A New Method of Combination of Electroosmosis, Vacuum and Surcharge Preloading for Soft Ground Improvement

As a rapid and effective ground improvement method is urgently required for the booming land reclamation in China＇s coastal area, this study proposes a new combined method of electroosmosis, vacuum preloading and surcharge preloading. A new type of electrical prefabricated vertical drain （ePVD） and a new electroosmotic drainage system are suggested to allow the application of the new method. This combined method is then field-tested and compared with the conventional vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method. The monitoring and foundation test results show that the new method induces a settlement 20% larger than that of the conventional vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method in the same treatment period, and saves approximately half of the treatment time compared with the vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method according to the finite element prediction of the settlement. The proposed method also increases the vane shear strength of the soil significantly. The bearing capacity of the ground improved by use of the new proposed method raises 118%. In comparison, there is only a 75% rise when using the vacuum combined with surcharge preloading method during the same reinforcement period. All results indicate that the proposed combined method is effective and suitable for reinforcing the soft clay ground. Besides, the voltage applied between the anode and cathode increases exponentially versus treatment time when the output current of power supplies is kept constant. Most of the voltage potential in electroosmosis is lost at electrodes, leaving smaller than 50% of the voltage to be effectively transmitted into the soil.

Rigorous Axially Symmetric Consolidation Solution of Vacuum Combined Linear Loading Surcharge Preloading

Vacuum combined surcharge preloading is an effective method which has been used in ground treatment. This study presents the analytical solution of vertical drains with vacuum combined surcharge preloading. The surcharge was considered to be time-dependent preloading due to its reflection of the real situation.Moreover,the free strain,instead of equal strain hypothesis of the surface,was adopted for the mathematical rigor. Both vertical and horizontal drainages,along with the well resistance were considered.Besides,the time-dependent surcharge preloading was resolved with the impulse theorem which has been presented in the study,and the solutions for pore water pressure and degree of consolidation were derived by applying the approach of separation of variables.Furthermore,the solution is compared with previous solutions and numerical solutions,and the results verify the correctness of the proposed model.

Numerical Simulation of Vacuum Preloading for Chemically Conditioned Municipal Sludge

Municipal sludge is a sedimentation waste produced during the wastewater process in sewage treatment plants.Among recent studies,pilot and field tests showed that chemical conditioning combined with vacuum preloading can effectively treat municipal sludge.To further understand the drainage and consolidation characteristics of the conditioning sludge during vacuum preloading,a large deformation nonlinear numerical simulation model based on the equal strain condition was developed to simulate and analyze the pilot and field tests,whereas the simulation results were not satisfactory.The results of the numerical analysis of the pilot test showed that the predicted consolidation degree was greater than that measured by the field tests,which is attributed to the relatively low permeability layer formed during the preloading process of the prefabricated vertical drain.To better reflect the consolidation process of the conditioned sludge,a simplified analysis method considering the low permeability layer around the prefabricated vertical drain was proposed.The initial permeability coefficient of the low permeability layer is determined via numerical simulations using finite difference method.The predicted settlement curve was in good agreement with the measured results,which indicated that the numerical simulation based on the equal strain condition considering the relatively low permeability layer can better analyze the consolidation process of ferric chloride-conditioning sludge with vacuum preloading.

Laboratory study for effects of vacuum preloading on physical and mechanical properties of soft clayey soils

A new triaxial apparatus was designed and manufactured. It is able to applysurcharge and combined vacuum-surcharge pressures on soil samples, and allows for monitoring ofexcess pore-water pressure, axial strain or settlement, and volumetric strain during the process ofconsolidation. Tests were performed using the apparatus on undisturbed soft clayey soil samples,which were collected from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, at average natural water content 72. 5%. The consolidation behavior of theclay has no rigorous difference, whether it is consolidatedunder the vacuum, surcharge, or combined vacuum-surcharge preloading. The study shows that somephysical properties of the soft clayey soils are changed and mechanical properties are improved tosupport excessive loads transferred to the soil foundation due to construction.

