Experiment and analysis of the formation,expansion and dissipation of gasbag in fine sediments based on pore water pressure survey

Deep-seated gas in seabed sediments migrates upwards from effect of external factors,which easily accumulates to form gasbags at interface of shallow coarse-fine sediments.Real-time monitoring of this process is important to predict disaster.However,there is still a lack of effective monitoring methods,so we attempt to apply multi-points pore water pressure monitoring technology when simulating forming and dissipation of gasbags in sediments through laboratory experiment.This study focuses on discussion of sensitivity of pore water pressure monitoring data,as well as typical changing characteristics and mechanisms of excess pore water pressure corresponding to crack generation,gasbag formation and gas release.It was found that the value of excess pore water pressure in sediments is negatively correlated with vertical distance between sensors and gas source,and the evolution of gasbag forming and dissipation has a good corresponding relationship with the change of excess pore water pressure.Gasbag formation process is divided into three stages:transverse crack development,longitudinal cavity expansion,and oblique crack development.Formation of gasbag begins with the transverse crack at the interface of coarse-fine sediments while excess pore water pressure attenuates rapidly and then drops,pressure remains almost unchanged when cavity expanses longitudinally,oblique crack appeared in final stage of gasbag evolution while excess pore water pressure accumulated and dissipated again.The variation curve of excess pore water pressure in gas release stage has saw-tooth fluctuation characteristics,and the value and time of pressure accumulation are also fluctuating,indicating the uncertainty and non-uniqueness of gas migration channels in sediments.

Wave-induced pore water pressure in marine cohesive soils

Cyclic triaxial tests and numerical analyses were undertaken, in order to evaluate the wave-induced pore water pressure in seabed sediments in the Hangzhou Bay. The cyclic triaxial tests indicate that the rate of pore water pressure generation in cohesive soils decreases with time, and the development of the pore water pressure can be represented by a hyperbolic curve. Numerical analyses, taking into account the generation and dissipation of pore water pressure simultaneously, suggest that the pore water pressure buildup in cohesive soils may increase with time continuously until the pore water pressure ratio approaches to 1, or it may decrease after a certain time, which is controlled by drain conditions. These phenomena are different from those in sands. For waves with a retum period of 100 a in the Hangzhou Bay, if the wave duration is more than 60 h, then the pore water pressure ratio will be close to 1 and soil fabric failure will take place.

Influence of pore water pressure on upper bound analysis of collapse shape for square tunnel in Hoek-Brown media

To investigate the effective shape of collapsing block in square tunnel subjected to pore water pressure,the analytical solution of detaching curve was derived using upper bound theorem of limit analysis with Hoek-Brown failure criterion. The work rate of pore water pressure,which was regarded as an external rate of work,was taken into account in the framework of limit analysis. Taking advantages of variational calculation,the objective function with respect to detaching curve was optimized to obtain the effective shape of collapsing block for square tunnel. According to the numerical results,it is found that the varying pore water pressure coefficient only affects the height and width of the collapsing block,whereas the shape of collapsing block remains unchanged.

The numerical study of wave-induced pore water pressure response in highly permeable seabed

The coupling numerical model of wave interaction with porous medium is used to study wave- induced pore water pressure in high permeability seabed. In the model, the wave field solver is based on the two dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes （RANS） equations with a k-s closure, and Forchheimer equations are adopted for flow within the porous media. By introducing a Velocity-Pressure Correction equation for the wave flow and porous flow, a highly efficient coupling between the two flows is implemented. The numerical tests are conducted to study the effects of seabed thickness, porosity, particle size and intrinsic permeability coefficient on regular wave and solitary wave-induced pore water pressure response. The results indicate that, as compared with regular wave-induced, solitary wave-induced pore water pressure has larger values and stronger action on seabed with different parameters. The results also clearly show the flow characteristics of pore water flow within seabed and water wave flow on seabed. The maximum pore water flow velocities within seabed under solitary wave action are higher than those under regular wave action.

