Recent developments of generalized plasticity models for saturated and unsaturated soils

Soil undergoes both elastic and plastic deformations under different loading conditions. A relatively accurate constitutive model of soil behaviors should be capable of predicting the elastic and plastic deformations properly. Among a large number of elastoplastic constitutive models developed over the last several decades, constitutive models based on generalized plasticity have been successfully utilized in modeling the mechanical behavior of various soils. This paper attempts to present a review of the most recent developments of generalized plasticity models for geotechnical problems. After a brief review of generalized plasticity theories and constitutive models, limitations of the original Pastor-Zienkiewicz model in practical application are summarized. Afterwards, recent achievements in the generalized plasticity models for both saturated and unsaturated soils and their applicability are analyzed, and a general approach for modification of generalized plasticity models is highlighted.

Scattering of elastic wave by a cylindrical shell deeply embeded in saturated soils

The compression of soil grain and pore fluid as well as viscid coupling of pore fluid and soil skeleton is considered, the scattering problem of incident plane P1 wave （fast compressional wave） by an infinite cylindrical shell deeply embedded in isotropic saturated soils is studied by adopting the amended Biot model, amplitude equations about potential functions of scattering and refracting fields are obtained, and the effect of dimensionless frequencies and shell thickness on the back-scattering spectra and dynamic stress concentration factors of two types of cylindrical shells with high and low rigidity are numerically computed and analyzed.

SPHERICAL WAVE PROPAGATION IN SATURATED SOILS

Based on the generally adopted soil model for engineering, an analytic solution of spherical wave propagation problem in a special case for an equally pressurized spherical cavity in saturated space by Laplace transformation which is compared with that of the same problem in a one-phase elastic space. The influence of fluid on dynamic response of saturated soil is examined. The authors propose an effective way for dynamic analysis of underground structure.

A new equation for dielectric permittivity of saturated soils based on polarization mechanics

Based on polarization mechanisms, such as electronic, ionic and orientational polarizations, a new equation for dielectric permittivity of soil is proposed to interpret the dielectric behavior of a mixture like soil, in terms of polarization process of its components and the interactions between its components. The dielectric permittivity is expressed in terms of a fre-quency-dependent part and a frequency-independent part. These two parts correspond to polarizations occurred at different fre-quency range. It is a new volumetric mixing model with theoretical background. Based on time domain reflectometry (TDR) measurements of saturated soil samples and test data from literature, comparisons of this model with some well established mixing models show that the curves for saturated sand soils and slurries resulted from the new equation, which agree well with TDR measurements, are close to those calculated from Birchak's model.

An Efficient Multiple-Dimensional Finite Element Solution for Water Flow in Variably Saturated Soils

Multiple-dimensional water flow in variably saturated soils plays an important role in ecological systems such as irrigation and water uptake by plant roots; its quantitative description is usually based on the Richards＇ equation. Because of the nonlinearity of the Richards＇ equation and the complexity of natural soils, most practical simulations rely on numerical solutions with the nonlinearity solved by iterations. The commonly used iterations for solving the nonlinearity are Picard and Newton methods with the former converging at first-order rate and the later at second-order rate. A recent theoretical analysis by the authors, however, revealed that for solving the diffusive flow, the classical Picard method is actually a chord-Newton method, converging at a rate faster than first order; its linear convergence rate is due to the treatment of the gravity term. To improve computational efficiency, a similar chord-Newton method as for solving the diffusive term was proposed to solve the gravity term. Testing examples for one-dimensional flow showed significant improvement. The core of this method is to produce a diagonally dominant matrix in the linear system so as to improve the iteration-toiteration stability and hence the convergence. In this paper, we develop a similar method for multiple-dimensional flow and compare its performance with the classical Picard and Newton methods for water flow in soils characterised by a wide range of van Genuchten parameters.

PROPAGATION VELOCITIES OF ELASTIC WAVES IN SATURATED SOILS

Bused on the wave equations established by the authors, the characteristics of propagation velocities of elastic vaves in saturated soils arc analyzed and verified by ultrasonic test in laboratory and seismic survey in the field. The results provide theoretical basis for the determination of physical and mechanical parameters of saturated soils using propagation velocities of elastic waves. especially P-wave Velocity.

