Dynamic soil arching in piled embankment under train load of high-speed railways

Piled embankments have many advantages that have been applied in high-speed railway construction engineering.However,the load transfer mechanism of piled embankments,such as soil arching and tension membranes,is still unclear,especially under dynamic loads.To investigate the soil arching and tension membrane under dynamic train loads on high-speed railways,a large-scale piled embankment model test with X-shaped piles as vertical reinforcement was performed,in which twenty-eight earth pressure cells were installed in the piled embankment and an M-shaped wave was adopted to simulate the high-speed railway train load.The results show that dynamic soil arching only occurs when two bogies of a carriage pass by and disappears at other times.The dynamic soil arching and membrane effect are the most significant under the concrete base.The arching height,stress concentration ratio and pile-soil load sharing ratio have a minimal value at 25 Hz.The dynamic soil arching degrades severely at 25 Hz,whose height at 25 Hz is only 0.35 times that at 5 Hz.The arching height fluctuates over a narrow range with increasing loading amplitude.The stress concentration ratio and the pile-soil load sharing ratio increase monotonically as the loading amplitude increases.

Analysis of Soil arching effect for Blind sheet-pile wharf based on ABAQUS

Combined with practical engineering, based on the introduction of soil arching theory, we explore the impact of barrier piles in blind sheet-pile bank connecting structure. Besides, we build a plane strain model by ABAQUS sot＇cware to study the impact of cross section type, the pile spacing and soil properties on soil arching effect. We find that cross section type of the pile has a certain influence on soil stress distribution in front of the barrier piles by comparing circular cross section and rectangular cross section. We also find that clear distance between the barrier piles and cohesive force of the soil have a great influence on that impact. We can increase clear distance between the barrier piles appropriately to improve the efficiency of construction and reduce the proiect cost.

Analytical model of vertical load acting on jacked pipe considering soil arching effect in cohesionless soil

For the project of pipe jacking in cohesionless soil,it is key to determine the vertical load on jacked pipe so as to predict the jacking force accurately.In this paper,a new parabolic soil arching model was proposed to calculate the vertical load on jacked pipe.This proposed analytical model was composed of parabolic soil arching zone,parabola-typed collapse zone and friction arch zone.Combined with existing literature,the key parameters(i.e.,height of parabolic soil arching,horizontal pressure coefficient and width and height of friction arch)were determined.In addition,considering that the trajectory of major stress is parabola,the formula of horizontal pressure coefficient was deduced in the friction arch.The parabolic soil arching zone is assumed as a three-hinged arch with reasonable arch axis,and the formula of load transfer was derived considering the transition effect of parabolic soil arching.The results of experiment,theoretical models and numerical model were adopted to verify the proposed analytical model.Finally,the influence of the key parameters on the vertical load on jacked pipe were also discussed in detail.This work provides a meaningful reference for evaluating the vertical load on jacked pipe for design of pipe jacking.

Numerical and theoretical analysis on soil arching effect of prefabricated piles as deep foundation pit supports

This study presents a detailed investigation into the soil arching effects within deep foundation pits(DFPs),focusing on their mechanical behavior and implications for structural design.Through rigorous 3D finite element modeling and parameter sensitivity analyses,the research explores the formation,geometric characteristics,and spatial distribution of soil arching phenomena.The investigation encompasses the influence of key parameters such as elastic modulus,cohesion,and internal friction angle on the soil arching effect.The findings reveal that soil arching within DFPs exhibits distinct spatial characteristics,with the prominent arch axis shifting as excavation depth progresses.Optimal soil arching is observed when the pile spacing approximates three times the pile diameter,enhancing soil retention and minimizing deformation risks.Sensitivity analyses highlight the significant impact of soil parameters on soil arching behavior,underscoring the critical role of cohesive forces and internal friction angles in shaping arching characteristics.By elucidating the interplay between soil parameters and soil arching effects,the research provides insights for optimizing pile spacing and structural stability.

