Effect of soil cohesion and friction angles on reverse faults

Severe faults have caused many earthquakes around the world throughout history.More recently,earthquakes have occurred in Taiwan,China(Chi-Chi fault),and elsewhere,causing loss of lives and destroying many buildings and structures.These tectonic movements have gained attention from engineers,and in the past 15 years,the focus has been on faulting mechanisms.In this study,a physical model(1 g)was fabricated and used to evaluate the impact of a reverse fault in a field with a tunnel.In the 1 g model,researchers installed additional gauges on the tunnel,so that all the displacements could be adjusted,and all the responses could be monitored during faulting.An experimental study of various soil properties(cohesion and friction angles)in reverse faults on the tunnel lining were carried out and are described herein.A comparison of results for different levels of soil cohesion revealed that it can dramatically reduce the displacement by as much as 40%,and that friction angles of 27ºcan record approximately 60%more displacements than at 37º.Furthermore,a comparison of fault angles of 30ºand 60ºindicates that the displacements can be different by more than 43%in cohesionless soil and about 64%for a friction angle of 27º.

Suggestion of advanced regression model on friction angle of fault gouge in South Korea

Although friction characteristics of fault gouge are important to understand reactivation of fault,behavior of earthquake,and mechanism of slope failure,analysis results of fault gouge have low accuracy mostly than those of soils or rocks due to its high heterogeneity and low strength.Therefore,to improve the accuracy of analysis results,we conducted simple regression analysis and structural equation model analysis and selected major influential factors of friction characteristics among many factors,and then we deduced advanced regression model with the highest coefficient of determination(R^(2)) via multiple regression analysis.Whereas most coefficients of determination in simple regression analysis are below0.3-0.4,coefficient of determination in multiple regression analysis is remarkably large as 0.657.

Evolution of mechanical parameters of Shuangjiangkou granite under different loading cycles and stress paths

Surrounding rocks at different locations are generally subjected to different stress paths during the process of deep hard rock excavation.In this study,to reveal the mechanical parameters of deep surrounding rock under different stress paths,a new cyclic loading and unloading test method for controlled true triaxial loading and unloading and principal stress direction interchange was proposed,and the evolution of mechanical parameters of Shuangjiangkou granite under different stress paths was studied,including the deformation modulus,elastic deformation increment ratios,fracture degree,cohesion and internal friction angle.Additionally,stress path coefficient was defined to characterize different stress paths,and the functional relationships among the stress path coefficient,rock fracture degree difference coefficient,cohesion and internal friction angle were obtained.The results show that during the true triaxial cyclic loading and unloading process,the deformation modulus and cohesion gradually decrease,while the internal friction angle gradually increases with increasing equivalent crack strain.The stress path coefficient is exponentially related to the rock fracture degree difference coefficient.As the stress path coefficient increases,the degrees of cohesion weakening and internal friction angle strengthening decrease linearly.During cyclic loading and unloading under true triaxial principal stress direction interchange,the direction of crack development changes,and the deformation modulus increases,while the cohesion and internal friction angle decrease slightly,indicating that the principal stress direction interchange has a strengthening effect on the surrounding rocks.Finally,the influences of the principal stress interchange direction on the stabilities of deep engineering excavation projects are discussed.

Coupled effects of particle overall regularity and sliding friction on the shear behavior of uniformly graded dense sands

Particle morphology has been regarded as an important factor affecting shear behaviors of sands,and covers three important aspects,i.e.global form(overall shape),local roundness(large-scale smoothness),and surface texture(roughness)in terms of different observation scales.Shape features of different aspects can be independent of each other but might have coupled effects on the bulk behavior of sands,which has been not explored thoroughly yet.This paper presents a systematic investigation of the coupled effects of the particle overall regularity(OR)and sliding friction on the shear behavior of dense sands using three-dimensional(3D)discrete element method(DEM).The representative volume elements consisting of ideal spheres and irregular clumps of different mass proportions are prepared to conduct drained triaxial compression simulations.A well-defined shape descriptor named OR is adopted to quantify particle shape differences of numerical samples at both form and roundness aspects,and the particle sliding friction coefficient varies from 0.001 to 1 to consider the surface roughness effect equivalently in DEM.The stress-strain relationships as well as peak and critical friction angles of these assemblies are examined systematically.Moreover,contact network and anisotropic fabric characteristics within different granular assemblies are analyzed to explore the microscopic origins of the multi-scale shape-dependent shear strength.This study helps to improve the current understanding with respect to the influence of the particle shape on the shear behavior of sands from different shape aspects.

