Modelling the viscoplastic behaviour of Callovo-Oxfordian claystone with consideration of damage effect

In order to evaluate the performance of deep geological disposal of radioactive waste,an underground research laboratory(URL)was constructed by Andra in the Callovo-Oxfordian(COx)claystone formation at the Meuse/Haute-Marne(MHM).The construction of URL induced the excavation damage of host formations,and the ventilation in the galleries desaturated the host formation close to the gallery wall.Moreover,it is expected that the mechanical behaviour of COx claystone is time-dependent.This study presents a constitutive model developed to describe the viscoplastic behaviour of unsaturated and damaged COx claystone.In this model,the unsaturation effect is considered by adopting the Bishop effective stress and the van Genuchten(VG)water retention model.In terms of the viscoplastic behaviour,the nonstationary flow surface(NSFS)theory for unsaturated soils is used with consideration of the coupled effects of strain rate and suction on the yield stress.A progressive hardening law is adopted.Meanwhile,a non-associated flow rule is used,which is similar to that in Barcelona basic model(BBM).In addition,to describe the damage effect induced by suction change and viscoplastic loading,a damage function is defined based on the crack volume proportion.This damage function contains two variables:unsaturated effective stress and viscoplastic volumetric strain,with the related parameters determined based on the mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)tests.For the model validation,different tests on COx claystone under different loading paths are simulated.Comparisons between experimental and simulated results indicated that the present model is able to well describe the viscoplastic behaviour of damaged COx claystone,including swelling/shrinkage,triaxial extension and compression,and triaxial creep.

Calibration of an elastoplastic model of sand liquefaction using the swarm intelligence with a multi-objective function

According to post-seismic observations,spectacular examples of engineering failures can be ascribed to the occurrence of sand liquefaction,where a sandy soil stratum could undergo a transient loss of shear strength and even behave as a“liquid”.Therefore,correct simulation of liquefaction response has become a challenging issue in geotechnical engineering field.In advanced elastoplastic models of sand liquefaction,certain fitting parameters have a remarkable effect on the computed results.However,the identification of these parameters,based on the experimental data,is usually intractable and sometimes follows a subjective trial-and-error procedure.For this,this paper presented a novel calibration methodology based on an optimization algorithm(particle swarm optimization(PSO))for an advanced elastoplastic constitutive model.A multi-objective function was designed to adjust the global quality for both monotonic and cyclic triaxial simulations.To overcome computational problem probably appearing in simulation of the cyclic triaxial test,two interrupt mechanisms were designed to prevent the particles from wasting time in searching the unreasonable space of candidate solutions.The Dafalias model has been used as an example to demonstrate the main programme.With the calibrated parameters for the HN31 sand,the computed results were highly consistent with the laboratory experiments(including monotonic triaxial tests under different confining pressures and cyclic triaxial tests in two loading modes).Finally,an extension example is given for Ottawa sand F65,suggesting that the proposed platform is versatile and can be easily customized to meet different practical needs.

Investigation on the properties of compacted silty clay subjected to electro-osmosis using bender element

The moisture content of subgrade soil in seasonally frozen regions is often higher than its optimum value,leading to a decline in mechanical properties and a reduction in subgrade bearing capacity.Electro-osmosis has shown promise as a technology for controlling subgrade moisture,but significant heterogeneity has also been observed in treated soil.This study investigates the impact of electro-osmosis on soil stiffness through a series of bender element tests of compacted clay.The effects of dry density and supply voltage on the performance of electroosmosis treatment and the layered structure and anisotropy of the soil were analyzed.The results show that electro-osmosis treatment increased the shear wave velocity of the soil by 140% compared to untreated saturated soil and by 70% compared to soil with optimum water content.It has also been found that layered compaction of soil resulted in a layered structure,with electro-osmosis having a more prominent impact on soil near the cathode,resulting in a more pronounced layered structure.Besides,electro-osmosis was found to enhance soil anisotropy,particularly near the anode.Increasing the dry density and voltage levels can help improve soil uniformity.These findings provide insights into the potential use of electro-osmosis in improving soil stiffness,which could benefit various engineering applications.

