted by the model with the shear failure criterion. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Material point method for coupled hydromechanical problems

This paper describes a new formulation of the material point method (MPM) for solving coupled hydromechanical problems of fluid-saturated soil subjected to large deformation. A soil-pore fluid coupled MPM algorithm based on Biot's mixture theory is proposed for solving hydromechanical interaction problems that include changes in water table location with time. The accuracy of the proposed method is examined by comparing the results of the simulation of a one-dimensional consolidation test with the corresponding analytical solution. A sensitivity analysis of the MPM parameters used in the proposed method is carried out for examining the effect of the number of particles per mesh and mesh size on solution accuracy. For demonstrating the capability of the proposed method, a physical model experiment of a large-scale levee failure by seepage is simulated. The behavior of the levee model with time-dependent changes in water table matches well to the experimental observations. The mechanisms of seepage-induced failure are discussed by examining the pore-water pressures, as well as the effective stresses computed from the simulations © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.

城市发展与地质环境相互作用机制及数量分析—北海市可持续发展战略研究

Based on a viewpoint of an intricate system demanding high, this thesis advances a new concept that urban sustainable development stratagem is a high harmony and amalgamation among urban economy, geo-environment and tech-capital, and the optimum field of which lies in their mutual matching part, which quantitatively demarcates the optimum value field of urban sustainable development and establishes the academic foundation to describe and analyze sustainable development stratagem. And establishes a series of cause-effect model, a analysissitus model, flux model as well as its recognizing mode for urban system are established by the approach of System Dynamics, which can distinguish urban states by its polarity of entropy flows. At the same time, the matter flow, energy flow and information flow which exist in the course of urban development are analyzed based on the input/output (I/O) relationships of urban economy. And a new type of I/O relationships, namely new resources-environment account, are established, in which both resource and environment factors are considered. All above that settles a theoretic foundation for resource economy and environment economy as well as quantitative relationships of inter-function between urban development and geoenvironment, and gives a new approach to analyze natinal economy and urban sustainable development. Based on an analysis of the connection between resource-environmental construct of geoenvironment and urban economy development, the Geoenvironmental Carrying Capability (GeCC) is analyzed. Further more, a series of definitions and formula about the Gross Carrying Capability (GCC), Structure Carrying Capability (SCC) and Impulse Carrying Capability (ICC) is achieved, which can be applied to evaluate both the quality and capacity of geoenvironment and thereunder to determine the scale and velocity for urban development. A demonstrative study of the above is applied to Beihai city (Guangxi province, PRC), and the numerical value laws between the urban development and its geoenvironment is studied by the I/O relationship in the urban economy as following: · the relationships between the urban economic development and land use as well as consumption of underground water, metal mineral, mineral energy source, metalloid mineral and other geologic resources. · the relationships between urban economy and waste output such as industrial "3 waste", dust, rubbish and living polluted water as well as the restricting impact of both resource-environmental factors and tech-capital on the urban grow. · Optimization and control analysis on the reciprocity between urban economy and its geoenvironment are discussed, and sensitive factors and its order of the urban geoenvironmental resources, wastes and economic sections are fixed, which can be applied to determine the urban industrial structure, scale, grow rate matching with its geoenvironment and tech-capital. · a sustainable development stratagem for the city is suggested.