Laboratory model study of newly deposited dredger fills using improved multiple-vacuum preloading technique

Problems continue to be encountered concerning the traditional vacuum preloading method in field during the treatment of newly deposited dredger fills.In this paper,an improved multiple-vacuum preloading method was developed to consolidate newly dredger fills that are hydraulically placed in seawater for land reclamation in Lingang Industrial Zone of Tianjin City,China.With this multiplevacuum preloading method,the newly deposited dredger fills could be treated effectively by adopting a novel moisture separator and a rapid improvement technique without sand cushion.A series of model tests was conducted in the laboratory for comparing the results from the multiple-vacuum preloading method and the traditional one.Ten piezometers and settlement plates were installed to measure the variations in excess pore water pressures and moisture content,and vane shear strength was measured at different positions.The testing results indicate that water dischargeetime curves obtained by the traditional vacuum preloading method can be divided into three phases:rapid growth phase,slow growth phase,and steady phase.According to the process of fluid flow concentrated along tiny ripples and building of larger channels inside soils during the whole vacuum loading process,the fluctuations of pore water pressure during each loading step are divided into three phases:steady phase,rapid dissipation phase,and slow dissipation phase.An optimal loading pattern which could have a best treatment effect was proposed for calculating the water discharge and pore water pressure of soil using the improved multiple-vacuum preloading method.For the newly deposited dredger fills at Lingang Industrial Zone of Tianjin City,the best loading step was 20 kPa and the loading of 40-50 k Pa produced the highest drainage consolidation.The measured moisture content and vane shear strength were discussed in terms of the effect of reinforcement,both of which indicate that the multiple-vacuum preloading method has a better treatment effect not only in decreasing the moisture content and increasing the bearing capacity,but also in increasing the process uniformity at different depths of foundation.

Improvement of silty clay by vacuum preloading incorporated with electroosmotic method

A laboratory test was performed to assess the effectiveness of vacuum preloading incorporated with electroosmotic (EOM) treatment on silty clay (combined method) for reclamation projects like new disposal ponds, where the horizontal electrode configurations beneath the soil layer were possible and the drainage pipes and the prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) system could be easily installed in advance before the sludge dragged from sea bed or river bed was filled into the site. Three groups of tests were conducted on the silty clay from Qinhuai River in Nanjing, China. The model is able to apply vacuum pressure at the bottom of the soil layer and a direct current electric field simultaneously. It is also possible to measure the pore pressures at different depths of soil column, and the changes in settlement and volume with the elapsed time. In this study, the vacuum preloading method, vacuum preloading applied at the bottom (VAB method), was applied and the cathodes were installed beneath the soil layer. The results obtained indicate substantial reduction in water content, and increases in dry density and undrained shear strength in comparison with those obtained by the vacuum preloading only, particularly at the positions close to the anode. The combined method utilizes the vertical drainage flow created by the electroosmosis integrating the horizontal drainage flow created mostly by the vacuum pressure. The total drainage flow can be calculated as a result of the vertical drainage flow by electroosmosis only and the horizontal drainage flow by the vacuum preloading only. The way of placement of the cathode and the anode in the combined method also overcomes the disadvantage of EOM method itself, i.e. the appearance of cracks between the anode and the surrounding soil. Moreover, it is observed that the vacuum preloading plays a primary role in earlier stage in deduction of free pore water; meanwhile, the electroosmotic method is more efficient in later stage for absorbing water in the diffused double layers of soil.

Vacuum preloading combined electroosmotic strengthening of ultra-soft soil

To assess the effectiveness of vacuum preloading combined electroosmotic strengthening of ultra-soft soil and study the mechanism of the process, a comprehensive experimental investigation was performed. A laboratory test cell was designed and applied to evaluate the vacuum preloading combined electroosmosis. Several factors were taken into consideration, including the directions of the electroosmotic current and water induced by vacuum preloading and the replenishment of groundwater from the surrounding area. The results indicate that electroosmosis together with vacuum preloading improve the soil strength greatly, with an increase of approximately 60%, and reduce the water content of the soil on the basis of consolidation of vacuum preloading, howeve~ further settlement is not obvious with only 1.7 mm. The reinforcement effect of vacuum preloading combined electroosmosis is better than that of electroosmosis after vacuum preloading. Elemental analysis using X-ray fluorescence proves that the soil strengthening during electroosmotic period in this work is mainly caused by electroosmosis-induced electrochemical reactions, the concentrations of Al2O3 in the VPCEO region increase by 2.2%, 1.5%, and 0.9% at the anode, the midpoint between the electrodes, and the cathode, respectively.

