Analytical model for predicting time-dependent lateral deformation of geosynthetics-reinforced soil walls with modular block facing

To date,few models are available in the literature to consider the creep behavior of geosynthetics when predicting the lateral deformation(d)of geosynthetics-reinforced soil(GRS)retaining walls.In this study,a general hyperbolic creep model was first introduced to describe the long-term deformation of geosynthetics,which is a function of elapsed time and two empirical parameters a and b.The conventional creep tests with three different tensile loads(Pr)were conducted on two uniaxial geogrids to determine their creep behavior,as well as the a-Pr and b-Pr relationships.The test results show that increasing Pr accelerates the development of creep deformation for both geogrids.Meanwhile,a and b respectively show exponential and negatively linear relationships with Pr,which were confirmed by abundant experimental data available in other studies.Based on the above creep model and relationships,an accurate and reliable analytical model was then proposed for predicting the time-dependent d of GRS walls with modular block facing,which was further validated using a relevant numerical investigation from the previous literature.Performance evaluation and comparison of the proposed model with six available prediction models were performed.Then a parametric study was carried out to evaluate the effects of wall height,vertical spacing of geogrids,unit weight and internal friction angle of backfills,and factor of safety against pullout on d at the end of construction and 5 years afterwards.The findings show that the creep effect not only promotes d but also raises the elevation of the maximum d along the wall height.Finally,the limitations and application prospects of the proposed model were discussed and analyzed.

Non-limit passive soil pressure on rigid retaining walls

This paper aims to reveal the depth distribution law of non-limit passive soil pressure on rigid retaining wall that rotates about the top of the wall(rotation around the top(RT) model). Based on Coulomb theory, the disturbance degree theory, as well as the spring-element model, by setting the rotation angle of the wall as the disturbance parameter, we establish both a depth distribution function for sand and a nonlinear depth distribution calculation method for the non-limit passive soil pressure on a rigid retaining wall under the RT model, which is then compared with experiment. The results suggest that under the RT model: the non-limit soil pressure has a nonlinear distribution; the backfill disturbance degree and the lateral soil pressure increase with an increase in the wall rotation angle; and, the points where the resultant lateral soil pressure acts on the retaining wall are less than 2/3 of the height of the wall. The soil pressure predicted by the theoretical calculation put forward in this paper are quite similar to those obtained by the model experiment, which verifies the theoretical value, and the engineering guidance provided by the calculations are of significance.

Predicting seismic permanent displacement of soil walls under surcharge based on limit analysis approach

Seismic permanent displacement of the soil walls plays an important role in design of these structures. Due to the increase in growth of urban areas and the limitations in use of flat grounds, many structures are built near slopes and retaining walls. During earthquakes, these structures can apply an additional surcharge on the wall. The intensity and location of the surcharge is of considerable importance on the seismic displacements of the soil wall. In this study, by using the limit analysis and upper bound theorem, seismic permanent displacement of the soil wall under surcharge has been analyzed. Thus, a formulation is presented for calculating the yield acceleration and seismic displacement for different surcharge conditions. The effect of seismic acceleration, surcharge intensity, its location and soil properties is investigated. A parameter called the ＂displacement coefficient＂ is proposed, and is a potential modification for Newmark’s sliding-block method.

Seismic stability of reinforced soil walls under bearing capacity failure by pseudo-dynamic method

In order to evaluate the seismic stability of reinforced soil walls against bearing capacity failure,the seismic safety factor of reinforced soil walls was determined by using pseudo-dynamic method,and calculated by considering different parameters,such as horizontal and vertical seismic acceleration coefficients,ratio of reinforcement length to wall height,back fill friction angle,foundation soil friction angle,soil reinforcement interface friction angle and surcharge.The parametric study shows that the seismic safety factor increases by 24-fold when the foundation soil friction angle varies from 25°to 45°,and increases by 2-fold when the soil reinforcement interface friction angle varies from 0 to 30°.That is to say,the bigger values the foundation soil and/or soil reinforcement interface friction angles have,the safer the reinforced soil walls become in the seismic design.The results were also compared with those obtained from pseudo-static method.It is found that there is a higher value of the safety factor by the present work.

