Stereo particle image velocimetry measurement of 3D soil deformation around laterally loaded pile in sand

A developed stereo particle image velocimetry(stereo-PIV) system was proposed to measure three-dimensional(3D) soil deformation around a laterally loaded pile in sand.The stereo-PIV technique extended 2D measurement to 3D based on a binocular vision model,where two cameras with a well geometrical setting were utilized to image the same object simultaneously.This system utilized two open software packages and some simple programs in MATLAB,which can easily be adjusted to meet user needs at a low cost.The failure planes form an angle with the horizontal line,which are measured at 27°-29°,approximately three-fourths of the frictional angle of soil.The edge of the strain wedge formed in front of the pile is an arc,which is slightly different from the straight line reported in the literature.The active and passive influence zones are about twice and six times of the diameter of the pile,respectively.The test demonstrates the good performance and feasibility of this stereo-PIV system for more advanced geotechnical testing.

Accumulated Rotation of A Modified Suction Caisson and Soil Deformation Induced by Cyclic Loading

Modified suction caissons(MSCs)acting as offshore wind turbine foundations will generate the accumulated rotation under cyclic loading resulted from waves.The accumulated rotation and the range of soil deformation around the MSC under long-term cyclic wave loading were studied using 3-D numerical simulations.The Morison equation was adopted to calculate the wave loadings.It was found that the MSC accumulated rotation increases linearly with the increase of the logarithm of cyclic number.The normalized expression was proposed to reflect the relationship between the accumulated rotation and cyclic number.The soil deformation range around the MSC increases when increasing the cyclic number and loading amplitude.It can also be concluded that the accumulated rotation increases rapidly with this change of excess pore pressure in the first 4000 cycles.The responses of the MSC to wave and wind loads were also investigated.Results show that the accumulated rotation of the MSC under both wave and wind loadings is larger than that under the wave loading only.

Study on the subgrade deformation under high-speed train loading and water–soil interaction

It is important to study the subgrade characteristics of high-speed railways in consideration of the water–soil coupling dynamic problem,especially when high-speed trains operate in rainy regions.This study develops a nonlinear water–soil interaction dynamic model of slab track coupling with subgrade under high-speed train loading based on vehicle–track coupling dynamics.By using this model,the basic dynamic characteristics,including water–soil interaction and without water induced by the high-speed train loading,are studied.The main factors-the permeability coefficien and the porosity-influencin the subgrade deformation are investigated.The developed model can characterize the soil dynamic behaviour more realistically,especially when considering the influenc of water-rich soil.

Cyclic deformation behaviour of natural K_0-consolidated soft clay under different stress paths

Characteristic of cyclic loading due to passing wheels is associated with one-way loading without stress reversal,which includes a simultaneous cyclic variation of vertical normal stress and horizontal normal stress lasting for a long period of time and generally takes place in partially-drained conditions.Therefore,it is of great practical relevance to study the deformation behaviour according to the characteristic of traffic loading.In this work,a series of one-way stress-controlled cyclic triaxial tests with a simultaneous variation of the vertical and horizontal stress components during cyclic loading were conducted to investigate the deformation behaviour of natural K_0-consolidated soft clay in partially-drained conditions.Test results demonstrate that not only the deviator part of the stress rules accumulation but also the volumetric part significantly contributes.While the deviator part of the stress amplitude is held constant,the increase amplitude of cyclic confining pressure will promote the development of both permanent volumetric strain and axial strain significantly.Furthermore,the effects of cyclic confining pressure on the deformation of natural K_0-consolidated soft clay was quantified.Finally,an empirical formula for permanent axial strain considering the effects of cyclic confining pressure was proposed which can be used for feasibility studies or for the preliminary design of foundations on K_0-consolidated soft clay subjected to traffic loading.

A test method for analyzing the deformation of landslide model

In order to study the overall deformation of geotechnical model conveniently,the worksite of landslide bridge foundation reinforced by the front and rear row anti-slide piles in Chenglan railway was taken as an example.On the basis of shaking tabe test of a 1/40 reduced scale model,the landslide deformation caused by vibration waves was monitored through burying self-made phosphor bronze strips in soil.Combined with the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the bending strain points on the phosphor bronze strips,the digital matrix was converted by applying Renka Cline random matrix generation method,and the two-dimensional contour plots were drawn based on it.The results showed that the two-dimensional contour plots reflected the basic law of landslide deformation reasonably,and it revealed the evolution process of landslide deformation and failure.The research conclusions were consistent with the test phenomenon,which met the basic requirements of overall deformation analysis of landslide model.This proposed method can monitor multiple cross sections and was practical for model test.