Dynamic analysis of slab track on multi-layered transversely isotropic saturated soils subjected to train loads

The dynamic responses of a slab track on transversely isotropic saturated soils subjected to moving train loads are investigated by a semi-analytical approach. The track model is described as an upper Euler beam to simulate the rails and a lower Euler beam to model the slab. Rail pads between the rails and slab are represented by a continuous layer of springs and dashpots. A series of point loads are formulated to describe the moving train loads. The governing equations of track-ground systems are solved using the double Fourier transform, and the dynamic responses in the time domain are obtained by the inverse Fourier transform. The results show that a train load with high velocity will generate a larger response in transversely isotropic saturated soil than the lower velocity load, and special attention should be paid on the pore pressure in the vicinity of the ground surface. The anisotropic parameters of a surface soil layer will have greater influence on the displacement and excess pore water pressure than those of the subsoil layer. The traditional design method taking ground soil as homogeneous isotropic soil is unsafe for the case of RE 〈 1 and RG 〈 1, so a transversely isotropic foundation model is of great significance to the design for high train velocities.

Layer-element analysis of multilayered saturated soils subject to axisymmetric vertical time-harmonic excitation

The analytical layer-elements for a single poroelastic soil layer and the underlying half-space are established using an algebraic manipulation and Hankel trans- form. According to the boundary conditions and adjacent continuity conditions of general stresses and displacements, a global matrix equation in the transform domain for multi- layered saturated soil media is assembled and solved. Solutions in the frequency domain can be further obtained with an inverse Hankel transform. Numerical examples are used to examine accuracy of the present method and demonstrate effects of soil parameters and load conditions on dynamic responses of the multilayered poroelastic saturated soils.

Evolutions of Compaction Bands of Saturated Soils

The development of compaction bands in saturated soils, which is coupling-rate, inertial and pore-pressure-dependent, under axisymmetric loading was discussed, using a simple model and a matching technique at the moving boundary of a band. It is shown that the development of compaction bands is dominated by the coupling-rate and pore-pressure effects of material. The soil strength makes the band shrinking, whilst pore pressure diffusion makes the band expand. Numerical simulations were carried out in this paper.

Reflection and transmission of seismic waves at an interface betwen two saturated soils

Based on the modified Biot model for asturated soils, taking the compressibilities of the grains and the pore fluid as well as the viscous coupling into account, the reflection and transmission of seismic aves at an interface between two saturated soils are studied in this paper. A formula is derived for calculation of the amplitude reflection and transmission coefficients of various waves. A aumerical investigation of the dependence of the coefficients on the angle of incidence and the frequency is performed. This study is of a value for seismological studies and geophysical exploration.

The reflection and transmission of elastic waves at a interface between a transversely isotropi celastic soils and saturated soils

According to Biot′s wave equation of transversely isotropic saturated soil, this paper deduces the general equation of the reflection coefficients and transmission coefficients when qP 1 wave goes through from saturated soil to elastic media. The effects of anisotropies and boundary drainage condition on reflection coefficients and transmission coefficients are analyzed by numerical method. The idea of this paper can be applied to the case when qSV wave or qP 2 wave goes through from saturated soils to elastic soils.

Thermo-mechanical simulation of frost heave in saturated soils

Roads are exposed to various degradation mechanisms during their lifetime.The pavement deterioration caused by the surrounding environment is particularly severe in winter when the humidity and subfreezing temperatures prevail.Frost heave-induced damage is one of the winter-related pavement deterioration.It occurs when the porewater in the soil is exposed to freezing temperatures.The study of frost heave requires conducting a multiphysics analysis,considering the thermal,mechanical,and hydraulic fields.This paper presents the use of a coupled thermo-mechanical approach to simulate frost heave in saturated soils.A function predicting porosity evolution is implemented to couple the thermal and mechanical field analyses.This function indirectly considers the effect of the water seepage inside the soil.Different frost heave scenarios with uniform and non-uniform boundary conditions are considered to demonstrate the capabilities of the method.The results of the simulations indicate that the thermo-mechanical model captures various processes involved in the frost heave phenomenon,such as water fusion,porosity variation,cryogenic suction force generation,and soil expansion.The characteristics and consequences of each process are determined and discussed separately.Furthermore,the results show that non-uniform thermal boundaries and presence of a culvert inside the soil result in uneven ground surface deformations.