增湿情况重塑黄土非饱和渗透系数的测定方法研究

对浸润锋前进法、Boltzmann变换法和瞬态剖面法3种直接方法在确定增湿情况下重塑黄土非饱和渗透系数的适宜性进行了研究,并对其进行了改进。首先应用重塑黄土进行了一维水平入渗试验,对前2种方法进行了改进,检验了改进后的效果,比较了这2种改进方法、瞬态剖面法和间接法所得非饱和渗透系数的差异,然后应用Hydrus软件对一维入渗试验进行了数值模拟,获得了采用不同方法所得非饱和渗透参数时预测浸润锋迁移距离和时间关系的准确性,分析了前2种方法所采用假定的合理性并对瞬态剖面法测点布置进行了改进和效果检验。室内试验结果表明浸润锋前进法采用改进的水力梯度计算公式后,不同吸力下渗透系数波动的现象减少;Boltzmann变换法采用新的变量λ*后,各测点λ*-θ关系的统一性增加;由于测点间距较大,瞬态剖面法偏离其他方法所得渗透系数很大。数值模拟结果表明采用2种改进方法所得的非饱和渗透参数均能较好地预测浸润锋迁移距离和时间的关系;浸润锋前进法采用的水分剖面平行移动假定以及Boltzmann变换方法采用的Boltzmann变量与体积含水率关系唯一假定,均需要在入渗一定距离后才能得到基本满足;采用改进后的测点布置位置和间距后,瞬态剖面法所得不同吸力下的非饱和渗透系数与前2种改进方法所得的差距减少,但仍不如前2种改进方法更接近于输入值。

On the chemo-thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of geological and engineered barriers

An overview of the recent findings about the chemo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of materials used for both geological and engineered barriers in nuclear waste disposal is presented, through some examples about the natural Boom Clay （BC） and compacted bentonite-based materials. For the natural BC, it was found that compression index identified from both oedometer and isotropic compression tests is sim- ilar and the compressibility of BC from the Mol site is higher than that of BC from the Essen site： the shear strength of Mol BC is also higher than that of the Essen BC, suggesting a significant effect of carbo- nates content; the thermal volume change is strongly overconsolidation ratio （OCR） dependent-low OCR values promote thermal contraction while high OCR values favour thermal dilation; the volume change behaviour is also strongly time dependent and this time dependent behaviour is governed by the stress level and temperature; the effect of pore-water salinity on the volume change behaviour can be signif- icant when the smectite content is relatively high. For the bentonite-based materials, it was found that thermal contraction also occurs at low OCR values, but this is suction dependent--suction promotes ther- mal dilation. Under constant volume conditions, wetting results in a decrease of hydraulic conductivity, followed by an increase. This is found to be related to changes in macro-pores size-wetting induces a decrease of macro-pores size, followed by an increase due to the aggregates fissuring. The presence of technological voids can increase the hydraulic conductivity but does not influence the swelling pressure.

On the hydro-mechanical behaviour of MX80 bentonite-based materials

Bentonite-based materials have been considered in many countries as engineered barrier/backfilling materials in deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste.During the long period of waste storage,these materials will play an essential role in ensuring the integrity of the storage system that consists of the waste canisters,the engineered barrier/backfill,the retaining structures as well as the geological barrier.Thus,it is essential to well understand the hydro-mechanical behaviours of these bentonite-based materials.This review paper presents the recent advances of knowledge on MX80 bentonite-based materials,in terms of water retention properties,hydraulic behaviour and mechanical behaviour.Emphasis is put on the effect of technological voids and the role of the dry density of bentonite.The swelling anisotropy is also discussed based on the results from swelling tests with measurements of both axial and radial swelling pressures on a sand-bentonite mixture compacted at different densities.Microstructure observation was used to help the interpretation of macroscopic hydromechanical behaviour.Also,the evolution of soil microstructure thus the soil density over time is discussed based on the results from mock-up tests.This evolution is essential for understanding the longterm hydro-mechanical behaviour of the engineered barrier/backfill.