Characteristics of Pore Water Pressure of Saturated Silt Under Wave Loading

The characteristics of dynamic stress in the seabed under wave loading are constant principal stress and continuous rotation of the principal stress direction. Cyclic triaxial-torsional coupling shear tests were pefformed on saturated silt by the hollow cylinder apparatus under different relative densities, deviator stress ratios and vibration frequencies to study the development of pore water pressure of the saturated silt under wave loading. It was found that the development of pore water pressure follows the trend of ＂fast - steady - drastic＂. The turning point from fast to steady stage is not affected by relative density and deviator stress ratio. However, the turning point from steady to drastic stage relies on relative density and deviator stress ratio. The vibration cycle for the liquefaction of saturated silt decreases with increasing deviator stress ratio and increases with relative density. The vibration cycle for the liquefaction of the saturated silt increases with vibration frequency and reaches a peak value, after which it decreases with increasing vibration frequency for the relative density of 70%. But the vibration cycle for the liquefaction of saturated silt increases with vibration frequency for the relative density of 30%. The development of pore water pressure of the saturated silt is influenced by relative density and vibration frequency.

Experimental Study of Pore Water Pressure and Bed Profile Change Under Regular Breaking Waves

There lies a close relationship between the seabed destruction and the distribution of pore water pressure under the action of breaking wave. The experiments were carried out in a wave flume with a 1：30 sloping sandy seabed to study regular breaking wave induced pore water pressure. A wide range of measurements from the regular wave runs were reported, including time series of wave heights, pore pressures. The video records were analysed to measure the time development of the seabed form and the characteristics of the orbital motion of the sand in the wave breaking region. The pore water pressure in the breaker zone showed the time variation depending on the wave phases including wave breaking and bore propagation. The time-averaged pore water pressure was higher near the seabed surface. The peak values of pore water pressure increase significantly at the breaking point. The direction of pore water pressure difference forces in the breaker zone is of fundamental importance for a correct description of the sediment dynamics. The upwards- directed pressure differences may increase sand transport by reducing the effective weight of the sediment, thereby increasing the bed form evolution. The seabed configuration changed greatly at the wave breaking zone and a sand bar was generated remarkably. The amplitude of the pore water pressure changed with the seabed surface. The results are to improve the understanding of sand transport mechanisms and seabed responses due to breaking regular waves over a sloping sandy bed.

Attenuation-type and failure-type curve models on accumulated pore water pressure in saturated normal consolidated clay

Based on dynamic triaxial test results of saturated soft clay, similarities of variations between accumulated pore water pressure and accumulated deformation were analyzed. The Parr＇s equation on accumulated deformation was modified to create an attenuation-type curve model on accumulated pore water pressure in saturated normal consolidation clay. In this model, dynamic strength was introduced and a new parameter called equivalent dynamic stress level was added. Besides, based on comparative analysis on variations between failure-type and attenuatiun-type curves, a failure-type curve model was created on accumulated pore water pressure in saturated normal consolidation clay. Two models can take cycle number, coupling of static and dynamic deviator stress, and consolidation way into consideration. The models are verified by test results. The correlation coefficients are more than 0.98 for optimization of test results based on the two models, and there is good agreement between the optimized and test curves, which shows that the two models are suitable to predict variations of accumulated pore water pressure under different loading cases and consolidation ways. In order to improve prediction accuracy, it is suggested that loading cases and consolidation ways should be consistent with in-situ conditions when dynamic triaxial tests are used to determine the constants in the models.

Pore Water Pressure Buildup Under Cyclic Rotation of Principal Stress and Stability Evaluation of Seabed Deposit

The cyclic rotation of principal stress direction with a constant amplitude is the characteristics of cyclic stress in seabed deposit induced by travelling waves. Presented in the paper are the results obtained from tests simulating the cyclic stress characteristics, with emphasis laid on the buildup of pore water pressure in soil samples. Regression analysis of test data shows that the pore water pressure can be expressed as the function of the number of cycles of cyclic loading, or as the function of generalized shear strain. Using the results thus obtained, the possibility of failure of seabed deposit under cyclic loading induced by travelling waves can be evaluated. The comparison with the results of conventional cyclic torsional shear tests shows that neglect of the effect of the cyclic rotation of the principal stress direction will result in considerable over-estimation of the stability of seabed deposit.