Comparison of Seismic Design Codes between China and the United States for Reinforced Soil Retaining Walls

Because of its excellent seismic performance, reinforced soil retaining walls are increasingly used in civil engineering. Although many countries have published corresponding design codes, the differences between them are still relatively large. Using the FHWA Code and the Code for Seismic Design of Railway Engineering(CSDRE), stability calculations of reinforced soil retaining walls were carried out and the similarities and differences between these two design codes were analyzed. According to the comparative analysis, the following conclusions are drawn: the inertia force, the earth pressure and the tensile force of reinforcements calculated from the CSDRE are less than those from the FHWA Code, and the safety factor calculated from the former is larger. Although the M-O method is recommended to calculate the dynamic earth pressure, the FHWA Code suggests a higher action point as compared to the CSDRE.

Evaluation of the effects of EPS composite soil replacement on the dynamic performance of caisson structure using shaking table tests

The seismic performance of a caisson structure under two types of models with a saturated sandy foundation(CSS)and an expanded polystyrene(EPS)composite soil foundation(CES)are studied using shaking table tests.The macro phenomena of the two different foundation models are described and analyzed.The effects of the replacement of EPS composite soil on seismic-induced liquefaction of backfill and the dynamic performance of a caisson structure are evaluated in detail.The results show that the excess pore water pressure generation in the CES is significantly slower than that in the CSS during the shaking.The dynamic earth pressure acting on the caisson has a triangular shape.The response of horizontal acceleration,displacement,settlement,and rotation angle of the caisson in the CES is smaller than that in the CSS,which means the caisson in the CES has a better seismic performance.Furthermore,the out-of-phase phenomenon between dynamic earth thrust and inertial force in the CES is more obvious than that in the CSS,which is beneficial to reduce the lateral force and improve the stability of the caisson structure.

GRS结构与MSE结构的性能差异及评价方法

GRS(Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil)结构是指加筋间距不超过30 cm、填料压实度超过95%的加筋土体;MSE(Mechanically Stabilized Earth)结构则是加筋间距相对较大的加筋土体,即目前工程中常用的加筋土结构。相比于MSE结构,GRS结构的加筋间距更小、压实度更高,一般表现出与MSE结构不同的受力机制和结构性能。通过模型试验,对比研究GRS结构和MSE结构在竖向沉降、侧向位移、筋材应变等方面的性能差异,以加深对这2种加筋土结构的认识。试验结果表明:GRS结构的侧向位移明显小于MSE结构,GRS结构中筋材的应变较小且分布更为均匀;这说明GRS结构与MSE结构在结构性能上确实存在明显的区别。此外,还将部分试验实测数据与相关计算评价方法的理论值进行了对比分析,发现适用于MSE结构的现有评价方法通常并不适用于GRS结构;这种评价方法上的差异进一步说明了GRS结构和MSE结构之间存在较大的差别,因此需在工程设计中引起注意并区别对待。

Soil Plug Effect Prediction and Pile Driveability Analysis for Large-Diameter Steel Piles in Ocean Engineering

Long steel piles with large diameters have been more widely used in the field of ocean engineering. Owing to the pile with a large diameter, soil plug development during pile driving has great influences on pile driveability and bearing capacity. The response of soil plug developed inside the open-ended pipe pile during the dynamic condition of pile-driving is different from the response under the static condition of loading during service. This paper addresses the former aspect. A numerical procedure for soil plug effect prediction and pile driveabihty analysis is proposed and described. By taking into consideration of the pile dimension effect on side and tip resistance, this approach introduces a dimensional coefficient to the conventional static eqnihbrium equations for the plug differential unit and proposes an improved static equity method for the plug effect prediction. At the same time, this approach introduces a simplified model by use of one-dimensional stress wave equation to simulate the interaction between soil plug and pile inner wall. The proposed approach has been applied in practical engineering analyses. Results show that the calculated plug effect and pile driveabihty based on the proposed approach agree well with the observed data.