Shear Resistance of Siltous Sands Improved with Bridelia Tannins

The ruin of several civil engineering works occurs due to shear rupture of the ground. When the stress is greater than the shear resistance, the internal friction angle and the cohesion of the soil loosen and rupture occurs. Cement and lime are often used to stabilize soils and improve soil strength. The costs and environmental problems of these technologies raise concerns and challenge researchers to innovate with clean, inexpensive materials, accessible to the most disadvantaged social classes. The question that this study seeks to answer is whether the binders derived from plant tannins, which also stabilize soils, improve the shear resistance of these soils. To do this, we determined for silty sand the shear parameters, notably the cohesion and the angle of internal friction in the non-stabilized state and when they are stabilized with the powder of the bark of the Bridelia under different water states. The results show that the addition of Bridelia powder to silty sand increases the cohesion of the soil by nearly 70.71% and the friction angle by 4.31%. But in unfavourable water conditions, the cohesion and internal friction angle of the silty sand material improved with Bridelia bark powder drops drastically by nearly 81.56%. but does not dissolve completely as for the same material. When it is not stabilized. This information is an invaluable contribution in the search for solutions to increase the durability of earthen constructions by improving the water-repellent properties of soils.

Undrained vane shear strength of sand-foam mixtures subjected to different shear rates

The shear strength of sand-foam mixtures plays a crucial role in ensuring successful earth pressure balance(EPB)shield tunneling.Since the sand-foam mixtures are constantly sheared by the cutterhead and the screw conveyor with varied rotation speeds during tunneling,it is non-trivial to investigate the effect of shear rates on the undrained shear strength of sand-foam mixtures under chamber pressures to extend the understanding on the tunneling process.This study conducted a series of pressurized vane shear tests to investigate the role of shear rates on the peak and residual strengths of sand-foam mixtures at different pore states.Different from the shear-rate characteristics of natural sands or clay,the results showed that the peak strength of sand-foam mixtures under high vertical total stress(σ_(v)≥200 kPa)and low foam injection ratio(FIR30%)decreased with the increase in shear rate.Otherwise,the peak strength was not measurably affected by shear rates.The sand-foam mixtures in the residual state resembled low-viscous fluid with yield stress and the residual strength increased slightly with shear rates.In addition,the peak and residual strengths were approximately linear with vertical effective stress regardless of the total stress and FIR.The peak effective internal friction angle remained almost invariant in a low shear rate(γ′<0.25 s1)but decreased when the shear rate continued increasing.The residual effective internal friction angle was lower than the peak counterpart and insensitive to shear rates.This study unveiled the role of shear rates in the undrained shear strength of sand-foam mixtures with various FIRs and vertical total stresses.The findings can extend the understanding of the rate-dependent shear characteristics of conditioned soils and guide the decision-making of soil conditioning schemes in the EPB shield tunneling practice.

Study on strength properties and soil behaviour type classification of Huanghe River Delta silts based on variable rate piezocone penetration test

Fine-grained silt is widely distributed in the Huanghe River Delta(HRD)in China,and the sedimentary structure is complex,meaning that the clay content in the silt is variable.The piezocone penetration test(CPTu)is the most widely approved in situ test method.It can be used to invert soil properties and interpret soil behavior.To analyse the strength properties of surface sediments in the HRD,this paper evaluated the friction angle and its inversion formula through the CPTu penetration test and monotonic simple shear test and other soil unit experiments.The evaluation showed that the empirical formula proposed by Kulhawy and Mayne had better prediction and inversion effect.The HRD silts with clay contents of 9.2%,21.4%and 30.3%were selected as samples for the CPTu variable rate penetration test.The results show as follows.(1)The effects of the clay content on the tip resistance and the pore pressure of silt under different penetration rates were summarized.The tip resistance Q_t is strongly dependent on the clay content of the silt,the B_(q)value of the silt tends to 0 and is not significantly affected by the change of the CPTu penetration rate.(2)Five soil behavior type classification charts and three soil behavior type indexes based on CPTu data were evaluated.The results show that the soil behavior type classification chart based on soil behavior type index ISBT,the Robertson 2010 behavior type classification chart are more suitable for the silty soil in the HRD.

