Experimental p-y curves for liquefied soils from centrifuge tests

The present study aims to obtain p-y curves(Winkler spring properties for lateral pile-soil interaction)for liquefied soil from 12 comprehensive centrifuge test cases where pile groups were embedded in liquefiable soil.The p-y curve for fully liquefied soil is back-calculated from the dynamic centrifuge test data using a numerical procedure from the recorded soil response and strain records from the instrumented pile.The p-y curves were obtained for two ground conditions:(a)lateral spreading of liquefied soil,and(b)liquefied soil in level ground.These ground conditions are simulated in the model by having collapsing and non-collapsing intermittent boundaries,which are modelled as quay walls.The p-y curves back-calculated from the centrifuge tests are compared with representative reduced API p-y curves for liquefied soils(known as p-multiplier).The response of p-y curves at full liquefaction is presented and critical observations of lateral pile-soil interaction are discussed.Based on the results of these model tests,guidance for the construction of p-y curves for use in engineering practice is also provided.

Investigation on the seismic response of nuclear power stations with a pile-raft foundation using centrifuge tests

Research to reliably predict the seismic response of nuclear power stations with a pile-raft foundation is needed to meet the high safety requirements of nuclear power stations.In this study,a scaled superstructure with a 4×3 pile-raft foundation,which is constructed in Shanxi kaolin clay,is modelled.Accordingly,the characteristics of seismic response for nuclear power stations with a pile-raft foundation are analyzed using dynamic centrifuge tests.In particular,multiple earthquake motions with different magnitudes and frequency properties are utilized to map the relationship between structural response and properties of earthquake motions.The results show that the seismic response of the soil,raft,and structure are significantly affected by the natural frequency and magnitude of the earthquake motion.The soil surface acceleration is lower than the raft acceleration.The results provide a reliable reference to better understand the seismic response of nuclear power stations.

Seismic response of an earth dam:finite element coupling analysis and validation from centrifuge tests

Variations in acceleration and excess pore water pressure during a seismic event are critical early-warning indicators of an impending dam collapse.To assess these variations,the seismic responses for three simplified model dams,based on cross-sections through a real earthen dam,were assessed with numerical simulations and centrifuge tests.A normalized root-mean-square error was utilized as a comparison index to assess the closeness between simulated and the recorded values.Assuming that the experimental records are reliable,the reliability of the numerical program was evaluated using this root-mean-square error estimation approach.Explanations for inconsistency between the two approaches are presented.The conclusions are drawn from the results of the three model dams.

Centrifuge model test on performance of thermosyphon cooled sandbags stabilizing warm oil pipeline buried in permafrost

The thaw settlement of pipeline foundation soils in response to the operation of the first China-Russia Crude Oil Pipeline along the eastern flank of the northern Da Xing'anling Mountains in Northeast China was simulated in a physical model test(with a similitude ratio of 1/73) in a geotechnical centrifuge. Two pipes of a supported and an unsupported section were evaluated over a testing period for simulating 20 years of actual pipeline operation with seasonal cyclically changing oil and ambient temperatures. The results show that pipe settlement of the supported pipe was 45% of settlement of the unsupported pipe. Settlement for the unsupported section was approximately 35% of the thaw bulb depth below the initial pipe elevation, only 30% of that for the supported pipe due to the influence of the supports. The final thaw bulbs extended approximately 3.6 and 1.6 times of the pipe diameter below the unsupported and supported pipe bottom elevations, respectively. The sandbag supports kept frozen during the test period because of cooling effect of the thermosyphons. The maximum bending stress induced over the 20 m span length from bearing of the full cover over the pipe would be equivalent to40% specified minimum yield strength(SMYS). Potential buckling of the pipe should be considered as the ground thaws.This study also offers important data for calibration and validation of numerical simulation models.