Effect of various physical properties on the reflection coefficients of inhomogeneous waves at the stress-free surface of partially saturated soils induced by obliquely incident fast P-wave

Ghasemzadeh and Abounouri[1]developed a mathematical model of partially saturated soils that is solved using the potential method,which decomposes elastodynamics equations into two standard wave equations,a scalar wave equation for scalar potential and a vector wave equation for vector potential.In such a medium,four waves exist three longitudinal and one shear.Each fluid phase tortuous path is taken into account in this model.The inertial coupling between solid and fluid particles is consid-ered.Furthermore,both open-pore and sealed-pore boundaries are explored to investigate the reflection phenomenon at the surface of partially saturated soils.For both boundaries,the reflection coefficients of inhomogeneous waves at a partially saturated soil surface are found as a non-singular set of linear equations.All waves(both reflected and incident)in partially saturated soils are pronounced as inhomogeneous due to viscosity in pore fluids(i.e.,distinct directions of attenuation and propagation).The energy shares of reflected waves are determined using an energy matrix.A numerical example is used to determine the reflection coefficients and the distribution of incident energy among the various reflected waves.The effect of different physical features on reflection coefficients and incident energy partitioning is illustrated graphically.The conservation of incident energy at the surface of partially saturated soils is mathematically confirmed at all angles of incidence.

Propagation of plane wave in non-homogeneously saturated soils

Based on Biot's model for fluid-saturated media,which takes the inertial,fluid viscous,mechanical couplings,compressibility of grains and fluid into account,the dispersion equations of plane waves in non-homogeneously saturated soil are established by using reverberation ray matrix method(RRMM) with the aid of Helmholtz theorem.The non-homogeneity considered is a gradient variation in material properties with depth.The propagation characteristic of elastic waves in non-homogeneously saturated soil is analyzed by numerical example in this paper.The results show that the wave number and dissipation change little for two kinds of compression along the variation direction of the material properties,however,the non-homogeneity has significant effect on the wave number and dissipation of shear wave.

scattering and refracting of plane strain wave by a cylindrical inclusion in fluidsaturated soils

The problems involving scattering and refracting of plane strain wave by a cylinder in fluidsaturated soils are studied in this paper. The theoretical solutions for the amplitudes of scattering and refracting are derived on the basis of modified Biot′s theory for twophase medium in engineering, in which the compressibility of soil grains and the viscous coupling effect between the skeletal frame and the pore fluid are taken into account. Moreover, the amplitude equations of potential function are presented when the fluidsaturated soil cylindrical inclusion is degenerated into cylindrical cavity, rigid cylinder, single phase elastic cylinder and single phase fluid cylinder.

Effect of soil pH on the sorption capacity of soil organic matter for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in unsaturated soils

Sorption by soil organic matter(SOM)is considered the most important process affecting the bioavailability of hydrophobic organic chemicals(HOCs)in soil.The sorption capacity of SOM for HOCs is affected by many environmental factors.In this study,we investigated the effects of soil pH and water saturation level on HOC sorption capacity of SOM using batch sorption experiments.Values of soil organic carbon-water partition coefficient(K_(OC))of six selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)were measured in an artificial soil under various soil pH and water saturation conditions.Passive sampling was used to measure K_(OC)with polydimethylsiloxane as the sampling material.Regardless of soil pH,K_(OC)increased with increasing soil water saturation level for lower-molecular-weight PAHs.In contrast,K_(OC)decreased with increasing soil water saturation level for higher-molecular-weight PAHs.Despite some fluctuations,K_(OC)tended to decrease with increasing soil pH at all water saturation levels.This indicates that earlier studies on the effects of soil pH on K_(OC)under saturated conditions could be extended to unsaturated soils.These K_(OC)tendencies were reproduced in three different natural soils,suggesting that the effects of soil water saturation level and pH might be generalized,at least for PAHs.The PAH sorption capacity of SOM was found to be resilient under dynamic soil pH conditions,which can be used to adjust the effects of soil pH.