Influence of cutterhead opening ratio on soil arching effect and face stability during tunnelling through non-uniform soils

Tunnelling has increasingly become an essential tool in the exploration of underground space.A typical construction problem is the face instability during tunnelling,posing a great threat to associated infrastructures.Tunnel face instability often occurs with the soil arching collapse.This study investigates the combined effect of cutterhead opening ratio and soil non-uniformity on soil arching effect and face stability,via conducting random finite-element analysis coupled with Monte–Carlo simulations.The results underscore that the face stability is strongly associated with the evolution of stress arch.The obtained stability factors in the uniform soils can serve as a reference for the design of support pressure in practical tunnelling engineering.In addition,non-uniform soils exhibit a lower stability factor than uniform soils,which implies that the latter likely yields an underestimated probability of face failure.The tunnel face is found to have a probability of failure more than 50%if the spatial non-uniformity of soil is ignored.In the end,a practical framework is established to determine factor of safety(FOS)corresponding to different levels of probability of face failure considering various opening ratios in non-uniform soils.The required FOS is 1.70 to limit the probability of face instability no more than 0.1%.Our findings can facilitate the prediction of probability of instability in the conventionally deterministic design of face pressure.

Soil arching effect of Lattice-Shaped Diaphragm Wall as bridge foundation

As a new type of bridge foundation, Lattice-Shaped Diaphragm Wall （hereinafter for LSDW） is highly concerned in relevant construction area but its research is far from achievement. Based on PFC2D, the soil arching effect of LSDWs is studied thoroughly in this paper and the special attention is given to its influencing factors. It turns out to be that a differential wall-soil settlement can be found at the lower location of soil core of an LSDW which is one of the trigger factors of soil arching; meanwhile, the differential settlement degree can reflect the exertion degree of soil arching; the shape of soil arching is basically a hemisphere which can be explained by the theory proposed by Hewlett and Randolph; normally, the chamber number is a negative factor for the development of soil arching; the soil arching effect is significantly influenced by the distance of two adjacent wall elements and the foundation depth, and a relatively large or small value of these factors is disadvantageous to the exertion of soil arching; in addition, the soil arching effect increase with the growth of stiffness and friction coefficient of particles and the friction coefficient of particles has insignificant influence on the development of soil arching effect compared with particle stiffness.

2D and 3D discrete numerical modelling of soil arching

In this study,2D and 3D soil arching phenomena associated with piled embankments were evaluated by performing a series of discrete numerical analyses using the particle flow code(PFC3D)software.After validating the micro-parameters with experimental results,we compared the stress-displacement distribution,force chain evolution,maximum vertical displacement of particles,and deformation characteristics induced by 2D and 3D arching effects.Additional analyses were carried out to understand the influence of the fill height,pile clear spacing,friction coefficient,and porosity on soil arching with respect to the stress concentration ratio(SCR)and settlement along the elevation at various sections.The numerical results indicated that a plane soil arch in a 2D embankment overestimates the degree of load transfer and underestimates the settlement at the crest and within the embankment along the elevation in a 3D embankment.A lower equal settlement plane can be found in a 2D embankment.Furthermore,an increase of fill height and friction angle,and a decrease of pile clear spacing and porosity can help to improve the degree of reduction in load transfer and settlement in both 2D and 3D embankments.However,for partially mobilized soil arching in the 3D condition,the increase of fill height reduces the settlement of soils mainly in the portion above the square subsoil area,but has less influence over the portion above the rectangular subsoil area.

Effect of seepage on soil arching effect in deep shield tunnel

Shield tunneling and post-tunneling steady seepage are accompanied by stress and displacement variations,which could induce and influence the soil arching effect.Although there are many studies on the tunneling-induced soil arching effect,the research about the effect of seepage on soil arching effect is extremely lacking.In this study,a numerical model is firstly established and verified by field data.Then,a series of numerical models,whose simulation method of steady seepage is verified by adopting the conformal mapping technique,are established to study the soil arching evolution of deep-buried tunneling and post-construction steady seepage.The results indicate that seepage leads to an increase in effective vertical stress,which is consistent with the existing theory.The seepage weakens the soil arching effect resulting in the height of the arch zone reducing from 2.38D(D is the tunnel diameter)to 1.25D.The seepage leads to the further development of ground consolidation settlement,but the differential displacement in the soil mass decreases.The ground reaction curve in the steady seepage condition shows a bigger value than that after excavation.It is reasonable to control the ground loss ratio in the range of 0.5–1.0%,which can minimize overburden pressure with moderate ground deformation.