Pore Water Pressure Arising during Pile Drilling in Sand

The pile working load depends on the imperfections which may be taken place in pile-soil system, during pile construction, among many other factors. This subject attracted the researcher＇s attention world wide in the last decades. Types of imperfections either geotechnical or structural are documented in literature and well explained. Nevertheless, the influence of these imperfections in pile load calculations is still ambiguous. The work presented herein is devoted to study soil disturbance during construction of piles using continuous flight auger, CFA. The study of soil disturbance due to drilling needs some evidence. The source of this evidence is field observations collected from four different construction sites, which are documented in this paper. The study concluded that the disturbed zone of soil by CFA has a conical shape and extending laterally to a distance equivalent to ten times of the pile diameter around the auger at the cutting bits and has an inclined surface of4：1 （vertical ： horizontal）. Furthermore excess pore water pressure was induced in soil in the vicinity of pile drilling. Due to this excess pore water pressure, 3.5% to 6.5% of piles constructed by CFA showed percolation of water from the top of the piles through fresh concrete. Also, subsidence of fresh concrete in pile hole was recorded in few of the constructed piles. Pile loading tests showed that the percolation of water and/or subsidence of fresh concrete have not appreciable influence on the load-displacement characteristics of the piles. Moreover, percolation of water at pile heads.

An Experimental Study on the Wave-Induced Pore Water Pressure Change and Relative Influencing Factors in the Silty Seabed

In this study, a flume experiment was designed to investigate the characteristics of wave-induced pore water pressure in the soil of a silty seabed with different clay contents, soil layer buried depths and wave heights respectively. The study showed that water waves propagating over silty seabed can induce significant change of pore water pressure, and the amplitude of pore pressure depends on depth of buried soil layer, clay content and wave height, which are considered as the three influencing factors for pore water pressure change. The pressure will attenuate according to exponential law with increase of soil layer buried depth, and the attenuation being more rapid in those soil layers with higher clay content and greater wave height. The pore pressure in silty seabed increases rapidly in the initial stage of wave action, then decreases gradually to a stable value, depending on the depth of buried soil layer, clay content and wave height. The peak value of pore pressure will increase if clay content or depth of buried soil layer decreases, or wave height increases. The analysis indicated that these soils with 5% clay content and waves with higher wave height produce instability in bed easier, and that the wave energy is mostly dissipated near the surface of soils and 5% clay content in soils can prevent pore pressure from dissipating immediately.

Experimental study on pore water pressure dissipation of mucky soil

Pore water pressure has an important influence on mechanical properties of soil.The authors studied the characteristics of pore water pressure dissipating of mucky soil under consolidated-drained condition by using refitted triaxial instrument and analyzed the variation of pore pressure coefficient with consolidation pressure.The results show that the dissipating of pore water pressure behaves in different ways depends on different styles of loading.What is more,the pore water pressure coefficient of mucky soil is less than 1.As the compactness of soil increases and moisture content reduces,the value of B reduces.There is a staggered dissipating in the process of consolidation,in which it is a mutate point when U/P is 80%.It is helpful to establish the pore water pressure model and study the strength-deformation of soil in process of consolidation.