Influence of groundwater drawdown on excavation responses e A case history in Bukit Timah granitic residual soils

Performances of a braced cut-and-cover excavation system for mass rapid transit （MRT） stations of the Downtown Line Stage 2 in Singapore are presented. The excavation was carried out in the Bukit Timah granitic （BTG） residual soils and characterized by significant groundwater drawdown, due to dewatering work in complex site conditions, insufficient effective waterproof measures and more permeable soils. A two-dimensional numerical model was developed for back analysis of retaining wall movement and ground surface settlement. Comparisons of these measured excavation responses with the calculated performances were carried out, upon which the numerical simulation procedures were calibrated. In addition, the influences of groundwater drawdown on the wall deflection and ground surface settlement were numerically investigated and summarized. The performances were also compared with some commonly used empirical charts, and the results indicated that these charts are less applicable for cases with significant groundwater drawdowns. It is expected that these general behaviors will provide useful references and insights for future projects involving excavation in BTG residual soils under significant groundwater drawdowns.

Soil-cement mixture properties and design considerations for reinforced excavation

soil-cement is a mixture produced by grouting or mixing cement with soils. This paper reviews and discusses the general classifications of grouting techniques and the suitability of their applications.The mechanical properties of soil-cement mixture and the influence of sodium silicate added are discussed. Design considerations for deep soil mixed wall(DSMW) for excavation support and vault arch for tunnelling stabilisation are presented. Parameters for the numerical analysis of soil-cement mixture are evaluated and recommended.

Seismic responses of the steel-strip reinforced soil retaining wall with full-height rigid facing from shaking table test

To investigate the seismic response of the steel-strip reinforced soil retaining wall with fullheight rigid facing in terms of the acceleration in the backfill, dynamic earth pressure in the backfill, the displacements on the facing and the dynamic reinforcement strain distribution under different peak acceleration, a large 1-g shaking table test was performed on a reduced-scale reinforced-earth retaining wall model. It was observed that the acceleration response in non-strip region is greater than that in potential fracture region which is similar with the stability region under small earthquake,while the acceleration response in potential fracture region is greater than that in stability region in middle-upper of the wall under moderately strong earthquakes. The potential failure model of the rigid wall is rotating around the wall toe. It also was discovered that the Fourier spectra produced by the inputting white noises after seismic wave presents double peaks, rather than original single peak, and the frequency of the second peak trends to increase with increasing the PGA(peak ground amplitude) of the excitation which is greater than 0.4 g. Additionally,the non-liner distribution of strip strain along the strips was observed, and the distribution trend was not constant in different row. Soil pressure peak value in stability region is larger than that in potential fracture region. The wall was effective under 0.1 g-0.3 g seismic wave according to the analyses of the facing displacement and relative density. Also, it was discovered that the potential failure surface is corresponds to that in design code, but the area is larger. The results from the study can provide guidance for a more rational design of reinforced earth retaining walls with full-height rigid facing in the earthquake zone.

Average temperature calculation for straight single-row-piped frozen soil wall

The average temperature of frozen soil wall is an essential parameter in the process of design, construction, and safety manage- ment of artificial ground freezing engineering. It is the basis of calculating frozen soil＇s mechanical parameters, fiarther prediction of bearing capacity and, ultimately, safety evaluation of the frozen soil wall. Regarding the average temperature of sin- gle-row-piped frozen soil wall, this paper summarizes several current calculation methods and their shortcomings. Furthermore, on the basis of Bakholdin＇s analytical solution for the temperature field under straight single-row-piped freezing, two new calcula- tion models, namely, the equivalent trapezoid model and the equivalent triangle model, are proposed. These two approaches are used to calculate the average temperature of a certain cross section which indicates the condition of the whole frozen soil wall. Considering the possible parameter range according to the freezing pipe layout that might be applied in actual construction, this paper compares the average temperatures of frozen soil walls obtained by the equivalent trapezoid method and the equivalent tri- angle method with that obtained by numerical integration of Bakholdin＇s analytical solution. The results show that the discrepancies are extremely small and these two new approaches are better than currently prevailing methods. However, the equivalent triangle method boasts higher accuracy and a simpler formula compared with the equivalent trapezoid method.

