Modelling thermo-elastic–viscoplastic behaviour of marine clay

Marine clay supporting high-temperature offshore structure susceptible to random movements (such as a buckling high-temperature pipeline) experiences variable shearing rates at an elevated temperature that is higher than the marine environment (typically 4 °C). This practically implies that the undrained shear strength (s_u) of the marine clay being routinely characterized in situ by penetrometers at a constant rate under an isothermal condition (4 °C) should be carefully corrected, by taking into account the temperature and rate dependency. To date, the combined effects of rate and temperature on the undrained shear behaviour of marine clay are merely investigated experimentally and theoretically. This study presents the development of an anisotropic thermo-elastic–viscoplastic model and a series of temperature- and rate-controlled triaxial tests for validation purpose. Compared to the modified Cam-Clay model, the proposed model only introduces three new parameters to characterize the temperature dependency, rate dependency and the inherent anisotropy of K₀-consolidated marine clay. The predictive capability of the model has been validated by the triaxial test results. Based on the new model, an explicit equation is formulated for quantifying the temperature- and rate-dependent s_u of marine clay. Calculation charts are also developed to quantify s_u of marine clay with different plasticity indexes under various strain rates and temperatures.

     

SBPT测定饱和黏土不排水强度的数值分析

自钻式旁压试验（SBPT）因其扰动小、测试深度大、可以获得应力-应变、超孔隙水压力-时间等数据,在确定地基土性参数和地基承载力上有广阔的应用前景。然而由于用以解释SBPT的柱孔扩张理论（Gibson解）所采用的平面应变假设与实际旁压腔几何特征存在差异,导致试验所确定的黏土不排水剪切强度su与其他原位试验或室内试验结果存在差别。针对旁压腔几何尺寸及应变区间的选择对确定su的影响,基于修正剑桥模型,采用低渗透系数控制加载过程中不排水条件,利用有限元法模拟SBPT,建议了不同应力历史下确定su的应变区间,并给出考虑几何尺寸影响时相应应变区间上su的修正系数。     

Constitutive modelling of fine-grained gassy soil: A composite approach

Fine-grained marine sediments containing large undissolved gas bubbles are widely distributed around the world. Presence of the bubbles could degrade the undrained shear strength (s_u ) of the soil, when the gas pressure u_g is relatively high as compared with the effective stress in the saturated soil matrix. Meanwhile, the addition of bubbles may also increase s_u when the difference between u_g and pore water pressure u_w becomes smaller than the water entry value, causing partial water drainage from the saturated matrix into the bubbles (bubble flooding) during globally undrained shearing. A new constitutive model for describing the two competing effects on the stress-strain relationship of fine-grained gassy soil is proposed within the framework of critical state soil mechanics. The gassy soil is considered as a three-phase composite material with compressible cavities, which allows water entry from the saturated matrix. Bubble flooding is modelled by introducing an additional positive volumetric strain increment of the saturated clay matrix, which is dependent on the difference between pore gas and pore water pressure based on experimental observations. A modified hardening law based on that of the modified Cam clay model is employed, which in conjunction with the expression for bubble flooding, can describe both the detrimental and beneficial effects of gas bubbles on soil strength and plastic hardening in shear. Only two extra parameters in addition to those in the modified Cam clay model are used. It is shown that the key features of the stress-strain relationship of three fine-grained gassy soils can be reproduced satisfactorily.     

Essential Findings in Pressuremeter Theories

The pressuremeter, used for in situ soil testing, has undergone significant development both in its technical applications and in the interpretation methods employed for a range of parameters. Several methods have been developed to evaluate the undrained strength of a soil using a pressuremeter. Test results based on these methods show distinctive discrepancies. Different methods for evaluating the limit pressure are also presented. The values of these limit pressure evaluations vary based on the evaluation method used. In any given test, the limit pressure results also affect the values deduced for undrained shear strength. The discrepancies in the undrained shear strength values exceeded 80 % for the same test when evaluations were made with different interpretation methods. Because of the large discrepancies in the results of the undrained shear strength when using different analysis methods, the Gibson and Anderson method is recommended as being most reliable in deducing undrained shear strength values from pressuremeter tests, particularly for use in the design of foundations.     

