Numerical stress-deformation analysis of cut-off wall in clay-core rockfill dam on thick overburden

The cut-off wall in a clay-core rockfill dam built on a thick overburden layer is subjected to a large compressive pressure under the action of the loads such as the dead weight of both the dam and the overburden layer, the frictional force induced by the differential settlement between the cut-off wall and surrounding soils, and the water pressure. Thus, reduction of the stress of the cut-off wall has become one of the main problems for consideration in engineering design. In this paper, numerical analysis of a core rockfill dam built on a thick overburden layer was conducted and some factors influencing the stress-strain behaviors of the cut-off wall were investigated. The factors include the improvement of the overburden layer, the modeling approach for interfacial contact between the cut-off wall and surrounding soils, the modulus of the cut-off wall concrete, and the connected pattern between the cut-off wall and the clay core. The result shows that improving the overburden layer,selecting plastic concrete with a low modulus and high strength, and optimizing the connection between the cut-off wall and the clay core of the dam are effective measures of reducing the deformations and compressive stresses of the cut-off wall. In addition, both the Goodman element and the mud-layer element are suitable for simulating the interfacial contact between the cut-off wall and surrounding soils.

Active earth pressure for subgrade retaining walls in cohesive backfills with tensile strength cut-off subjected to seepage effects

The commonly used Mohr-Coulomb(M-C) failure condition has a limitation that it overestimates the tensile strength of cohesive soils. To overcome this limitation, the tensile strength cut-off was applied where the predicted tensile strength is reduced or eliminated. This work then presented a kinematical approach to evaluate the active earth pressure on subgrade retaining walls in cohesive backfills with saturated seepage effects. An effective rotational failure mechanism was constructed assuming an associative flow rule. The impact of seepage forces, whose distribution is described by a closed-form solution, was incorporated into the analysis. The thrust of active earth pressure was derived from the energy conservation equation, and an optimization program was then coded to obtain the most critical solution. Several sets of charts were produced to perform a parameter analysis. The results show that taking soil cohesion into account has a distinct beneficial influence on the stability of retaining walls, while seepage forces have an adverse effect. The active earth pressure increases when tensile strength cut-off is considered, and this increment is more noticeable under larger cohesion.

Application of High-Density Seismic Image in Nondestructive Exploration of Cut-off Cement-Soil Wall in Earth Dam

In order to quickly explore the quality of cut-off wall in dams, a new method of high-density seismic image was adopted and estimated by model and in-situ wall tests.The vibration exciter was employed and several parameters such as hypocentral distance, length of signal record and sampling space in signal collection were determined, which are 8 m, 0.25 ms and 128 ms respectively. Through time and frequency field signal analyses, it is concluded that, the smaller arrival times of reflected longitudinal and surface waves, and the higher their main frequencies, the higher the strength of the wall, vice versa. Accordingly the construction quality of the wall can be evaluated quickly by high-density seismic image.

黏土配制水利水电工程围堰防渗墙塑性混凝土的试验研究

对黏土配制水利水电工程围堰防渗墙塑性混凝土进行配合比试验、黏土掺入方法以及性能试验方法等研究,结果表明:黏土配制塑性混凝土具有和易性好、可自流平、低弹性模量、抗渗能力强等特点;合理的配合比设计可较大幅度减少水泥用量、降低工程造价;黏土资源丰富、就地取材的特点在水利工程围堰防渗墙塑性混凝土应用上具有很大的优越性。

SEEPAGE ANALYSIS OF LANDFILL FOUNDATIONS IN SHANGHAI LAOGANG LANDFILL PHASE IV

A complex seepage flow field with unknown free surface was formed in the Shanghai Laogang Municipal Solid Waste （MSW） Landfill by the perimeter cut-off wall around the landfill site and the Prefabricated Vertical Drains （PVD） in the foundation of landfill. First, the equivalent vertical permeability was presented based on the drainage mechanism of PVD and the related calculation method was studied to macroscopically reflect the impact of PVD on the seepage flow status of the landfill foundation. With the influence of the cut-off wall and the PVD on the infiltration of groundwater, the total inflow was classified into two parts： the lateral inflow through the cut-off wall outside the landfill, and the upward infiltration through the PVD from the foundation of the landfill. Seepage analysis was conducted using the finite element method according to the actual scenario of Laogang Landfill, and the lateral infiltration and the upward infiltration were calculated, respectively. The results show that the total inflow into the landfill area was mostly supplied by the upward infiltration through the PVD and the perimeter cut-off wall was significantly effective to depressurize the seepage pressure and to reduce the flow rate.