Numerical model of soft ground improvement by vertical drain combined with vacuum preloading

The rapid development of high-speed transportation infrastructure such as highway and high-speed railway has resulted in the advancement of soft soil improvement techniques. Vacuum preloading combined with vertical drains has been proved to be an effective method in the treatment of soft foundation. A three-dimensional numerical analysis of the coupled methods was presented, in which the smear zone and the well resistance were taken into account. The variations of the basic soil parameters including the permeability coefficient and the coefficient of volume compressibility were considered in the numerical model. The result of the numerical model was then compared to the measured value. The results indicate that the decrease of coefficient of volume compressibility accelerates the consolidation of the soil while the influence of hydraulic conductivity is insignificant. A cube drain presents the closest result to the real situation compared to the other equivalent methods of prefabricated vertical drain (PVD). The case study indicates that the numerical model with variation of soil parameters is closer to the measured value than the numerical model without variation of soil parameters.

Simulation Vacuum Preloading Method by Tri-Axial Apparatus

It is very important to control any risk of instability of embankment during vacuum construction, the simulation vacuum preloading method using tri-axial apparatus is proposed to predict the behavior of soft soil improvement in the laboratory, as well as to make this method become familiar and easier in the future. The tri-axial apparatus is used instead of the large-scale one, which has been performed by Bergado (1998) and Indaratna (2008). The tri-axial test on small size specimen can be carried out in one week compared to the large-scale apparatus takes one month for big specimen. In addition, the lateral deformation as well as the shear strength increase with time can determine accurately.

Analysis of ground deformation development and settlement prediction by air-boosted vacuum preloading

Vacuum preloading has been widely used to improve soft soils in coastal areas of China.An increasing amount of evidence from field operations has shown that conventional vacuum preloading is prone to clogging in prefabricated vertical drains(PVDs)and demands a large volume of sand fills.In recent years,air-boosted vacuum preloading has been developed to overcome these limitations;however,this method still requires more data to verify its performance.In this study,a field test for air-boosted vacuum preloading was conducted,and a large-strain two-dimensional(2D)finite element(FE)model was developed and validated against the field test data.Then,a series of FE parametric analyses was performed to assess key factors,i.e.the air injection pressure,the injection spacing,and the characteristics of cyclic injection,which affect the performance of the air-boosted vacuum preloading.The results showed that the ground settlement and lateral displacement of the soils increased due to an increase in the injection pressure,a decrease in the injection spacing,or increases in the number and duration of the injection cycles.Based on the parametric analyses,an empirical formula for ground settlement prediction was proposed and compared with a case history reported in the literature,showing good agreement.

Numerical study of rheologic and soil damage for ground improvement by vacuum preloading

Based on the characteristics and reinforcement mechanism of vacuum preloading applied in high way soft foundation, the theoretical calculation method of vacuum preloading was presented. According to the equivalent method derived from sand drain foundation subjected to plane and axisymmetric conditions, the three dimensional problem was transformed into plane strain problem. The modified Komala-Huang model was used to model the rheological behavior and the damage theory was also introduced to consider the effect of damage caused by construction disturbance. Numerical simulations were carried out for a high way test section. The results show that simulations of the viscoelastic-plastic-damage model are in good agreement with the field measurements. It suggests that the calculation method, simplified load and boundary condition used in this study are reasonable.