Centrifuge model tests on pile-reinforced slopes subjected to drawdown

Piles are generally an effective way to reduce the risk of slope failure.However,previous approaches for slope stability analysis did not consider the effect of the piles coupled with the decrease of the water level(drawdown).In this study,a series of centrifuge model tests was performed to understand the deformation and failure characteristics of slopes reinforced with various pile layouts.In the centrifuge model tests,the pile-reinforced slopes exhibited two typical failure modes under drawdown conditions:across-pile failure and through-pile failure.In the through-pile slope failure,a discontinuous slip surface was observed,implying that the assumption of the slip surface in previous stability analysis methods was unreasonable.The test results showed that drawdown led to instability of the piles in cohesive soil,as the saturated cohesive soil failed to provide sufficient constraint for piles.The slope exhibited progressive failure,from top to bottom,during drawdown.The deformation of the piles was reduced by increasing the embedment depth and row number of piles.In addition,the deformation of soils outside the piles was influenced by the piles and showed a similar distribution shape as the piles,and the similarity degree weakened as the distance from the piles increased.This study also found that the failure mechanism of unreinforced and pile-reinforced slopes induced by drawdown could be described by coupling between the deformation localization and local failure,and it revealed that pile-reinforced slopes could reduce slope deformation localization during drawdown.

Geographically distributed hybrid testing & collaboration between geotechnical centrifuge and structures laboratories

Distributed Hybrid Testing（DHT） is an experimental technique designed to capitalise on advances in modern networking infrastructure to overcome traditional laboratory capacity limitations. By coupling the heterogeneous test apparatus and computational resources of geographically distributed laboratories, DHT provides the means to take on complex, multi-disciplinary challenges with new forms of communication and collaboration. To introduce the opportunity and practicability afforded by DHT, here an exemplar multi-site test is addressed in which a dedicated fibre network and suite of custom software is used to connect the geotechnical centrifuge at the University of Cambridge with a variety of structural dynamics loading apparatus at the University of Oxford and the University of Bristol. While centrifuge time-scaling prevents real-time rates of loading in this test, such experiments may be used to gain valuable insights into physical phenomena, test procedure and accuracy. These and other related experiments have led to the development of the real-time DHT technique and the creation of a flexible framework that aims to facilitate future distributed tests within the UK and beyond. As a further example, a real-time DHT experiment between structural labs using this framework for testing across the Internet is also presented.

A modified generalized scaling law for the similitude of dynamic strain in centrifuge modeling

Soil strain is the key parameter to control the elasto-plastic deformation and even the failure processes.To overcome the defect that the strain of the model soil is always smaller than that of the prototype in Iai′s generalized scaling law(GSL),a modified scaling law was proposed based on Iai′s GSL to secure the same dynamic shear strain between the centrifuge model and the prototype by modulating the amplitude and frequency of the input motion at the base.A suite of dynamic centrifuge model tests of dry sand level ground was conducted with the same overall scaling factor(λ=200)under different centrifugal accelerations by using the technique of“modeling of models”to validate the modified GSL.The test results show that the modified GSL could achieve the same dynamic strain in model as that of the prototype,leading to better modeling for geotechnical problems where dynamic strain dominates the response or failure of soils.Finally,the applicability of the proposed scaling law and possible constraints on geometry scaling due to the capability limits of existing centrifuge shaking tables are discussed.

Effect of the sloping seabed on 3D soil-spudcan interaction using a material point-finite element(MPM-FEM)model

The sloping seabed affects the bearing capacity and failure mechanism of soil,which may compromise the stability and safety of offshore structures such as jack-up platforms.This paper employs a coupled model combining the material point method and finite element method(MPM-FEM)to analyze the impact of sloping seabeds on the three-dimensional soil-spudcan interaction.The MPM-FEM model implements the B¯approach to solve the challenge of volumetric locking due to the incompressibility constraints imposed by yield criterion.It is validated against the centrifuge results.The effects of sloping seabeds on penetration resistance,soil flow pattern,lateral response,stress distribution,and failure mechanism are discussed.The soil mainly undergoes overall failure when the ratio of penetration depth to spudcan diameter(i.e.D P/D)is between 0 and 0.25.As the slope angle increases,the soil on the side of lower slope is expelled further,resulting in an asymmetric stress distribution and a larger horizontal sliding force of soil.When D P/D increases to 0.75,the soil transitions to localized plastic flow failure,and the range of soil flow affected by the spudcan penetration decreases.The results show that,when the slope angle increases,the lateral displacement and stress distribution on the lower slope of a sloping seabed is significantly larger than that of a horizontal seabed,impacting the spudcan and surrounding soil behavior.The study suggests that the seabed slope significantly affects the range of soil flow and failure at shallow penetration,indicating that the slope angle should be taken into account in the design and installation of offshore jack-up rigs,particularly in areas with sloping seabeds.