Simulation of Excess Pore Water Pressure During Deep Soil Mixing Columns Installing

Most of current studies of deep soil mixing (DSM) methods are focused on the soil strength improvement and soil treatment effectiveness. But the DSM installation leads to excess pore water pressure and soil disturbance, which will bring great harm to adjacent structures, such as shell tunnels and historic buildings. The procedure of excess pore water pressure buildup while large number DSM columns are installed is complicated. In order to find methods to predict and simulate the excess pore water pressure during DSM column installation, the complicated dissipation and buildup of excess pore water pressure through in-situ test are studied in this paper. In-situ test was conducted in soft clay near the Huangpu River in Shanghai. The pore water pressure was investigated by an automatic monitoring system. Test results indicate that the excess pore water pressure induced by one DSM column installation is composed of the compaction pressure and the reversing pressure. The empirical equations of excess pore water pressure dissipation and buildup were built by mathematical fitting methods. A compound method is proposed to simulate the excess pore water pressure due to DSM installation. Using this method to predict the excess pore water pressure in the situ test, results show a well agreement between the prediction and the measurements.

Pore Pressure Accumulation of Anisotropically Consolidated Soft Clay Subjected to Complex Loads Under Different Stress Paths

Owing to different influence factors of foundation soil,the initial stress state of the soil under various working conditions is complex.To simulate this situation,in this paper,a series of tests on undisturbed soft clay under pure principal stress axis rotation were carried out by using the hollow cylinder apparatus(HCA).The influence of initial consolidation angle ζ(the angle between the vertical direction and direction of the applied load in consolidation)and intermediate principal stress coefficient b on pore water pressure accumulation of undisturbed soft clay were mainly studied.The test results show that,during pure principal stress axis rotation,the pore water pressure accumulation of the undisturbed soft clay fluctuates and increases with the rotation of the major principal stress;the values of major principal stress anglesα,corresponding to the peak value of the pore water pressure in a certain cycle,are different with different initial consolidation angles;the pore water pressure accumulation of soft clay is greatly affected by the intermediate principal stress coefficient b.With the fixed initial consolidation angle ζ,the variation trend of the maximum pore water pressure for each cycle is appropriately the same with different b values.With the increase of cycles,the difference value of pore water pressure between b=0 and b=1 in each cycle increases gradually with different initial consolidation angles ζ.While with different initial consolidation anglesζ,the increase of the pore water pressure when b increases from 0 to 0.5 is different with that when b increases from 0.5 to 1;the variation of maximum pore water pressure withζis significantly affected by the value of b;the value of maximum pore water pressure increases with the cycle number increases under all test conditions,but the growth rate decreases gradually.And the variation of maximum pore water pressure with the cycle number N is obviously influenced by both ζ and b.

Influence of Seasonal Ground Water Level Fluctuations on the Stability of the Rohingya Refugee Camp Hills of Ukhiya, Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh—A Threat for Sustainable Development

Bangladesh is a south Asian Monsoonal Country and the recent precipitation pattern in the Cox’s Bazar area of Bangladesh is changing and increasing the number of monsoonal slope failures and landslide hazards in the Kutubpalong & Balukhali Rohingya camp area. An attempt has been made to see the influence of seasonal variation of ground water level (G.W.L.) fluctuations on the stability of the eco hills and forests of Ukhiya Teknaf region. Ukhiya hills are in great danger because of cutting trees from the hill slopes and it is well established that due to recent change of climate, short term rainfall for few consecutive days during monsoon might show an influence on the factor of safety (Fs) values of the camp hill slopes. A clear G.W.L. variation between dry and wet seasons has an influence on the stability (Fs) values indicating that climate has a strong influence on the stability and threatening sustainable development. A stable or marginally stable slope might be unstable during raining and show a variation of ground water level (G.W.L.). The generation of pore water pressure (P.W.P.) is also influenced by seasonal variation of ground water level. During wet season negative P.W.P. called suction plays an important role to occur slope failures in the Ukhiya hills. Based on all calculated factor of safety values (Fs) at different locations, four (4) susceptible landslide risk zones are identified. They are very high risk (Fs = 0.18 to 0.46), high risk (Fs = 0.56 to 0.75), medium risk (Fs = 0.76 to 1.0) and marginally stable areas (Fs ≈ 1). Proper geo-engineering measures must be taken by the concerned authorizes to reduce P.W.P. during monsoon by installing rain water harvesting system, allowing sufficient drainage & other geotechnical measures to reduce the risk of slope failures in the Ukhiya hills. Based on the stability factor (Fs) at different slope locations of the camp hills, a risk map of the investigated area has been produced for the local community for their safety and to build up awareness & to motivate them to evacuate the site during monsoonal slope failures. The established “Risk Maps” can be used for future geological engineering works as well as for sustainable planning, design and construction purposes relating to adaptation and mitigation of landslide risks in the investigated area.