Soil-structure interaction of unsymmetrical trench installation culvert

The computation of the design load on culverts in the current Chinese General Code for Design of Highway Bridges and Culverts （CGCDHBC）is primarily based on the linear earth pressure theory, which cannot accurately reflect the changes in vertical loads on trench installation culverts. So the changes in vertical earth pressure and soil arching effect in the backfill for an unsymmetrical trench installation culvert are studied based on a full scale experiment and finite element （FE） simulation. The variation laws of foundation pressure and settlement are also analyzed. Meanwhile, the influence of eccentric load induced by an unsymmetrical trench installation on the interaction of a soil- structure system is discussed. Results show that soil arch is formed when the backfill on the culvert reaches a certain height. It can relieve the earth pressure concentration on the crest of the culvert, but it is instable. The earth pressures obtained by full scale experiment and numerical simulation are greater than those calculated by the current CGCDHBC method. The eccentric load effect on the culvert has a significant influence on the stress states and deformation of the soil-structure system.

Review of research on high-speed railway subgrade settlement in soft soil area

Construction issues of high-speed rail infrastructures have been increasingly concerned worldwide,of which the subgrade settlement in soft soil area becomes a particularly critical problem.Due to the high compressibility and low permeability of soft soil,the post-construction settlement of the subgrade is extremely difficult to control in these regions,which seriously threatens the operation safety of high-speed trains.In this work,the significant issues of high-speed railway subgrades in soft soil regions are discussed.The theoretical and experimental studies on foundation treatment methods for ballasted and ballastless tracks are reviewed.The settlement evolution and the settlement control effect of different treatment methods are highlighted.Control technologies of subgrade differential settlement are subsequently briefly presented.Settlement calculation algorithms of foundations reinforced by different treatment methods are discussed in detail.The defects of existing prediction methods and the challenges faced in their practical applications are analyzed.Furthermore,the guidance on future improvement in control theories and technologies of subgrade settlement for high-speed railway lines and the corresponding challenges are provided.

Improved method for determining active earth pressure considering arching effect and actual slip surface

To determine the distribution of active earth pressure on retaining walls, a series of model tests with the horizontally translating rigid walls are designed. Particle image velocimetry is used to study the movement and shear strain during the active failure of soil with height H and friction angle φ. The test results show that there are 3 stages of soil deformation under retaining wall translation: the initial stage, the expansion stage and the stability stage. The stable sliding surface in the model tests can be considered to be composed of two parts. Within the height range of 0.82 H-1.0 H, it is a plane at an angle of π/4+φ/2 to the horizontal plane. In the height range of 0-0.82 H, it is a curve between a logarithmic spiral and a plane at an angle of π/4+φ/2 to the horizontal. A new method applicable to any sliding surface is proposed for active earth pressure with the consideration of arching effect. The active earth pressure is computed with the actual shape of the slip surface and compared with model test data and with predictions obtained by existing methods. The comparison shows that predictions from the newly proposed method are more consistent with the measured data than the predictions from the other methods.

Centrifuge and numerical modeling of h-type anti-slide pile reinforced soil-rock mixture slope

Due to the loose structure,high porosity and high permeability of soil-rock mixture slope,the slope is unstable and may cause huge economic losses and casualties.The h-type anti-slide pile is regarded as an effective means to prevent the instability of soilrock mixture slope.In this paper,a centrifuge model test was conducted to investigate the stress distribution of the h-type anti-slide pile and the evolution process of soil arching during the loading.A numerical simulation model was built based on the similar relationship between the centrifuge model and the prototype to investigate the influence factors of the pile spacing,anchored depth,and crossbeam stiffness,and some recommendations were proposed for its application.The results show that the bending moment distribution of the rear pile exhibits Wshaped,while for the front pile,its distribution resembles V-shaped.The soil arching evolution process during loading is gradually dissipated from bottom to top and from far to near.During the loading,the change of bending moment can be divided into three stages,namely,the stabilization stage,the slow growth stage,and the rapid growth stage.In engineering projects,the recommended values of the pile spacing,anchored depth,and crossbeam stiffness are 4.0d,2.0d,and 2.0EI,where d and EI are the diameter and bending stiffness of the h-type anti-slide pile respectively.

Feasibility study on sinkhole monitoring with fiber optic strain sensing nerves

Anthropogenic activity-induced sinkholes pose a serious threat to building safety and human life nowadays.Real-time detection and early warning of sinkhole formation are a key and urgent problem in urban areas.This paper presents an experimental study to evaluate the feasibility of fiber optic strain sensing nerves in sinkhole monitoring.Combining the artificial neural network(ANN)and particle image velocimetry(PIV)techniques,a series of model tests have been performed to explore the relationship between strain measurements and sinkhole development and to establish a conversion model from strain data to ground settlements.It is demonstrated that the failure mechanism of the soil above the sinkhole developed from a triangle failure plane to a vertical failure plane with increasing collapse volume.Meanwhile,the soil-embedded fiber optic strain sensing nerves allowed deformation monitoring of the ground soil in real time.Furthermore,the characteristics of the measured strain profiles indicate the locations of sinkholes and the associated shear bands.Based on the strain data,the ANN model predicts the ground settlement well.Additionally,micro-anchored fiber optic cables have been proven to increase the soil-to-fiber strain transfer efficiency for large deformation monitoring of ground collapse.