Experimental Analysis of Hydraulic Conductivity for Saturated Granular Soils

Hydraulic conductivity is the ability of a porous media to transfer water through its pore matrix. That is a key parameter for the design and analysis of soil fluid associated structures and issues. This paper presents the test results of the vertical hydraulic conductivity kv carried out on one poorly graded sand and three gap graded gravely sand. It was found that the vertical hydraulic conductivity of saturated soil depends on the grain size distribution curve, on the initial relative density of the soil. Compilation of these current test results and other test results published, shows that the common approaches predict well to some extent the vertical hydraulic conductivity kv for the poorly graded sand materials and underestimate the kv values for gap graded gravely sand materials. Therefore, new approaches are developed for the prediction of the vertical hydraulic conductivity in saturated poorly graded sand and gap graded gravely sand. The derived results from the new approaches lie in the range of the recommended values by (EAU 2012) and (NAVFAC DM 7 1974).

Torsional vibration of a pipe pile in transversely isotropic saturated soil

This study considers the torsional vibration of a pipe pile in a transversely isotropic saturated soil layer. Based on Biot＇s poroelastic theory and the constitutive relations of the transversely isotropic medium, the dynamic governing equations of the outer and inner transversely isotropic saturated soil layers are derived. The Laplace transform is used to solve the governing equations of the outer and inner soil layers. The dynamic torsional response of the pipe pile in the frequency domain is derived utilizing 1D elastic theory and the continuous conditions at the interfaces between the pipe pile and the soils. The time domain solution is obtained by Fourier inverse transform. A parametric study is conducted to demonstrate the influence of the anisotropies of the outer and inner soil on the torsional dynamic response of the pipe pile.

Scattering wave field around a cavity with circular cross-section embedded in saturated soil using boundary element method

Based on Biot’s theory and considering the properties of a cavity,the boundary integral equations for the numerical simulation of wave scattering around a cavity with a circular cross-section embedded in saturated soil are obtained using integral transform methods.The Cauchy type singularity of the boundary integral equation is discussed.The effectiveness of the properties of soil mass and incident field on the dynamic stress concentration and pore pressure concentration around a cavity is analyzed.Our results are in good agreement with the existing solution.The numerical results of this work show that the dynamic stress concentration and pore pressure concentration are influenced by the degree of fluid–solid coupling as well as the pore compressibility and water permeability of saturated soil.With increased degree of fluid–solid coupling,the dynamic stress concentration improves from 1.87 to 3.42 and the scattering becomes more significant.With decreased index of soil mass compressibility,the dynamic stress concentration increases and its maximum reaches 3.67.The dynamic stress concentration increases from 1.64 to 3.49 and pore pressure concentration improves from 0.18 to 0.46 with decreased water permeability of saturated soil.

Microscopic analysis of saturated soft clay in Pearl River Delta

A series of researches were carried out for the soil samples in the Pearl River Delta under the action of consolidation loads,such as the quantitative analyses of the pore scale,shape and size distributions of micro-structure units,with an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM),a mercury intrusion analyzer and a mineral diffractometer. The experimental results show that the consolidation pressures remarkably change the pore sizes and distribution characteristics of the silt,thus changing its compressibility and permeability. This can be proved by the fact that,in the earlier stage with a consolidation pressure of p<200 kPa,the pore sizes are greater and the compressibility and permeability coefficients are larger. However,they rapidly decrease with the increase in consolidation pressure. And in the later stage with a consolidation pressure of p>200 kPa,the pore sizes are smaller and the compressibility and permeability coefficients are less. Therefore,the empirical formulas of compression coefficient and permeability coefficient vs consolidation load and average pore diameter are deduced.