水平联合竖直排水板真空预压处理工程废浆试验研究

传统真空预压法(VP)在加固工程废浆时存在预制竖向排水板(PVD)易淤堵、周围土体形成土柱以及真空度随深度衰减等问题,考虑到预制水平排水板(PHD)在真空预压法处理软土地基中的特点,提出一种水平联合竖直排水板真空预压(PHD-PVD-VP)处理工程废浆的方法。通过4组大型室内模型试验,对工程废浆加固过程中的排水、沉降以及孔隙水压力进行监测,并借助扫描电镜得到的排水板滤膜微观图片,分析不同初始PHD真空压力下PHD-PVD-VP对工程废浆的加固效果。试验结果表明,PHD-PVD-VP处理工程废浆时减少了土颗粒径向移动速率,延缓“土柱”的形成及缓解土颗粒嵌入排水板滤膜的淤堵效应,提升了土体整体固结效果;40 kPa的初始PHD真空压力使PHD-PVD-VP对工程废浆的排水固结效果最佳,处理后土体的平均含水率和十字板剪切强度分别为40.9%和25.5 kPa,有效地缓解了PHD和PVD的淤堵并改善了土体固结的均匀性。通过微观结构分析发现,PHD初始真空压力的大小同时影响着PHD与PVD滤膜的淤堵情况,从而影响其排水性能,40 kPa的初始PHD真空压力使得两种排水板的排水性能都得到充分发挥。

等应变条件下增压式真空预压固结解析解

从注气增压对土体作用效果的角度出发,建立增压式真空预压固结解析理论模型。提出基于注气增压压力等效的受力简化模型;引入新参数——径向渗透系数增大系数η,反映注气过程对土体渗透性质的改变。根据Barron等应变假定和达西定律,考虑排水板涂抹效应与井阻作用、土体径-竖向渗流以及上部堆载,推导增压式真空预压固结控制方程及其解析解,并利用弹性力学方法推导等效注气增压压力p(t)的计算公式。针对瞬时增压和线性增压两种特例给出具体解析解公式,并通过与工程案例对比分析,验证了解析解及等效力计算方法的合理性。通过对固结性状的分析得出如下结论:注气增压方法可增大土体负孔隙水压力值,加速土体排水固结;“参数η”对固结速率的影响较大,分析模型中考虑注气过程对径向渗透系数的改变会更加合理;井阻作用会导致土体固结速率减慢,径-竖向渗流时孔压能够消散完成,而只有径向渗流时孔压无法消散完成。

真空预载型多孔质空气静压轴承的静动态特性分析

为进一步提高轴承刚度,将真空预加载技术与多孔质空气静压轴承相结合,使轴承在没有额外预加载导轨的情况下获得双向刚度。探讨工作条件和结构参数对真空预载型多孔质空气静压轴承性能的影响,基于计算流体力学(computational fluid dynamics,CFD)方法对其静动态特性进行了数值分析。深入研究了供气压力、真空度、渗透率、真空抽气口直径、扰动幅度和扰动频率等因素对轴承性能的影响。结果表明,相比于一般多孔质空气静压轴承,真空预载型多孔质空气静压轴承的刚度提高了22.34%;工作条件和结构参数对其静态和动态特性有显著影响。该研究结果对高刚度空气静压轴承的性能研究和优化设计具有一定的指导意义。

超高压压裂管汇由壬接头预紧特性分析

针对超高压压裂管汇由壬接头安装预紧力不当导致结构破坏或密封泄漏的问题,以某公司研制的175 MPa超高压由壬接头为研究对象,利用ABAQUS建立由壬接触模型,采用有限单元法对该接头进行应力分析与强度评定以及密封性能判定。结果表明:预紧力大小对母由壬应力几乎没有影响,对公由壬、翼型螺母和三瓣挡圈应力有显著影响,且都呈现正相关性,影响程度从高到低依次为公由壬、翼型螺母、三瓣挡圈和母由壬;额定工况下预紧力超过250 kN时,公由壬轴肩圆角处应力超过其材料许用应力,结构静强度不满足要求可能会发生结构破坏;预紧力小于150 kN时,不足以抵抗内压作用,公由壬和母由壬球头锥面密封结构分离;在能够确保球头锥面密封性和结构安全性的150~250 kN预紧力范围内,氢化丁腈橡胶(HNBR)密封圈表面接触应力始终大于实时流体工作压力,密封圈密封性能良好。推荐安装预紧力范围为150~250 kN,在该范围内密封圈结构的静强度以及密封性均能满足要求。