Horizontal trap-door investigation on face failure zone of shield tunneling in sands

A novel horizontal trap-door test system was devised in this study to analyze the face stability of shield tunnels in sands.The test system can be used to investigate both the longitudinal and cross sections of the face failure simultaneously at one single apparatus and was employed to perform face stability tests on small-scaled tunnel models at single gravity.The lateral support pressures and failure zones were studied with varying sand materials and earth covers.The results demonstrate that the tunnel face moves back,the lateral active earth pressure on the tunnel face decreases rapidly to a residual value,and the lateral pressure distribution can be categorized into three stages during the failure process:1)initial state;2)pressure dissipation stage;and 3)pressure zone diminution stage.Furthermore,face failure firstly develops from a stable condition to the local failure state,and then continues to develop to the global failure state that can be divided into two sub-zones with different failure mechanisms:rotational failure zone(lower zone)and gravitational failure zone(upper zone).Further discussion shows that under the effects of soil arching,the shape of the gravitational failure zone can adopt arch shaped(most frequent)and column shaped(in shallow tunnels).Limit support pressure for face stability usually appears atδ/D=0.2%−0.5%(ratio of face displacement to tunnel diameter).

Earth Pressure of the Trapdoor Problem Using Three-Dimensional Discrete Element Method

Load transformation from the yielding part of the soil to the adjacent part is known as the soil arching effect,which plays an important role in the design of various geotechnical infrastructures.Terzaghi’s trapdoor test was an importantmilestone in the development of theories on soil arching.The research on earth pressure of the trapdoor problem is presented in this paper using the three-dimensional(3D)discrete element method(DEM).Five 3D trapdoor models with different heights are established by 3DDEMsoftware PFC 3D.The variation of earth pressure on the trapdoor with the downward movement of the trapdoor,the distribution of vertical earth pressure along the horizontal direction,the distribution of vertical earth pressure along the vertical direction,the distribution of lateral earth pressure coefficient along the depth direction,the magnitude and direction of contact force chain are studied,respectively.Related research results show that the earth pressure on the trapdoor decreases rapidly after the downward movement of the trapdoor,and then reaches the minimum earth pressure.After that,the earth’s pressure will rise slightly,and whether this phenomenon occurs depends on the depth ratio.For the bottom soil,due to the stress transfer caused by the soil arching effect,the ratio of earth pressure in the loose area decreases,while the ratio of earth pressure in the stable area increases.With the trapdoor moving down,the vertical earth pressure along the depth in the stable zone is basically consistent with the initial state,which shows an approximate linear distribution.After the trapdoor moves down,the distribution of earth pressure along with the depth in the loose area changes,which is far less than the theoretical value of vertical earth pressure of its self-weight.Because of the compression of the soil on both sides,the lateral earth pressure coefficient of most areas on the central axis of the loose zone is close to the passive earth pressure coefficient Kp.The existence of a‘soil arch’can be observed intuitively from the distribution diagram of the contact force chain in the loose zone.

Loosening earth pressure above shallow trapdoor in unsaturated soil with different groundwater level

The consideration of unsaturated conditions is infrequently addressed in current Terzaghi’s soil arching research.A modified analytical method for calculation of unsaturated loosening earth pressure above shallow trapdoor is proposed in this paper.By assuming the existence of a vertical slip surface above the trapdoor,the stress state of the soil in the loosening area are delineated in the extended Mohr–Coulomb circle.To account for the non-uniform distribution of vertical stress at arbitrary points along the horizontal differential soil trip,a virtual rotation circle trajectory of major principal stress is employed.Subsequently,the average vertical stress acting on the soil trip is determined through integral approach.Taking into account the influence of matric suction on soil weight and apparent cohesion,the differential equation governing the soil trip is solved analytically for cases of uniform matric suction distribution and alternatively using the finite difference method for scenarios involving non-uniform matric suction distribution.The proposed method’s validity is confirmed through comparison with published results.The parameter analysis indicates that the loosening earth pressure initially decreases and subsequently increases with the increase of the soil saturation.With the rise of groundwater level,the normalized effective loosening earth pressure shows a decreasing trend.