Numerical modeling of centrifuge cyclic lateral pile load experiments

To gain insight into the inelastic behavior of piles, the response of a vertical pile embedded in dry sand and subjected to cyclic lateral loading was studied experimentally in centrifuge tests conducted in Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussees. Three types of cyclic loading were applied, two asymmetric and one symmetric with respect to the unloaded pile. An approximately square-root variation of soil stiffness with depth was obtained from indirect in-flight density measurements, laboratory tests on reconstituted samples, and well-established empirical correlations. The tests were simulated using a cyclic nonlinear Winkler spring model, which describes the full range of inelastic phenomena, including separation and re-attachment of the pile from and to the soil. The model consists of three mathematical expressions capable of reproducing a wide variety of monotonic and cyclic experimentalp-y curves. The physical meaning of key model parameters is graphically explained and related to soil behavior. Comparisons with the centrifuge test results demonstrate the general validity of the model and its ability to capture several features of pile-soil interaction, including： soil plastification at an early stage of loading, ＂pinching＂ behavior due to the formation of a relaxation zone around the upper part of the pile, and stiffness and strength changes due to cyclic loading. A comparison of the p-y curves derived from the test results and the proposed model, as well as those from the classical curves of Reese et al. （1974） for sand, is also presented.

Numerical Analysis and Centrifuge Modeling of Shallow Foundations

The influence of non-coaxial constitutive model on predictions of dense sand behavior is investigated in this paper. The non-coaxial model with strain softening plasticity is applied into finite-element program ABAQUS, which is first used to predict the stress-strain behavior and the non-coaxial characteristic between the orientations of the principal stress and principal plastic strain rate in simple shear tests. The model is also used to predict load settlement responses and bearing capacity factors of shallow foundations. A series of centrifuge tests for shallow foundations on saturated dense sand are performed under drained conditions and the test results are compared with the corresponding numerical results. Various footing dimensions, depths of embedment, and footing shapes are considered in these tests. In view of the load settlement relationships, the stiffness of the load-displacement curves is significantly affected by the non-coaxial model compared with those predicted by the coaxial model, and a lower value of non-coaxial modulus gives a softer response. Considering the soil behavior at failure, the coaxial model predictions of bearing capacity factors are more advanced than those of centrifuge test results and the non-coaxial model results;besides, the non-coaxial model gives better predictions. The non-coaxial model predictions are closer to those of the centrifuge results when a proper non-coaxial plastic modulus is chosen.

Six-Degree-of-Freedom Measurement of Plate Anchors in Centrifuge by Magnetometers

The six-degree-of-freedom movement of an offshore plate anchor is essential to evaluate anchor performance.As an emerging technology,magnetometer has shown its potential in measuring the six-degree-of-freedom movement of offshore anchors under 1-g model laboratory tests.The paper presents the feasibility of adopting a magnetometer system in geotechnical centrifuge testing.Interference factors that may affect the measuring accuracy of the magnetometer system are investigated.The results demonstrate that the magnetometer system can accurately catch the anchor movement in the soils with the restrictions of:(1)the model anchor was made with stainless steel;(2)the system was placed at least 30 cm away from the side wall of soil model tank;(3)started the measurement when the artificial acceleration by centrifuge was stable.

Centrifuge modelling of ground-borne vibrations induced by railway traffic in underground tunnels

Increased attention has been given to ground-borne vibrations induced by railway vehicles and to the effects of these vibrations as they propagate through the ground into nearby buildings.Various studies,mainly based on numerical methods as well as physical modelling,have been carried out to investigate this problem.To study the dynamic response of tunnels and the surrounding soil due to train-induced vibration loads,a centrifuge test was conducted with a small-scale model in 1 g and 50 g stress field environments.An aluminum tube was embedded in sand to model the underground tunnel.A small parallel pre-stressed actuator(PPA)was employed to apply vibration loads on the tunnel invert.The model responses were measured using accelerometers.Both time and frequency domain analyzes were performed.The test results demonstrated that electronic noise had a clear impact on the test results and should be eliminated.It also found that the dynamic response of both the tunnel and soil were affected by the stress field.Therefore,it is important to account for the stress field effects when assessing the ground-borne vibration from tunnels.