Determining the soil-water retention curve using mercury intrusion porosimetry test in consideration of soil volume change

It is well-known that a close link exists between soil-water retention curve(SWRC)and pore size distribution(PSD).Theoretically,mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)test simulates a soil drying path and the test results can be used to deduce the SWRC(termed SWRCMIP).However,SWRCMIP does not include the effect of volume change,compared with the conventional SWRC that is directly determined by suction measurement or suction control techniques.For deformable soils,there is a significant difference between conventional SWRC and SWRCMIP.In this study,drying test was carried out on a reconstituted silty soil,and the volume change,suction,and PSD were measured on samples with different water contents.The change in the deduced SWRCMIP and its relationship with the conventional SWRC were analyzed.The results showed that the volume change of soil is the main reason accounting for the difference between conventional SWRC and SWRCMIP.Based on the test results,a transformation model was then proposed for conventional SWRC and SWRCMIP,for which the soil state with no volume change is taken as a reference.Comparison between the experimental and predicted SWRCs showed that the proposed model can well consider the influence of soil volume change on its water retention property.

Salinity effect on the compaction behaviour,matric suction,stiffness and microstructure of a silty soil

To better understand the salinity effect on the compaction behaviour of soil,standard Proctor compaction test was conducted on soil samples with different salinities.Matric suction and small-strain shear modulus,G_(max),were determined and pore size distribution was also investigated on samples statically compacted at different water contents.Results showed that with the decrease of soil salinity from initial value of 2.1‰(g of salt/kg of dry soil)to zero,the maximum dry density increased and the optimum water content decreased,whereas there was no significant change with the increase of soil salinity from 2.1‰ to 6.76‰.Interestingly,it was observed that G_(max) also decreased when the soil salinity decreased from initial value of 2.1‰ to zero and kept almost constant when the soil salinity increased from 2.1‰ to 6.76‰,for dry samples with similar matric suction and also for samples compacted at optimum state and on wet side whose matric suctions were slightly different due to the difference in remoulded water content.Furthermore,the effect of salinity on compaction behaviour and G_(max) decreased for samples compacted from dry side to wet side.The pore size distribution exhibited bi-modal characteristics with two populations of micro-and macro-pores not only for samples compacted on dry side and at optimum state,but also for those compacted on wet side.Further examination showed that the modal size of micro-pores shifted to lower values and that of macro-pores shifted to higher values for saline soil compared to the soil without salt.

Effects of lime treatment on the microstructure and hydraulic conductivity of Héricourt clay

This study aims at evidencing the effects of lime treatment on the microstructure and hydraulic conductivityof a compacted expansive clay, with emphasis put on the effect of lime hydration and modification.For this purpose, evolutions of hydraulic conductivity were investigated for both lime-treatedand untreated soil specimens over 7 d after full saturation of the specimens and their microstructureswere observed at the end. Note that for the treated specimen, dry clay powder was mixed with quicklimeprior to compaction in order to study the effect of lime hydration. It is observed that lime hydration andmodification did not affect the intra-aggregate pores but increased the inter-aggregates pores size. Thisincrease gave rise to an increase of hydraulic conductivity. More precisely, the hydraulic conductivity oflime-treated specimen increased progressively during the first 3 d of modification phase and stabilisedduring the next 4 d which correspond to a short period prior to the stabilisation phase. The microstructureobservation showed that stabilisation reactions took place after 7 d. Under the effect of stabilisation,a decreasing hydraulic conductivity can be expected in longer time due to the formation ofcementitious compounds. 2014 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of water chemistry on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of compacted mixtures of claystone and Na/Ca-bentonites for deep geological repositories