水-岩土反应的力学与环境效应研究

The research on mechanical effects of water-rock and soil interaction on deformation and failure of rocks and soils involves three aspects of mechanics, physics and chemistry. It is the cross between geochemistry and rock mechanics and soil mechanics. To sum up, the mechanical effects of water-rock and soil interaction is related to many complex processes. Research in this respect has been being an important forward field and has broad prospects. In connection with the mechanism of the effects of the chemical action of water-rock on deformation and failure of rocks and soils, the research significance, the present state, the developments in this research domain are summarized. Author prospects the future of this research. The research of the subject should be possessed of important position in studying engineering geology and will lead directly to a new understand on geological hazard and control research. In order to investigation the macroscopic mechanics effects of chemical kinetics of water-rock interaction on the deformation and failure, calcic rock, red sandstone and grey granite reacting chemically with different aqueous solution at atmospheric temperature and atmospheric pressure are uniaxially compressed. The quantitative results concerning the changes of uniaxially compressive strength and elastic modulus under different conditions are obtained. It is found that the mechanical effects of water on rock is closely related to the chemical action of water-rock or the chemical damage in rock, and the intensity of chemical damage is direct ratio to the intensity of chemical action in water-rock system. It is also found that the hydrochemical action on rock is time-dependent through the test. The mechanism of permeation and hydrochemical action resulting in failure of loaded rock mass or propagation of fractures in rocks would be a key question in rock fracture mechanics. In this paper, the fracture mechanical effects of chemical action of water-rock and their time- and chemical environment-dependent behavior in grey granite, green granite, grey sandstone and red sandstone are analyzed by testing K_(IC) and COD of rock under different conditions. It is found that: ①the fracture mechanical effect of chemical action of water-rock is outstanding and time-dependent, and high differences exist in the influence of different aqueous solution, different rocks, different immersion ways and different velocity of cycle flow on the fracture mechanical effects in rock. ②the mechanical effects of water-rock interaction on propagation of fractures is consistent with the mechanical effects on the peak strength of rock. ③the intensity of the mechanical fracture effects increases as the intensity of chemical action of water-rock increases. ④iron and calcium ion bearing mineral or cement in rock are some key ion or chemical composition, and especially iron ion-bearing mineral resulting in chemical action of water-rock to be provided with both positive and negative mechanical effects on rock. Through the above two tests, we suggest that primary factors influencing chemical damage in rock consist of the chemical property of rock and aqueous solution, the structure or homogeneity of rocks, the flow velocity of aqueous solution passing through rock, and cause of formation or evolution of rock. The paper explores the mechanism on the mechanical effects of water-rock interaction on rock by using the theory of chemistry and rock fracture mechanics with chemical damage proposed by author, the modeling method and the energy point of view. In this paper, the concept of absorbed suction between soil grains caused by capillary response is given and expounded, and the relation and basic distinction among this absorbed suction, surface tension and capillary pressure of the soil are analyzed and established. The law of absorbed suction change and the primary factors affecting it are approached. We hold that the structure suction are changeable along with the change of the saturation state in unsaturated soils. In view of this, the concept of intrinsic structure suction and variable structure suction are given and expounded, and this paper points out: What we should study is variable structure suction when studying the effective stress. By IIIy κHH's theory of structure strength of soils, the computer method for variable structure suction is analyzed, the measure method for variable structure suction is discussed, and it reach the conclusions: ①Besides saturation state, variable structure suction is affected by grain composition and packing patter of grains. ②The internal relations are present between structure parameter N in computing structure suction and structure parameter D in computing absorbed suction. We think that some problems exit in available principle of effective stress and shear strength theory for unsaturated soil. Based on the variable structure suction and absorbed suction, the classification of saturation in soil and a principle of narrow sense effective stress are proposed for unsaturated soils. Based on generalized suction, the generalized effective stress formula and a principle of generalized effective stress are proposed for unsaturated soils. The experience parameter χ in Bishop's effective stress formula is defined, and the principal factors influencing effective stress or χ. The primary factor affecting the effective stress in unsaturated soils, and the principle classifying unsaturated soils and its mechanics methods analyzing unsaturated soils are discussed, and this paper points out: The theory on studying unsaturated soil mechanics should adopt the micromechanics method, then raise it to macromechanics and to applying. Researching the mechanical effects of chemical action of water-soil on soil is of great importance to geoenvironmental hazard control. The texture of soil and the fabric of soil mass are set forth. The tests on physical and mechanical property are performed to investigate the mechanism of the positive and negative mechanical effects of different chemical property of aqueous solution. The test results make clear that the plastic limit, liquid limit and plasticity index are changed, and there exists both positive and negative effects on specimens in this test. Based on analyzing the mechanism of the mechanical effects of water-soil interaction on soil, author thinks that hydrochemical actions being provided with mechanical effects on soil comprise three kinds of dissolution, sedimentation or crystallization. The significance of these tests lie in which it is recognized for us that we may improve, adjust and control the quality of soils, and may achieve the goal geological hazard control and prevention.The present and the significance of the research on environmental effects of water-rock and soil interaction. Various living example on geoenvironmental hazard in this field are enumerated. Following above thinking, we have approached such ideals that: ①changing the intensity and distribution of source and sink in groundwater flow system can be used to control the water-rock and soil interaction. ②the chemical action of water-rock and soil can be used to ameliorate the physical and mechanical property of rocks and soils. Lastly, the research thinking and the research methods on mechanical effects and environmental effects of water-rock and soil interaction are put forward and detailed.

Reinforced Stone Columns in Weak Deposits – A Laboratory Model Study

This paper investigates the performance of stone columns in a weak deposit such as peat. It evaluates the effects of reinforcing stone columns by jacketing with a tubular wire mesh and bridging reinforcement with a metal rod and a concrete plug. A series of plate loading tests was conducted on isolated stone columns installed in a soil bed consisting of a peat layer sandwiched between two layers of sand. The load–displacement characteristics of footings supported by stone columns were investigated by applying load to a circular plate supported on: (a) untreated soil; (b) soil treated with stone columns; and (c) soil treated with stone columns reinforced with the above reinforcing techniques. The work has shown that the settlement characteristics of the soil can be improved by installing stone columns and that a significant enhancement in the load–settlement response is achieved when the columns are reinforced by the various methods.

Saturated-unsaturated flow through leaky dams

This research investigated seepage flow through leaky dams using the well known finite-element method. Different areas, locations, and hydraulic conductivities of leaks were examined. An area of leak, equal to 4.4% of the core area, increased the seepage flow through the dam to be about 9.5 times the seepage flow through tight (nonleaky) core. This happened for a dam having a downstream horizontal drainage filter. When the drainage filter did not exist, the increase of flow because of the same area of leak was about seven times the flow through a tight core. When the leak existed at the centerline of the core in the out-of-plane direction, its impact was slightly greater than when it existed at the edge of the core. Moreover, as the location of the leak moved up vertically, its impact was observed to be less. It was also observed that when the leak existed in curtain wall driven into underneath the dam, its impact was not significant compared with the case when it existed in the core.

A laboratory based model study. Experimental observations of footings supported on soft clay reinforced with granular columns.

The inclusion of granular columns in soft clay deposits leads to improvements in bearing capacity and overall stiffness along with a reduction in consolidation settlement. Many laboratory investigations have focused on aspects of bearing capacity, but published data on settlement performance is limited. This paper reports on some interesting findings obtained from a laboratory model study in respect of these issues. In this investigation, 300 mm diameter by 400 mm long samples of soft kaolin clay were reinforced with single or multiple granular columns of various lengths using the displacement and replacement installation methods. The experimental findings revealed that, for the same area replacement ratio, limited settlement reduction was achieved for single long floating columns and end-bearing column groups. Marginal improvements in settlement performance were also achieved for columns installed by the displacement method. No settlement reduction was achieved for short single floating columns while short floating granular column groups produced increased settlements. These observations were verified using contact pressure measurements between the footing and column/surrounding clay.