Centrifugal model test on a riverine landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir induced by rainfall and water level fluctuation

Frequent soil landslide events are recorded in the Three Gorges Reservoir area,China,making it necessary to investigate the failure mode of such riverside landslides.Geotechnical centrifugal test is considered to be the most realistic laboratory model,which can reconstruct the required geo-stress.In this study,the Liangshuijing landslide in the Three Gorgers Reservoir area is selected for a scaled centrifugal model experiment,and a water pump system is employed to retain the rainfall condition.Using the techniques of digital photography and pore water pressure transducers,water level fluctuation is controlled,and multi-physical data are thus obtained,including the pore water pressure,earth pressure,surface displacement and deep displacement.The analysis results indicate that:Three stages were set in the test(waterflooding stage,rainfall stage and drainage stage).Seven transverse cracks with wide of 1–5 mm appeared during the model test,of which 3 cracks at the toe landslide were caused by reservoir water fluctuation,and the cracks at the middle and rear part were caused by rainfall.During rainfall process,the maximum displacement of landslide model reaches 3 cm.And the maximum deformation of the model exceeds 12 cm at the drainage stage.The failure process of the slope model can be divided into four stages:microcracks appearance and propagation stage,thrust-type failure stage,retrogressive failure stage,and holistic failure stage.When the thrust-type zone caused by rainfall was connected or even overlapped with the retrogressive failure zone caused by the drainage,the landslide would start,which displayed a typical composite failure pattern.The failure mode and deformation mechanism under the coupling actions of water level fluctuation and rainfall are revealed in the model test,which could appropriately guide for the analysis and evaluation of riverside landslides.

Effectiveness of Fiber Bragg Grating monitoring in the centrifugal model test of soil slope under rainfall conditions

Centrifugal model testsare playing an increasingly importantrolein investigating slope characteristics under rainfall conditions. However, conventional electronic transducers usually fail during centrifugal model tests because of the impacts of limitedtest space, high centrifugal force, and presence of water, with the result that limited valid data is obtained. In this study, Fiber Bragg Grating(FBG) sensing technology is employed in the design and development of displacement gauge, an anchor force gauge and an anti-slide pile moment gauge for use on centrifugal model slopes with and without a retaining structure. The two model slopes were installed and monitored at a centrifugal acceleration of 100 g. The test results show that the sensors developed succeed in capturing the deformation and retaining structure mechanical response of the model slopes during and after rainfall. The deformation curvefor the slope without retaining structure shows a steepresponse that turns gradualfor the slope with retaining structure. Importantly, for the slope with the retaining structure, results suggest that more attention be paid to increase of anchor force and antislide pile moment during rainfall. This study verifies the effectiveness of FBG sensing technology in centrifuge research and presents a new and innovative method for slope model testing under rainfall conditions.

Centrifugal Model Tests on Railway Embankments of Expansive Soils

Based on the centrifugal model tests on railway embankments of expansive soil in Nanning Kunming railway,the author studied several embankments under different physical conditions. The stress and strain states and settlement of the embankments were analyzed, and the obtained results can be used as a reference to field construction.

Centrifugal Model Tests on the Settlement of Railway Embankment on Deep,Completely Decomposed Granite Soil

Settlement control of high-speed railways is a key technology in embankment engineering. In order to reveal the engineering characteristics of the deep, completely decomposed granite soil in the Hainan East Ring Railway, four groups of centrifuge model tests were conducted. We studied the settlement properties, under the embankment action, of untreated subsoil, subsoil treated by dynamic compaction, and subsoil reinforced with cement-mixed piles. In particular, we examined the relationship between settlement and time, including the settlement during and after construction. The results show that the Weibull model can describe the relationship between embankment settlement and time well, and that the post-construction settlements of the subsoil meet the requirements of the relevant code. Among the two foundation treatment measures, dynamic compaction is more effective than reinforcement with cement-mixed piles. The tested pressure on the contact surface between embankment and subsoil was obviously different from the commonly used calculated values.

Centrifuge modelling of landslides and landslide hazard mitigation:A review

Landslides are serious geohazards that occur under a variety of climatic conditions and can cause many casualties and significant economic losses.Centrifuge modelling,as a representative type of physical modelling,provides a realistic simulation of the stress level in a small-scale model and has been applied over the last 50 years to develop a better understanding of landslides.With recent developments in this technology,the application of centrifuge modelling in landslide science has significantly increased.Here,we present an overview of physical models that can capture landslide processes during centrifuge modelling.This review focuses on(i)the experimental principles and considerations,(ii)landslide models subjected to various triggering factors,including centrifugal acceleration,rainfall,earthquakes,water level changes,thawing permafrost,excavation,external loading and miscellaneous conditions,and(iii)different methods for mitigating landslides modelled in centrifuge,such as the application of nails,piles,geotextiles,vegetation,etc.The behaviors of all the centrifuge models are discussed,with emphasis on the deformation and failure mechanisms and experimental techniques.Based on this review,we provide a best-practice methodology for preparing a centrifuge landslide test and propose further efforts in terms of the seven aspects of model materials,testing design and equipment,measurement methods,scaling laws,full-scale test applications,landslide early warning,and 3D modelling to better understand the complex behaviour of landslides.