基于滑移线法的黏土海床中浅基础固结承载力分析

为评估海底浅基础服役过程的承载力时变规律,推导了预载作用下黏土海床完全固结后的不排水抗剪强度分布,利用滑移线法给出了应力特征线方程并求解出浅基础固结承载力,研究了预载比、土体不均匀性、有效内摩擦角和基础尺寸对浅基础固结承载力的影响.结果表明:浅基础固结承载力的相对增长幅度和预载比近似呈线性关系,由土体不均匀因子和有效内摩擦角共同决定,不受基础尺寸的影响.通过与水土耦合有限元分析结果进行比较,对所提方法的准确性进行了严格的验证,表明了该方法的有效性.最后,根据有限元结果分析了滑移线解的误差来源,发现孔压计算差异是导致固结承载力预测结果产生误差的主要原因.该滑移线解可快速准确地预估浅基础固结承载力的增长规律,为海底浅基础的优化设计提供重要参考.

连接界面黏滑摩擦行为的非线性载荷重构方法

提出一种连接界面黏滑摩擦行为的非线性载荷重构方法。基于非线性动力学子结构建模方法,将复杂连接结构视作线性子结构和非线性连接两部分,通过虚拟非线性激励载荷进行关联。以线性子结构为研究对象,采用两次动刚度矩阵求逆的反转技术消除传递函数的病态奇异性,建立观测点自由度和非线性连接自由度之间的传递关系。考虑连接界面黏滑摩擦行为的影响,将观测的非线性动力响应进行谐波级数展开,直接辨识连接界面的局部非线性接触载荷。利用螺栓连接梁结构的数值仿真和实验结果进行验证。结果表明:重构的虚拟非线性激励载荷能够直接反映连接界面黏滑摩擦行为的影响,并且能够有效地识别螺栓连接界面预紧性能的变化。

不同应力水平下给定含水率混凝土低温有效预压性能试验研究

为评估低温储罐类预应力混凝土结构设计及安全性能,通过对混凝土施加各种初始预压应力水平(0.2、0.3、0.4、0.5、0.6及0.7)并在-160℃低温作用下的试验,系统地探讨其有效预压性能变化规律,同时比较较高和正常两种较为典型混凝土含水率情况对其影响差异。结果表明,随施加的初始预压应力水平提高,混凝土降温点和温均点时的有效预压应力损失率均呈下降的变化趋势,而其降温段和恒温段时的有效预压应力变化率的变化较为复杂;混凝土达其降温点后恒温阶段的有效预压应力损失均有所恢复,且随初始预压应力水平的提高其恢复程度更加明显;含水率对不同初始预压应力水平混凝土低温作用下降温点和恒温点时的有效预压应力损失率变化趋势未产生影响,仅使其变化程度有较明显的差异。

长期堆载预压处理软土地基效果评价

为评估某园区10 a长期堆载预压后,场地后续沉降对拟建管线的影响,通过室内试验和现场试验对堆载预压处理后的场地进行系统评价,分别采用双曲线法与有限元法对后续沉降进行预测。结果表明:场地堆载预压10 a后各地层物理力学参数明显改善,但其中淤泥层性质相对较差,是场地后续沉降发生的主要地层;经过10 a堆载,场地主固结沉降基本完成,固结度达到95.5%,说明长期堆载预压效果较好;对于堆载多年后的场地,在进行后续沉降数值计算时,采用弹性模型并选用现场试验获得的参数进行计算,计算结果与实测数据较好吻合,场地剩余平均沉降量在15.4 cm左右;园区道路管线可采取常规预防措施。

头部支撑面角对连杆螺栓与大头盖接触应力的影响

国标六角法兰面螺栓对螺栓支撑面角度范围提出设计指导,但没有具体指出最佳角度,且其对螺栓预紧力及支撑面应力的影响尚无明确结论。通过建立发动机连杆螺栓的精细拧紧有限元仿真模型,并利用Yamamoto解析法验证了连杆螺栓有限元模型的准确性。研究了螺栓头部支撑面角对拧紧载荷下连杆螺栓预紧力和应力分布的影响,同时通过计算疲劳安全系数对螺栓头部支撑面的结构可靠性进行综合评估。结果表明:螺栓头部支撑面角取0.5°为最佳;提出了带有U型沉割槽的连杆螺栓结构模型,优化后的螺栓结构在螺栓头部与螺杆结合处的平均应力下降16.2%,平均疲劳安全系数提高19.6%。