Strength and deformation behavior of the Yellow River silt under triaxial drained condition considering characteristic states

Currently,the application of the Yellow River silt in subgrade,especially in expressway subgrade,has not been widely promoted.The main reason is that the research on the mechanical characteristics of the Yellow River silt used for subgrade filling is extremely limited.In this study,the static shear test of the Yellow River silt under drained condition was carried out using Global Digital Systems(GDS)triaxial apparatus,and the effects of confining pressure,relative density and shear rate on the strength and deformation behavior of the Yellow River silt were investigated.The cohesive force of the Yellow River silt is low,and the friction angle is the main factor determining the shear strength.Friction angle at phase transformation stateφpt,friction angle at peak stateφps,friction angle at critical stateφcs,were obtained via the observation on the evolution law of mobilized friction angle during the whole shearing process.The friction angles corresponding to three different characteristic states have the following magnitude relationship,namelyφps>φcs>φpt.The strength parameters for low-grade subgrade and highgrade subgrade were chosen to be 29.33°and 33.75°.The critical state line(CSL),envelop of phase transformation(EOP),and envelop of dilatancy(EOD)for three different characteristic states were determined.The critical stress ratio M,the phase transformation stress ratio Mptand the dilatancy stress ratio Mdof the Yellow River silt are 1.199,1.235,1.152,respectively.These results provide a basis for the mechanical analysis of the Yellow River silt subgrades and the subsequent establishment of dynamic constitutive model of the Yellow River silt.

Shear strength behavior of geotextile/geomembrane interfaces

This paper aims to study the shear interaction mechanism of one of the critical geosynthetic interfaces,the geotextile/geomembrane, typically used for lined containment facilities such as landfills. A largedirect shear machine is used to carry out 90 geosynthetic interface tests. The test results show a strainsoftening behavior with a very small dilatancy （〈0.5 mm） and nonlinear failure envelopes at a normalstress range of 25e450 kPa. The influences of the micro-level structure of these geosynthetics on themacro-level interface shear behavior are discussed in detail. This study has generated several practicalrecommendations to help professionals to choose what materials are more adequate. From the threegeotextiles tested, the thermally bonded monofilament exhibits the best interface shear strength underhigh normal stress. For low normal stress, however, needle-punched monofilaments are recommended.For the regular textured geomembranes tested, the space between the asperities is an important factor.The closer these asperities are, the better the result achieves. For the irregular textured geomembranestested, the nonwoven geotextiles made of monofilaments produce the largest interface shear strength.

Shear strength of frozen clay under freezing-thawing cycles using triaxial tests

Using a new low-temperature dynamic triaxial apparatus, the influence law of freezing-thawing cycles on clay shear strength is studied. In this research, the concept of correction coefficients of freezing-thawing cycles on clay static strength, cohesion and internal friction angles is proposed, and the change patterns, correction curves and regressive formulae of clay static strength, cohesion and internal friction angles under freezing-thawing cycles are given. The test results indicate that with increasing numbers of freezing-thawing cycles, the clay static strength and cohesion decrease exponentially but the internal friction angle increases exponentially. The performance of static strength, cohesion and internal friction angles are different with increasing numbers of freezing-thawing cycles, i.e., the static strength decreases constantly until about 30% of the initial static strength prior to the freezing-thawing cycling and then stays basically stable. After 5-7 freezing-thawing cycles, the cohesion decreases gradually to about 70% of the initial cohesion. The internal friction angle increases about 20% after the first freezing-thawing cycle, then increases gradually close to a stable value which is an increase of about 40% of the internal friction angle. The freezing-thawing process can increase the variation of the density of the soil samples; therefore, strict density discreteness standards of frozen soil sample preparation should be established to ensure the reliability of the test results.