In the French deep geological disposal for radioactive wastes,compacted bentonite/claystone mixtures have been considered as possible sealing materials.After emplacement in place,such mixtures are hydrated by the site solution as well as the cement solution produced by the degradation of concrete.In this study,the effects of synthetic site solution and cement solution on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of compacted mixtures of claystone and two types of bentonites(MX80 Na-bentonite and Sardinia Cabentonite)were investigated by carrying out a series of swelling pressure,hydraulic conductivity and mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)tests.It was found that for the MX80 bentonite/claystone mixture hydrated with synthetic site solution,the swelling capacity was reduced compared to the case with deionised water owing to the transformation of Na-montmorillonite to multi-cation dominant montmorillonite by cation exchanges.For the Sardinia bentonite/claystone mixture,the similar increasing rate of swelling pressure was observed during the crystalline swelling process for different solutions,suggesting insignificant cation exchanges.Additionally,the cations in the synthetic site solution could reduce the thickness of diffuse double layer and the osmotic swelling for both MX80 bentonite/claystone and Sardinia bentonite/claystone mixtures.The large-pore volume increased consequently and enhanced water flow.In the cement solution,the hydroxide could also dissolve the montmorillonite,reducing the swelling pressure,and increase the large-pore volume,facilitating the water flow.Furthermore,the decrease of swelling pressure and the increase of hydraulic conductivity were more significant in the case of low dry density because of more intensive interaction between montmorillonite and hydroxide due to the high permeability.

Impact of train speed on the mechanical behaviours of track-bed materials

For the 30,000 km long French conventional railway lines(94% of the whole network),the train speed is currently limited to 220 km/h,whilst the speed is 320 km/h for the 1800 km long high-speed lines.Nowadays,there is a growing need to improve the services by increasing the speed limit for the conventional lines.This paper aims at studying the influence of train speed on the mechanical behaviours of track-bed materials based on field monitoring data.Emphasis is put on the behaviours of interlayer and subgrade soils.The selected experimental site is located in Vierzon,France.Several sensors including accelerometers and soil pressure gauges were installed at different depths.The vertical strains of different layers can be obtained by integrating the records of accelerometers installed at different trackbed depths.The experimentation was carried out using an intercity test train running at different speeds from 60 km/h to 200 km/h.This test train was composed of a locomotive(22.5 Mg/axle) and 7 'Corail'coaches(10.5 Mg/axle).It was observed that when the train speed was raised,the loadings transmitted to the track-bed increased.Moreover,the response of the track-bed materials was amplified by the speed rise at different depths:the vertical dynamic stress was increased by about 10% when the train speed was raised from 60 km/h to 200 km/h for the locomotive loading,and the vertical strains doubled their quasistatic values in the shallow layers.Moreover,the stressestrain paths were estimated using the vertical stress and strain for each train speed.These loading paths allowed the resilient modulus Mrto be determined.It was found that the resilient modulus(M_r) was decreased by about 10% when the train speed was increased from 100 km/h to 200 km/h.However,the damping ratio(D_r) kept stable in the range of speeds explored.

Assessment of the methods for determining net radiation at different time-scales of meteorological variables

When modeling the soil/atmosphere interaction,it is of paramount importance to determine the net radiation flux.There are two common calculation methods for this purpose.Method 1 relies on use of air temperature,while Method 2 relies on use of both air and soil temperatures.Nowadays,there has been no consensus on the application of these two methods.In this study,the half-hourly data of solar radiation recorded at an experimental embankment are used to calculate the net radiation and long-wave radiation at different time-scales(half-hourly,hourly,and daily) using the two methods.The results show that,compared with Method 2 which has been widely adopted in agronomical,geotechnical and geo-environmental applications.Method 1 is more feasible for its simplicity and accuracy at shorter time-scale.Moreover,in case of longer time-scale,daily for instance,less variations of net radiation and long-wave radiation are obtained,suggesting that no detailed soil temperature variations can be obtained.In other words,shorter time-scales are preferred in determining net radiation flux.