Effect of particle composition and consolidation degree on the wave-induced liquefaction of soil beds

The wave-induced liquefaction of seabed is responsible for causing damage to marine structures.Particle composition and consolidation degree are the key factors affecting the pore water pressure response and liquefaction behavior of the seabed under wave action.The present study conducted wave flume experiments on silt and silty fine sand beds with varying particle compositions.Furthermore,a comprehensive analysis of the differences and underlying reasons for liquefaction behavior in two different types of soil was conducted from both macroscopic and microscopic perspectives.The experimental results indicate that the silt bed necessitates a lower wave load intensity to attain the liquefaction state in comparison to the silty fine sand bed.Additionally,the duration and development depth of liquefaction are greater in the silt bed.The dissimilarity in liquefaction behavior between the two types of soil can be attributed to the variation in their permeability and plastic deformation capacity.The permeability coefficient and compression modulus of silt are lower than those of silty fine sand.Consequently,silt is more prone to the accumulation of pore pressure and subsequent liquefaction under external loading.Prior research has demonstrated that silt beds with varying consolidation degrees exhibit distinct initial failure modes.Specifically,a dense bed undergoes shear failure,whereas a loose bed experiences initial liquefaction failure.This study utilized discrete element simulation to examine the microscopic mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon.

The dynamic characteristics of saturated remolded loess under cyclic load

Due to the joint development characteristic and macropore structure of loess,it is easy to cause structure collapse under earthquake or artificial vibration.The study on the loess disaster effect and its mechanism under earthquake action is insufficient due to its complexity.Hence,to study the deformation and mechanical properties more accurately,the dynamic characteristics of saturated remolded loess under cyclic dynamic load were tested using a GDS dynamic triaxial instrument in this paper.The test results show that strain and pore water pressure increase gradually at different rates with the development of vibration,and there is an obvious inflection point in the time-history curve of both.When the number of vibrations(N)exceeds this point,the strain increases rapidly,and pore water pressure tends to be stable.Under the action of large amplitude and low-frequency dynamic load,the strain and pore water pressure increase rapidly with fewer vibrations and the deviator stress(q)decreases rapidly,while the sample achieves damage faster with the increase of amplitude.During the application of a dynamic load,the effective stress(p)gradually decreases and its rate of change slows down.Finally,when the saturated remolded loess is subjected to a constant-amplitude dynamic load,the combination of large amplitude and low frequency leads to the failure of the sample in the shortest time.

Safe retaining pressures for pressurized tunnel face using nonlinear failure criterion and reliability theory

Based on the active failure mechanism and passive failure mechanism for a pressurized tunnel face, the analytical solutions of the minimum collapse pressure and maximum blowout pressure that could maintain the stability of pressurized tunnel faces were deduced using limit analysis in conjunction with nonlinear failure criterion under the condition of pore water pressure. Due to the objective existence of the parameter randomness of soil, the statistical properties of random variables were determined by the maximum entropy principle, and the Monte Carlo method was employed to calculate the failure probability of a pressurized tunnel. The results show that the randomness of soil parameters exerts great influence on the stability of a pressurized tunnel, which indicates that the research should be done on the topic of determination of statistical distribution for geotechnical parameters and the level of variability. For the failure probability of a pressurized tunnel under multiple failure modes, the corresponding safe retaining pressures and optimal range of safe retaining pressures are calculated by introducing allowable failure probability and minimum allowable failure probability. The results can provide practical use in the pressurized tunnel engineering.