Determination of the constant m_(i) in the Hoek-Brown criterion of rock based on drilling parameters

The constant m_(i) in the Hoek-Brown(H-B) criterion is a fundamental parameter required for determining the compressive strength of rock. In this paper, drilling parameters provide a new basis for determining the constant mi. An analytical relationship between the drilling parameters and constant miis established in consideration of the contact response between the drilling bit and the cut rock in the crushed zone.New models are developed to predict the triaxial compressive strength(TCS), internal friction angle φand cohesion c of rock. Drilling tests are carried out on 6 rock types to study the correlation between φ and m_(i). A comparison between the predicted values of rock mechanical properties and the measured values from the laboratory is performed to verify the accuracy of the proposed model(yielding an error less than 10%). The TCSs and constant m_(i) values of fifteen rocks are cited to validate the accuracy of the proposed model. The result shows that the proposed model predicts the TCS and constant m_(i) within a maximum error of 20%. The method can be conveniently applied to the rock mechanical properties.

Behavior of diatomaceous soil in lacustrine deposits of Bogota, Colombia

This work presents a study on the behaviors of diatomaceous soils. Although studies are rarely reported on these soils, they have been identified in Mexico City, the Sea of Japan, the northeast coast of Australia,the equatorial Pacific, and the lacustrine deposit of Bogota(Colombia), among other locations. Features of this kind of soil include high friction angle, high initial void ratio, high compressibility index, high liquid limit, and low density. Some of these features are counterintuitive from a classical soil mechanics viewpoint. To understand the geotechnical properties of the diatomaceous soil, a comprehensive experimental plan consisting of more than 2400 tests was performed, including physical tests such as grain size distribution, Atterberg limits, density of solid particles, and organic matter content; and mechanical tests such as oedometric compression tests, unconfined compression tests, and triaxial tests.Laboratory tests were complemented with scanning electron microscope(SEM) observations to evaluate the microstructure of the soil. The test results show that there is an increase in liquid limit with increasing diatomaceous content, and the friction angle also increases with increasing diatomaceous content. In addition, several practical correlations were proposed for this soil type for shear strength mobilization and intrinsic compression line. Finally, useful correlations were presented, such as the relationship between the state consistency and the undrained shear strength, the friction angle and the liquid limit, the void ratio at 100 kPa and the liquid limit, the plasticity index and the diatomaceous content, among others.

Experimental study on mechanical properties of methane-hydrate-bearing sediments

Mechanical properties of methane hydrate- bearing-sediments （MHBS） are basic parameters for safety analysis of hydrate exploration and exploitation. Young＇s modulus, cohesion, and internal friction angle of hydrate- bearing sediments synthesized in laboratory, are investigated using tri-axial tests. Stress-strain curves and strength parameters are obtained and discussed for different compositions and different hydrate saturation, followed by empirical expressions related to the cohesion, internal friction angle, and modulus of MHBS. Almost all tested MHBS samples exhibit plastic failure. With the increase of total saturation of ice and methane hydrate （MH）, the specimens＇ internal friction angle decreases while the cohesion increases.

Shear properties of cemented rockfills

Application of cemented rockfilling to underground mining could not be separated from the corresponding backfill’s shear strength properties. The shear of cemented rockfill(CRF)-rock wall and the shear interaction occurring within CRFs both have some disadvantageous failure chances. In this study,we tried to investigate the complete shear properties of CRFs using direct shear and triaxial tests of cemented granite rockfill. Large-scale triaxial testing was held to accommodate the large CRF sample.Direct shear testing on the prepared flat and smooth surfaces was assessed with brief conversions and their corrections were used to approximate the shear strength envelopes of CRF joint interfaces. Two types of CRFs with the same aggregate size and distribution but different unconfined compressive strengths(UCSs) due to different mixture designs indicated insignificant differences between their basic friction angles, and also their asperity inclination angles. Nevertheless, investigation between direct shear test and triaxial test showed that the specimen with higher UCS tended to have a slightly lower friction angle but a higher cohesion than the other one.