A case study on behaviors of composite soil nailed wall with bored piles in a deep excavation

A complete case of a deep excavation was explored. According to the practical working conditions, a 3D non-linear finite element procedure is used to simulate a deep excavation supported by the composite soil nailed wall with bored piles in soft soil. The modified cam clay model is employed as the constitutive relationship of the soil in the numerical simulation. Results from the numerical analysis are fitted well with the field data, which indicate that the research approach used is reliable. Based on the field data and numerical results of the deep excavation supported by four different patterns of the composite soil nailed wall, the significant corner effect is founded in the 3D deep excavation. If bored piles or soil anchors are considered in the composite soil nailed wall, they are beneficial to decreasing deformations and internal forces of bored piles, cement mixing piles, soil anchors, soil nailings and soil around the deep excavation. Besides, the effects due to bored piles are more significant than those deduced from soil anchors. All mentioned above prove that the composite soil nailed wall with bored piles is feasible in the deep excavation.

Critical embedment depth of a rigid retaining wall against overturning in unsaturated soils considering intermediate principal stress and strength nonlinearity

The overturning stability is vital for the retaining wall design of foundation pits, where the surrounding soils are usually unsaturated due to water draining. Moreover, the intermediate principal stress does affect the unsaturated soil strength; meanwhile, the relationship between the unsaturated soil strength and matric suction is nonlinear. This work is to present closed-form equations of critical embedment depth for a rigid retaining wall against overturning by means of moment equilibrium. Matric suction is considered to be distributed uniformly and linearly with depth. The unified shear strength formulation for unsaturated soils under the plane strain condition is adopted to characterize the intermediate principal stress effect, and strength nonlinearity is described by a hyperbolic model of suction angle. The result obtained is orderly series solutions rather than one specific answer; thus, it has wide theoretical significance and good applicability. The validity of this present work is demonstrated by comparing it with a lower bound solution. The traditional overturning designs for rigid retaining walls, in which the saturated soil mechanics neglecting matric suction or the unsaturated soil mechanics based on the Mohr-Coulomb criterion are employed, are special cases of the proposed result. Parametric studies about the intermediate principal stress, matric suction and its distributions along with two strength nonlinearity methods on a new defined critical buried coefficient are discussed.

Dynamic earth pressure on rigid retaining walls induced by a neighboring machine foundation,by the meshless local Petrov-Galerkin method

Dynamic earth pressure induced by machine foundations on a neighboring retaining wall is analyzed with emphasis on factors which control the intensity and location of the design forces. The meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) method is used to analyze the problem for a variety of retaining wall and machine foundation geometries. The soil medium is assumed to be homogeneous and visco-elastic. The machine foundation is idealized as a harmonic sinusoidal dynamic force often encountered in practice. A number of analyses have been made to reveal the effect of the loading frequency, the location and size of the foundation and the soil shear wave velocity on the distribution and magnitude of the dynamic earth pressure. Results indicate that there is a critical frequency and a critical location for which the passive pressure takes the maxima in the entire duration of the dynamic load.

Soil bentonite wall protects foundation from thrust faulting: analyses and experiment

When seismic thrust faults emerge on the ground surface, they are particularly damaging to buildings, bridges and lifelines that lie on the rupture path. To protect a structure founded on a rigid raft, a thick diaphragm-type soil bentonite wall （SBW） is installed in front of and near the foundation, at sufficient depth to intercept the propagating fault rupture. Extensive numerical analyses, verified against reduced-scale （1 g） split box physical model tests, reveal that such a wall, thanks to its high deformability and low shear resistance, ＂absorbs＂ the compressive thrust of the fault and forces the rupture to deviate upwards along its length. As a consequence, the foundation is left essentially intact. The effectiveness of SBW is demonstrated to depend on the exact location of the emerging fault and the magnitude of the fault offset. When the latter is large, the unprotected foundation experiences intolerable rigid-body rotation even if the foundation structural distress is not substantial.