Determining the soil-water retention curve using mercury intrusion porosimetry test in consideration of soil volume change

It is well-known that a close link exists between soil-water retention curve(SWRC)and pore size distribution(PSD).Theoretically,mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)test simulates a soil drying path and the test results can be used to deduce the SWRC(termed SWRCMIP).However,SWRCMIP does not include the effect of volume change,compared with the conventional SWRC that is directly determined by suction measurement or suction control techniques.For deformable soils,there is a significant difference between conventional SWRC and SWRCMIP.In this study,drying test was carried out on a reconstituted silty soil,and the volume change,suction,and PSD were measured on samples with different water contents.The change in the deduced SWRCMIP and its relationship with the conventional SWRC were analyzed.The results showed that the volume change of soil is the main reason accounting for the difference between conventional SWRC and SWRCMIP.Based on the test results,a transformation model was then proposed for conventional SWRC and SWRCMIP,for which the soil state with no volume change is taken as a reference.Comparison between the experimental and predicted SWRCs showed that the proposed model can well consider the influence of soil volume change on its water retention property.

Studies on Suction-Assisted Installation Behavior of Suction Caissons in Clay Under Various Undrained Shear Strengths

Suction caissons are widely used for anchoring floating platform and offshore wind turbines.Penetration of the suction caisson into the desired position under the combination of its self-weight and applied suction resulted from pumping out the encased water is integral to practical engineering.Model tests were carried out to investigate the suctionassisted installation of suction caissons in clay under various undrained shear strengths.It was found that there exists a critical penetration depth value.When the penetration depth is smaller than the critical value,the soil plug undrained shear strength is higher than intact clay(i.e.,clay prior to installation).However,when the penetration depth is greater than the critical penetration depth,the undrained shear strength of soil plug is lower than intact clay.The critical value decreases with the increasing consolidation time and undrained shear strength of clay.During suction-assisted installation,cracks occur around suction caissons.The installation way has little effect on the crack formation.The influence range(i.e.,the maximum distance between the crack and the suction caisson edge)was found to increase with the increasing friction coefficient of interface between the suction caisson wall and soil and decreases with the increasing soil undrained shear strength.In addition,the drained condition of the clay during installation is dominated by the caisson aspect ratio,the undrained shear strength and the friction coefficient between the caisson wall and clay.Equations to estimate the penetration resistance and the required suction to install the suction caisson are summarized.

Soil Microstructure Evolution and Macro Deformation Mechanism for Controlling Construction Disturbance in Shanghai Soft Soil

Abundant practical evidences have indicated that the soil progressively loses its structural configuration under construction disturbance and this can result in long-term macro deformation.The fundamental understanding of soil microstructure evolution subject to construction disturbance is necessary for controlling disturbance in excavation projects and minimizing ground settlement.The microstructure of Shanghai soft soil is investigated in this study.The laboratory isotropic compression tests are respectively performed on the virgin soil and the reconstructed Shanghai soft soil to investigate the macro deformation of soil under disturbance.Discrete element method model is used to study the micro particle level responses of soil under disturbance.The laboratory tests and numerical simulations provide theoretical basis for construction disturbance mitigation to ensure safety and stability of excavation projects.

A relative permeability model for deformable soils and its impact on coupled unsaturated flow and elasto-plastic deformation processes.

Relative permeability is an indispensable property for characterizing the unsaturated flow and induced deformation in soils. The widely used Mualem model is inadequate for deformable soils because of its assumption of a rigid pore structure and the resultant unique dependence of the tortuosity factor on the volumetric water content. In this study, a unified relationship between the relative permeability and the effective degree of saturation was proposed for deformable soils by incorporating our newly developed water retention curve model into the original Mualem model, in which a new tortuosity factor was defined using the fractal dimension of flow paths and the mean radius of water-filled pores for representing the effect of pore structure variation. The modified deformation-dependent relative permeability model was verified using test data on five types of soils; the verification revealed a much better performance of the proposed model than the original model, which commonly overestimates the relative permeability of deformable soils. Finally, the proposed model was implemented in a coupled numerical model for examining the unsaturated flow and elastoplastic deformation processes in a soil slope induced by rain infiltration. The numerical results showed that the deformation-dependent nature of relative permeability has a remarkable effect on the elastoplastic deformation in the slope and that neglect of the deformation-dependent behavior of relative permeability causes overestimation of the depth of failure.

Analytical solution for upheaval buckling of shallow buried pipelines in inclined cohesionless soil

Upheaval buckling of pipelines can occur under thermal expansion and differential ground settlement.Research on this phenomenon has usually assumed the pipes are buried in horizontal ground.For long-distance transmission pipelines across mountainous areas,the ground surface is commonly inclined.Based on the Rankine earth pressure theory and Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion,analytical formulae for calculating the peak uplift resistance and the slip surface angles for a buried pipe in inclined ground are presented in this paper.Analyses indicate that the slip surfaces in inclined ground are asymmetric and rotate towards the downhill side.Under a shallow burial depth,the failure plane angle is highly impacted by the ground inclination.When the embedment ratio(H/D)is more than 4,the influence of the ground slope on the failure plane angle is negligible.The peak uplift resistance reduces in inclined ground,especially when H/D is less than 1.Finally,a simple equation considering the impact of ground inclination is proposed to predict the peak uplift resistance.