Failure of levees induced by toe uplift:Investigation of post-failure behavior using material point method

Levees are essential structures in flood defense systems,and their failures can lead to devastating consequences on the surrounding territories.One of the failure mechanisms mostly controlled by the foundation soil stratigraphy is the instability of the land side slope,triggered by the development of high uplift pressures in the foundation.This complex phenomenon has been investigated experimentally with centrifuge tests or large-scale tests and numerically with the limit equilibrium method(LEM)and the finite element method(FEM).In this work,we applied a multiphase formulation of the material point method(MPM)to analyze the development of toe uplift instability mechanism,from the onset of failure to large displacements.The numerical model is inspired by an experiment carried out in a geotechnical centrifuge test by Allersma and Rohe(2003).The comparison with the experiment allows for understanding critical pore pressure triggering large displacements in the foundation soils.Moreover,we numerically evaluated the impact of different values of foundation soils’hydraulic conductivity on the failure mechanism.The results show that hydraulic conductivity mainly influences the time of failure onset and the extension of shear localization at depth.Finally,the advantages of using large displacement approaches in the safety assessment of earth structures are discussed.Unlike FEM,there are no issues with element distortions generating difficulties with numerical convergence,allowing for full postfailure reproduction.This capability permits precise quantification of earth structure damages and post-failure displacements.The ensuing reinforcement systems’design is no longer over-conservative,with a significant reduction in associated costs.

Uplift Pressure of Waves on A Horizontal Plate

Uplift pressures of waves acting on horizontal plates are the important basis for design of maritime hollow-trussed structures. In this paper, an experimental study on the uplift pressures of waves on a horizontal plate is conducted by use of a series of model tests. Detailed analysis has been given to the formation mechanism of uplift pressures of waves. It is considered that the impact pressure intensity is mainly affected by geometrical factors (tangential angle of waves), dynamic factors (wave height, wave velocity, etc.) and air cushion. Based on the test results, an equation for calculation of the maximum uplift pressure intensity of waves on a plate is presented. A large quantity of test data shows good agreement of the present equation with the test results.

Model-scale tests to examine water pressures acting on potentially buoyant underground structures in clay strata

Throughout the service life, underground structures are subjected to transient and sustained hydrostatic pressures. The reservoir impoundment results in an increase in water level, as well as hydraulic gradient,which can endanger the uplift performance of infrastructure. In uplift design, a reduction factor is often suggested for buoyant force acting on underground structures in clays due to the time lag effect.However, the mechanism of pore pressure generation in clays is not fully understood. This investigation presents a novel U-shaped test chamber to assess the pore pressure generation with time in the horizontal branch subjected to an increase in reservoir level in the left vertical branch. A mathematical model is developed to explain the time lag effect of pore pressure generation. The test program also involves the evaluation of uplift pressure acting on foundation model in the right vertical branch due to adjacent reservoir impoundment. It is found that the time lag effect of pore pressure generation in clays can be observed irrespective of hydraulic gradient, but a higher hydraulic gradient can lead to a faster response in pore pressure sensors. A reduction factor of 0.84-0.87 should be considered to reduce the conservatism of uplift design.

Wave Pressure Distribution over the Breast Wall of Mound Breakwater of Small Ports

In this paper, the mechanism of the interaction between the breast wall of mound breakwater and waves is expounded, then some new views and the law of variation of horizontal and vertical wave pressure over the breast wall are put forward. The results of this study have been adopted in the Specifications of Fishery Harbour Breakwater by the Ministry of Agricultures.

HYDRODYNAMIC UPLIFT FORCE AND STABILITY OF ARCIFORM PLUNGE POOL

Compared with general trapeziform plunge pools, an arciform plunge pool has its advantages, e.g. less excavate quantity, higher stability, etc. In this paper, the hydrodynamic pressure distribution on the soleplate of the arciform plunge pool is measured under a relatively dangerous condition of operation. The result is helpful to the design of the arciform plunge pool. The result also shows that the difference between the maximum and the minimum pressures on the upward surface of the soleplate may cause an additional uplift force on the soleplate under certain condition and should be taken into consideration in the uplift force calculation of the soleplate. The scour experiment verifies the higher stability of the arciform plunge pool.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF UPLIFT FORCES ON SLAB IN PLUNGE POOL

The mechanism of the fluid-solid coupled vibration is analyzed as the fluctuating pressure acts on the inlet and the outlet slits of a slab. The parameter multinomial method was exploited to calculate the pressure field within the joints of the slabs by solving the basic equations of the oscillation flow. The calculated result shows that the time-averaged uplift increases with the increase of the length of the slab and is large in the middle and is small in both sides. The time-averaged uplift reduces with the increase of water depth, and the fluctuating uplift reduces rapidly with the increase of the thickness of the slit. The calculated result is in agreement with the experimental results.