Shear Strength and Dilatancy of Calcareous Sand in the South China Sea

The shear strength and dilatancy of typical uncemented calcareous sand from the South China Sea are investigated by soil lab tests.According to drained triaxial tests at various relative densities and confining stresses,it is found that the constant volume friction angle is approximated as 39°and the traditional Bolton’s equations can be modified to estimate the peak friction angle and dilation angle.The reliability of the equation proposed for the peak friction angle is verified in terms of calcareous sands from more onshore and offshore sites worldwide,while the errors of the predicted dilation angles scatter in a relatively large range.Totally,the dilation angles of sands in the South China Sea are estimated by the equation presented with an error of±30%.The peak friction angle measured by the undrained is similar to that by the drained tests as the relative density smaller than 60%,while the former is slightly lower for denser samples.

Soil shear properties as infl uenced by straw content:An evaluation of field-collected and laboratory-remolded soils

Following a rice or wheat harvest, a large amount of crop residue （straw） is retained in fields. The straw is often incorporated into the soil in order to increase the soil organic carbon storage and to reduce soil erosion. However, it has become apparent that the incorporated straw can significantly alter soil shear properties, which can dramatically affect energy inputs for tilling and other soil management practices. In this study, laboratory-remolded wheat straw-soil samples were compared with field-collected straw-soil samples; we found high correlations for the cohesion （R2=0.9084） and internal friction angle （R2=0.9548） properties of the samples. Shear tests on rice and wheat straw with different moisture content levels clearly demonstrated the relatively higher shear strength of wheat straw compared to rice straw. The cohesion of remolded rice and wheat straw-soil samples exhibited an increasing linear trend with an increase in densities, whereas the internal friction angle data for these samples exhibited a quadratic trend. Overlapping the cohesion curves revealed that the wheat straw-soil and rice straw-soil samples had the same cohesion at a straw density of 0.63%. Similar results were obtained when the internal fraction angle curves overlapped; the resultant point of intersection was observed at a straw density of 0.46%. As a whole, the remolded sample methodology was found suitable to simulate the shear properties of soils sampled directly from fields.

A predictive equation for residual strength using a hybrid of subset selection of maximum dissimilarity method with Pareto optimal multi-gene genetic programming

More accurate and reliable estimation of residual strength friction angle(/r)of clay is crucial in many geotechnical engineering applications,including riverbank stability analysis,design,and assessment of earthen dam slope stabilities.However,a general predictive equation for/r,with applicability in a wide range of effective parameters,remains an important research gap.The goal of this study is to develop a more accurate equation for/r using the Pareto Optimal Multi-gene Genetic Programming(POMGGP)approach by evaluating a comprehensive dataset of 290 experiments compiled from published literature databases worldwide.A new framework for integrated equation derivation proposed that hybridizes the Subset Selection of Maximum Dissimilarity Method(SSMD)with Multi-gene Genetic Programming(MGP)and Pareto-optimality(PO)to find an accurate equation for/r with wide range applicability.The final predictive equation resulted from POMGGP modeling was assessed in comparison with some previously published machine learning-based equations using statistical error analysis criteria,Taylor diagram,revised discrepancy ratio(RDR),and scatter plots.Base on the results,the POMGGP has the lowest uncertainty with U95=2.25,when compared with Artificial Neural Network(ANN)(U95=2.3),Bayesian Regularization Neural Network(BRNN)(U95=2.94),Levenberg-Marquardt Neural Network(LMNN)(U95=3.3),and Differential Evolution Neural Network(DENN)(U95=2.37).The more reliable results in estimation of/r derived by POMGGP with reliability 59.3%,and resiliency 60%in comparison with ANN(reliability=30.23%,resiliency=28.33%),BRNN(reliability=10.47%,resiliency=10.39%),LMNN(reliability=19.77%,resiliency=20.29%)and DENN(reliability=27.91%,resiliency=24.19%).Besides the simplicity and ease of application of the new POMGGP equation to a broad range of conditions,using the uncertainty,reliability,and resilience analysis confirmed that the derived equation for/r significantly outperformed other existing machine learning methods,including the ANN,BRNN,LMNN,and DENN equations。