Fully Coupled Simulation of Interactions Among Waves, Permeable Breakwaters and Seabeds Based on N−S Equations

Interstitial flows in breakwater cores and seabeds are a key consideration in coastal and marine engineering designs and have a direct impact on their structural safety.In this paper,a unified fully coupled model for wave−permeable breakwater−porous seabed interactions is built based on an improved N−S equation.A numerical wave flume is constructed,and numerical studies are carried out by applying the finite difference method.In combination with a physical model test,the accuracy of the numerical simulation results is verified by comparing the calculated and measured values of wave height at measurement points and the seepage pressure within the breakwater and seabed.On this basis,the characteristics of the surrounding wave field and the internal flow field of the pore structure,as well as the evolution process of the fluctuating pore water pressure inside the breakwater and seabed,are further analyzed.The spatial distribution of the maximum fluctuating pore water pressure in the breakwater is compared between two cases by considering whether the seabed is permeable,and then the effect of seabed permeability on the dynamic pore water pressure in the breakwater is clarified.This study attempts to provide a reference for breakwater design and the protection of nearby seabeds.

Understanding the microscopic moisture migration in pore space using DEM simulation

The deformation of soil skeleton and migration of pore fluid are the major factors relevant to the triggeringof and damages by liquefaction. The influence of pore fluid migration during earthquake has beendemonstrated from recent model experiments and field case studies. Most of the current liquefactionassessment models are based on testing of isotropic liquefiable materials. However the recent NewZealand earthquake shows much severer damages than those predicted by existing models. A fundamentalcause has been contributed to the embedded layers of low permeability silts. The existence ofthese silt layers inhibits water migration under seismic loads, which accelerated liquefaction and causeda much larger settlement than that predicted by existing theories. This study intends to understand theprocess of moisture migration in the pore space of sand using discrete element method （DEM） simulation.Simulations were conducted on consolidated undrained triaxial testing of sand where a cylindersample of sand was built and subjected to a constant confining pressure and axial loading. The porositydistribution was monitored during the axial loading process. The spatial distribution of porosity changewas determined, which had a direct relationship with the distribution of excess pore water pressure. Thenon-uniform distribution of excess pore water pressure causes moisture migration. From this, themigration of pore water during the loading process can be estimated. The results of DEM simulationshow a few important observations： （1） External forces are mainly carried and transmitted by the particlechains of the soil sample; （2） Porosity distribution during loading is not uniform due to nonhomogeneoussoil fabric （i.e. the initial particle arrangement and existence of particle chains）; （3）Excess pore water pressure develops differently at different loading stages. At the early stage of loading,zones with a high initial porosity feature higher porosity changes under the influence of external loading,which leads to a larger pore pressure variation （increase or decrease） in such zones. As the axial strainincreases, particle rearrangement occurs and final porosity distribution has minor relationship with theinitial condition, and the pore pressure distribution becomes irregular. The differences in the porepressure development imply that water will migrate in the pore space in order to balance the pore waterpressure distribution. The results of this simulation offer an insight on the microscale water migration inthe soil pore space, which is important for holistic description of the triggering of soil liquefaction in lightof its microstructure. 2015 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stresses and Shear Fracture Zone of Jinshazhou Tunnel Surrounding Rock in Rich Water Region

Field evidence has shown that large-scale and unstable discontinuous planes in the rock mass surrounding tunnels in rich water region are probably generated after excavation. The tunnel surrounding rock was divided into three zones, including elastic zone, plastic damage zone and shear fracture zone for assessing the stability of the tunnel surrounding rock. By local hydrogeology, the stresses of surrounding rock of Jinshazhou circular tunnel was analyzed and the stress solutions on the elastic and plastic damage zones were obtained by applying the theories of fluid-solid coupling and elasto-plastic damage mechanics. The shear fracture zone generated by joints was studied and its range was determined by using Molar-Coulomb strength criterion. Finally, the correctness of the theoretical results was validated by comparing the scopes of shear fracture zones calculated in this paper with those from literature.