Effects of the Dicranopteris linearis root system and initial moisture content on the soil disintegration characteristics of gully erosion

Benggang erosion is caused by a special type of gully erosion in southern China that seriously endangers the local ecology and environment.In this study,typical Benggang collapsing-wall soils were used as the study area to investigate the effects of different initial moisture contents and dicranopteris linearis root weight densities,as well as their interactions on disintegration in orthogonal test method.The results showed that the rate of soil disintegration decreased as a linear function of the initial moisture content.The soil disintegration rate tended to rise and then fall as the root weight density increased,reflecting an optimum root weight density of 0.75-1.00 g/100 cm3.The incorporation of dicranopteris linearis roots was most effective for soil consolidation in the shallow layers of soil.In addition,the disintegration rate of the collapsing-wall soils increases as the soil layer deepened.The dicranopteris linearis root system and initial moisture content had an interactive effect that was more pronounced in deeper soils.However,the combined effect of these processes was always dominated by the initial moisture content.Moderate initial soil moisture content(0.20-0.24 g/g)and the addition of a high root density in dicranopteris linearis(0.75-1.00 g/100 cm3)were the optimal combinations that reduced the disintegration rate.In conclusion,maintaining a suitable natural moisture content in collapsing-wall soils and taking measures that use plants to consolidate soil can effectively prevent and control the occurrence of Benggang erosion.The results of this study provided further insight into the factors that influence soil disintegration and offered a scientific basis for soil erosion management in the southern China.

Upper bound seismic rotational stability analysis of gravity retaining walls considering embedment depth

Stability analysis of gravity retaining wall was currently based on the assumption that the wall had no embedment depth. The effect of earth berm was usually neglected. The present work highlighted the importance of embedment depth when assessing the seismic stability of gravity retaining walls with the pattern of pure rotation. In the framework of upper bound theorem of limit analysis, pseudo-static method was applied into two groups of parallel rigid soil slices methods in order to account for the effect of embedment depth on evaluating the critical acceleration of wall-soil system. The present analytical solution is identical to the results obtained from using limit equilibrium method, and the two methods are based on different theory backgrounds. Parameter analysis indicates that the critical acceleration increases slowly when the ratio of the embedment depth to the total height of the wall is from 0 to 0.15 and increases drastically when the ratio exceeds 0.15.

Influence of variables related to soil weathering on the geomechanical performance of tropical soils

This paper presents an experimental and analytical investigation of the influence of variables related to soil weathering on the geomechanical performance of sand-silt mixtures containing lateritic soils,i.e.intensely weathered tropical soils with the influence of interparticle bonding.The sand-silt mixtures containing different relative proportions between uniform sand and lateritic soil were produced,and geomechanical soil characterization tests were performed.Based on the results,a transition from a primarily coarse-to a fine-grained prevailing soil structure was found to cause considerable impact on the geomechanical performance of these soils,as evidenced by design variables related to soil mineralogy and size distribution characteristics.Specifically,fines contents of both individual soil particles and soil aggregations were found to correlate with experimental results,while the relative proportion between sesquioxides(aluminum,and iron oxides),and silica,i.e.sesquioxide-silica ratios(SSR^(-1)),facilitated estimates concerning changes in geomechanical performance.Finally,the application of the sandsilt mixtures containing lateritic soil on soil walls reinforced with polymeric strips was also evaluated,further emphasizing the potential advantages of adopting variables related to soil weathering on design guidelines concerning tropical soils.

A Review of Test Methods for the Determination of the Permeability Coefficient of Gravelly Soils Used for Embankment Dams

The factors influencing the permeability coefficient of gravelly soils used for the development of embankment dams(core wall)are analyzed.Such factors include(but are not limited to)soil size,anisotropy,density and boundary effects.A review of the literature is conducted and new directions of research are proposed.In such a framework,it is shown that gravelly soil with controlled density and vertical stress should be used to optimize the measurement of the vertical and horizontal permeability coefficients,respectively.