Stability analysis of shallow tunnels subjected to eccentric loads by a boundary element method

This paper presents the results of the shear strength（frictional strength） of cemented paste backfillcemented paste backfill（CPB-CPB） and cemented paste backfillerock wall（CPB-rock） interfaces. The frictional behaviors of these interfaces were assessed for the short-term curing times（3 d and 7 d） using a direct shear apparatus RDS-200 from GCTS（Geotechnical Consulting ＆ Testing Systems）. The shear（friction） tests were performed at three different constant normal stress levels on flat and smooth interfaces. These tests aimed at understanding the mobilized shear strength at the CPB-rock and CPB-CPB interfaces during and/or after open stope filling（no exposed face）. The applied normal stress levels were varied in a range corresponding to the usually measured in-situ horizontal pressures（longitudinal or transverse） developed within paste-filled stopes（uniaxial compressive strength, s c 150 k Pa）. Results show that the mobilized shear strength is higher at the CPB-CPB interface than that at the CPB-rock interface. Also, the perfect elastoplastic behaviors observed for the CPB-rock interfaces were not observed for the CPB-CPB interfaces with low cement content which exhibits a strain-hardening behavior. These results are useful to estimate or validate numerical model for pressures determination in cemented backfill stope at short term. The tests were performed on real backfill and granite. The results may help understanding the mechanical behavior of the cemented paste backfill in general and, in particular, analyzing the shear strength at backfillebackfill and backfill-rock interfaces.

Effect of change of sand properties on travel distance of ricocheted debris

The debris from exploded buildings can ricochet after colliding with the ground,thus increasing the debris travel distance and danger from any associated impacts or collisions.To reduce this danger,the travel distance of ricocheted debris must be accurately predicted.This study analyzed the change in the travel distance of ricocheted concrete debris relative to changes in the properties of a sand medium.Direct shear tests were conducted to measure the change in internal friction angle as a function of temperature and water content of the sand.Finite element analysis(FEA)was then applied to these variables to predict the speed and angle of the debris after ricochet.The FEA results were compared with results of low-speed ricochet experiments,which employed variable temperature and water content.The travel distance of the debris was calculated using MATLAB,via trajectory equations considering the drag coefficient.As the internal friction angle decreased,the shear stress decreased,leading to deeper penetration of the debris into the sand.As the loss of kinetic energy increased,the velocity and travel distance of the ricocheted debris decreased.Changes in the ricochet velocity and travel distance of the debris,according to changes in the internal friction angle,indicated that the debris was affected by the environment.

Shear Strength of Unbound Crop By-Products Using the Direct Shear Box Apparatus

The return to old building methods by mixing crop by-products with mineral binders is arousing great interest in Europe since about 25 years.The use of these bio-aggregates based materials for the design of building envelopes is a valuable opportunity to deal with increasingly demanding thermal regulations.In addition,the regulatory framework is moving towards reducing the overall car-bon footprint of new buildings.Some traditional and historic buildings are based on timber framing with earth-straw as infill material for instance.Hemp concrete is a bio-based material that can be manually tamped in timber stud walls or more recently in the form of precast blocks.Owing to their low compressive strength,bio-based concretes using a large volume fraction of plant-derived aggregates are only considered as thermal and sound insulation materials.The structural design practice of wood frame walls does not assume any mechanical contribution of hemp concrete whereas it may contribute to the racking strength of the structure.In this context,more research is needed regarding the shear behavior of crop by-products and bio-based concretes.In this case,the objective of the study was to perform direct shear tests under three levels of normal pressure on hemp shiv and rice husk as unbound crop by-products.The results showed that the friction angle of the granular skeleton based on rice husk for a given relative displacement was significantly lower than that measured on hemp shiv.This is in accordance with what had been observed on bio-based concretes cast by mixing aggregates with lime and shear strength parameters measured by means of triaxial compression.