Determining osmotic suction through electrical conductivity for unsaturated low-plasticity soils

Determining osmotic suction from the electrical conductivity(EC)of soil pore water was widely reported in the literature.However,while dealing with unsaturated soils,they do not have enough soil pore water to be extracted for a reliable measurement of EC.In this paper,the chilled-mirror dew-point hygrometer and contact filter paper method were used to determine the total and matric suctions for low-plasticity soils with different salinities(0.05‰,2.1‰,and 6.76‰).A new piecewise function was proposed to calculate the osmotic suction,with the piecewise point corresponding to the first occurrence of precipitated salt in mixed salt solutions(synthetic seawater).EC,ion and salt concentrations used for osmotic suction calculation were transformed from the established relationships of mixed salt solution instead of experimental measurement.The calculated osmotic suction by the proposed equation and the equations in the literature was compared with the indirectly measured one(the difference between the measured total and matric suctions).Results showed that the calculated osmotic suction,especially the one calculated using the proposed function,was in fair agreement with the indirectly measured data(especially for specimens with higher salinity of 6.76‰),suggesting that the transformation of EC and concentrations from the established relationship is a good alternative to direct measurement for lowplasticity soil.In particular,the proposed method could be applied to unsaturated low-plasticity soils which do not have enough soil pore water for a proper EC measurement.

Foreword

This issue on unsaturated soil mechanics and deep geological nuclear waste disposal corresponds to the eight keynote/invited lectures in the Third International Symposium UNSAT-WASTE which has been organised by Tonal University, State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, CAS, and Ecole des Ponts ParisTech. This Symposium has benefited from the supports of the TC6 （unsaturated soils） of ISSMGE and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

利用现场测试的加速度和速度数据确定位移的积分方法评价（英文）

目的:本文旨在研究不同波长载荷(包括车厢长度、构架长度以及轴距等)对位移确定的影响,利用积分方法确定位移的有效性和重复性的适用范围,以及研究列车速度和轴荷载对变形量的影响,为轨道基础位移监测提供重要的方法。创新点:1.评价和分析一种积分方法,该方法利用低通滤波法但不消除产生变形的主要频率;2.通过对位移、速度和加速度传感器在时域和频域结果的比较,使重复性得到保证。方法:利用线性可变差位移传感器、地震检波器以及加速度计获取轨道不同深度的位移、速度和加速度,然后利用巴特沃兹低通滤波器对3类数据进行滤波。通过对速度一阶积分、加速度二阶积分,获得由3种传感器测试得到的位移并验证其准确性。结论:通过测试和分析发现,95%的位移幅值来自于波长大于轴距(2.8 m)的激励,对应的低频为25 Hz(列车运行速度为200 km/h)。通过线性可变差位移传感器、地震检波器以及加速度计直接获得或间接积分获得的位移十分接近,验证了积分方法的有效性,且其具有较高的可重复性。

Investigation of the hydro-mechanical behaviour of fouled ballast

In this study,a fouled ballast taken from the site of Sénissiat,France,was investigated.For the hydraulic behaviour,a large-scale cell was developed allowing drainage and evaporation tests to be carried out with monitoring of both suction and volumetric water content at various positions of the sample.It was observed that the hydraulic conductivity of fouled ballast is decreasing with suction increase,as for common unsaturated soils.The effect of fines content was found to be negligible.For the mechanical behaviour,both monotonic and cyclic triaxial tests were carried out using a large-scale triaxial cell.Various water contents were considered.The results were interpreted in terms of shear strength and permanent axial strain.It appeared that the water content is an important factor to be accounted for since any increase of water content or degree of saturation significantly decreases the shear strength and increases the permanent strain.Constitutive modelling has been attempted based on the experimental results.The model in its current state is capable of describing the effects of stress level,cycle number and water content.