Model tests on interaction between soil and geosynthetics subjected to localized subsidence in landfills

In a landfill, excessive tensile strains or failure of the liner system due to localized subsidence underneath the geosynthetic liner, is a concern in design and operation of the landfill. The localized subsidence can be commonly withstood by reinforcements such as geogrids. A total of nine model tests were carried out to study the influence of soil arching in overburden sandy soil on the geosynthetics and the interaction between the soil and the geosynthetics. The localized subsidence was modeled by a strip trapdoor under the geosynthetic reinforcements. The reinforcement includes several layers of polyvinylchlorid （PVC） membrane or both PVC membrane and a compacted clay layer. Test results show that the vertical soil pressure acting on the geosynthetics within the subsidence zone is strongly related to the deflection of the geosynthefics. The soil pressure acting on the deflected geosynthetics will decrease to a minimum value with respect to its deflection if the final deflection is large enough, and this minimum value is almost independent of the overburden height. Otherwise, the deflection of geosynthetics cannot result in a full degree of soil arching, and the soil pressure within the subsidence zone increases with the increase of overburden height. Deflections and strains of the geosynthetics obviously decrease with the increase of their tensile stiffness. The presence of a compacted clay layer buffer can therefore reduce both deflections and strains of the geosynthetics. Finally, a composite liner structure is recommended for landfills to withstand the localized subsidences.

Effect of pipe installation and external load on buried steel pipe responses:Experimental and numerical investigations

During pipe installation,compacting soil at pipe sides causes an initial pipe deformation which is known as the"peaking"effect.However,in conventional pipe design codes,only pipe deformation caused by vertical overburden is considered while the"peaking"effect is ignored.In this study,a full-scale test was conducted on a Grade X52 steel pipe with a diameter of 600 mm to investigate the impacts of both soil compaction and vertical overburden on pipe deformation.Soil compaction and external load were found to elongate and shorten the vertical pipe diameter,respectively.The"peaking"effect was observed during the installation procedure accompanied by the highest pipe stress measured at the pipe crown.Then,a two-dimensional finite element model was created and validated based on the calculated pipe stresses from the experimental study.A parametric study was performed thereafter to numerically study the impacts of soil water content,pipe wall thickness,compaction pressure,and lift thickness on pipe responses due to soil compaction and external load.An increase in the"peaking"effect is observed with increasing soil water content and compaction pressure,while an increase in pipe wall thickness or lift thickness would cause a decrease in the"peaking"effect.

A semi-analytical method for the analysis of pile-supported embankments

In this paper,a semi-analytical method for the analysis of pile-supported embankments is proposed.The mathematic model describes the cooperative behavior of pile,pile cap,foundation soil,and embankment fills.Based on Terzaghi's 1D consolidation theory of saturated soil,the consolidation of foundation soil is calculated.The embankments with two different types of piles:floating piles and end-bearing piles are investigated and discussed.The results of axial force and skin friction distributions along the pile and the settlements of pile-supported embankments are presented.It is found that it takes a longer time for soil consolidation in the embankment with floating piles,compared with the case using end-bearing piles.The differential settlement between the pile and surrounding soil at the pile top is larger for the embankment with end-bearing piles,compared with the case of floating piles.

Surface settlement induced by horizontal directional drilling

Horizontal directional drilling(HDD)is a widely used trenchless method for underground utility connections.The associated ground settlement triggered by HDD depends on the size,types,and surface texture of pipe,diameter of borehole,and soil conditions.The pre-sent study investigates the surface settlement due to the construction of a 1067 mm diameter HDD,which will replace an existing sewer siphon under the SR-60 highway in Chino,California using empirical,and numerical methods.Based on the results obtained from the subsurface investigation,an empirical analysis was conducted first.followed by numerical modeling of the HDD using PLAXIS 2D soft-ware.A careful comparison between two different methods indicated closer values of surface settlement between the empirical method(7.3 mm)and the numerical modeling(4.6 mm).In addition,the shape of surface settlement and horizontal settlement curves for the empirical and numerical methods was found to be similar.The minor discrepancy between the two methods resulted as the numerical model can host several soil layers whereas the empirical equation can use only one type of soil.Finally,a parametric study was conducted to evaluate the effect of borehole cover depth,size,and soil parameters on surface settlement.It was observed that soil strength param-eters yielded a greater effect on surface movement,whereas modulus of elasticity has a relatively smaller influence with zero contribution from Poisson’s ratio.