Seismic performances of dyke on liquefiable soils

Various field investigations of earthquake disaster cases have confirmed that earthquake-induced liquefaction is a main factor causing significant damage to dyke,research on seismic performances of dyke is thus of great importance.In this paper,seismic responses of dyke on liquefiable soils were investigated by means of dynamic centrifuge model tests and three-dimensional（3D） effective stress analysis method which is based on a multiple shear mechanism model and a liquefaction front.For the prototype scale centrifuge tests,sine wave input motions with peak accelerations 0.806 m/s2,1.790 m/s2 and 3.133 m/s2 of varied amplitudes were adopted to study the seismic performances of dyke on the saturated soil layer foundation with relative density of approximately 30%.Then,corresponding numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the distribution and variations of deformation,acceleration,excess pore-water pressure（EPWP）,and behaviors of shear dilatancy in the dyke and the liquefiable soil foundation.Moreover,detailed discussions and comparisons between numerical simulations and centrifuge tests were also presented.It is concluded that the computed results have a good agreement with the measured results by centrifuge tests.The physical and numerical models both indicate that the dyke hosted on liquefiable soils subjected to earthquake motions has exhibited larger settlement and lateral spread：the stronger the motion is,the larger the dyke deformation is.Compared to soils in the deep ground under the dyke and the free field,the EPWP ratio is much smaller in the shallow liquefiable soil beneath the dyke in spite of large deformation produced.For the same overburden depth soil from free site and the liquefiable foundation beneath dyke,the characteristics of effective stress path and stress-strain relations are different.All these results may be of theoretical and practical significance for seismic design of the dyke on liquefiable soils.

Analytical evaluation and experimental validation on dynamic rocking behavior for shallow foundation considering structural response

The challenge in the practical application of rocking foundations is the estimation of its performance,particularly the rotation angle,during a strong earthquake.In this study,the dynamic rocking behavior for a shallow foundation considering structural response was evaluated through two analytical approaches:the conventional soil-foundation-structure interaction(SFSI)governing equation of a single-degree-of-freedom(SDOF)structure on a rocking shallow foundation,and the Housner rocking model(i.e.,a rocking rigid block on a rigid base).Both approaches were validated with dynamic centrifuge tests.The test models consisted of a soft soil deposit,a shallow rectangular foundation,and an SDOF structure dominated by a bending behavior.A total of 11 foundation-structure systems and six seismic waves,including recorded earthquake signals and sinusoidal waves,were utilized.The results showed that the conventional SFSI equation well predicted the maximum rotation during strong earthquakes.However,this method was less accurate regarding the rotational phase information and maximum rotation of the foundation during weak earthquakes.On the other hand,although the modified Housner′s rocking model required five parameters relevant to a soil-foundation-structure system,it overestimated the maximum rotation of the foundation when compared with the results from dynamic centrifuge tests.

回填刚度对深埋管道横向响应影响的试验研究

Subsea pipelines passing through the shallow area are physically protected against the environmental,accidental,and operational loads by trenching and backfilling.Depending on construction methodology,environmental loads,and seabed soil properties,the stiffness of backfilling material may become largely different from the native ground(softer than native ground in most of the cases).The different stiffness between the backfill and native ground affects the soil failure mechanisms and lateral soil resistance against large pipeline displacements that may happen due to ground movement,landslides,ice gouging,and drag embedment anchors.This important aspect is not considered by current design codes.In this paper,the effect of trench-backfill stiffness difference on lateral pipeline-backfill-trench interaction was investigated by performing centrifuge tests.The soil deformations and failure mechanisms were obtained by particle image velocimetry(PIV)analysis.Three experiments were conducted by using three different backfills including loose sand,slurry,and chunky clay that represent the purchased,natural in-fill,and preexcavated materials,respectively.The study shows that the current design codes underestimate the lateral soil resistance for small to moderate pipe displacements inside the trench and overestimate it for large lateral displacement,where the pipeline is penetrating into the trench wall.