Analysis of pressuremeter geometry effects in clay using critical state models

The conventional interpretation methods of pressuremeter testing effectively approximate pressuremeter membranes as infinitely long. As a result, the effects of the two‐dimensional geometry of pressuremeters are ignored, leading to an overestimation of soil shear strength by pressuremeter testing, as demonstrated in several previous studies. This paper presents results of a numerical study of two‐dimensional geometry effects on self‐boring pressuremeter tests in undrained clay. The results are obtained using critical state soil models with an effective stress formulation. This is in contrast to most (if not all) existing studies on pressuremeter geometry effects, which were based on perfectly plastic soil models (e.g. Yu (Cavity expansion theory and its application to the analysis of pressuremeters. DPhil Thesis, The University of Oxford, 1990), Yeung and Carter (Proc. 3rd Int. Symp. on Pressuremeters, 1990), and Houlsby and Carter (Géotechnique, 1993; 43 (4):567–576)). The present study suggests that the overestimation of soil strength due to the neglect of finite pressuremeter length is significantly affected by the soil model used in the calculations. It is found that for clays with a high overconsolidation ratio (OCR) the strength overestimation predicted using critical state soil models could be considerably smaller than that predicted using perfectly plastic soil models. The main conclusion of this numerical study is that care must be exercised before directly applying any numerically determined pressuremeter geometry correction factors in practice. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anisotropic viscoplastic modeling of rate‐dependent behavior of clay

The objective of this study is to derive an effective stress‐based constitutive law capable of predicting rate‐dependent stress–strain, stress path and undrained shear strength and creep behavior. The flow rule used in the MIT‐E3 model and viscoplasticity theory is employed in the derivation. The model adopts the yield surface capable of representing the yield behavior of the Taipei silty clay and assumes that it is initially symmetric about the K₀‐line. A method is then developed to compute the gyration and expansion of the loading surface to simulate the anisotropic behavior due to the principal stress rotation after shear. There are 11 parameters required for the model to describe the soil behavior and six of them are exactly the same as those used in the Modified Cam‐clay model. The five additional parameters can be obtained by parametric studies or conventional soil tests, such as consolidation tests, triaxial compression and extension tests. Finally, verification of the model for the anisotropic behavior, creep behavior and the rate‐dependent undrained stress–strain and shear strength of the Taipei silty clay is conducted. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of grading characteristics on the undrained shear strength of sand: review with new evidences

In this paper, the shear strength of saturated pure sand and sand–silt mixture is evaluated by monotonic undrained triaxial tests that were carried out on reconstituted specimens at same relative densities and a constant confining pressure (σ ₃?=?300 kPa). The test results were used to conclude on the effect of low non-plastic contents (0–20 %) and grading characteristics on the liquefaction resistance of the sand. The test results indicate that the undrained residual strength reduced with the increase of non-plastic fine content. Also, shear strength of gap-graded sand mixed with low non-plastic fine content increases with decrease in effective size (D ₅₀). In other words, in this state, we can use the D ₅₀ as a parameter to control of silty sand’s undrained resistance. Besides, the undrained residual strength of pure sand specimens with same effective size increases due to increase of coefficient of uniformity (C _u).     

Development of Analytical Models to Estimate Pile Setup in Cohesive Soils Based on FE Numerical Analyses

This paper presents the numerical simulation of pile installation and the subsequent increase in the pile capacity over time (or setup) after installation that was performed using the finite element software Abaqus. In the first part, pile installation and the following load tests were simulated numerically using the volumetric cavity expansion concept. The anisotropic modified Cam-Clay and Dracker–Prager models were adopted in the FE model to describe the behavior of the clayey and sandy soils, respectively. The proposed FE model proposed was successfully validated through simulating two full-scale instrumented driven pile case studies. In the second part, over 100 different actual properties of individual soil layers distracted from literature were used in the finite element analysis to conduct parametric study and to evaluate the effect of different soil properties on the pile setup behavior. The setup factor A was targeted here to describe the pile setup as a function of time after the end of driving. The selected soil properties in this study to evaluate the setup factor A include: soil plasticity index (PI), undrained shear strength (S _u ), vertical coefficient of consolidation (C _v ), sensitivity ratio (S _r ), and over-consolidation ratio (OCR). The predicted setup factor showed direct proportion with the PI and S _r and inverse relation with S _u , C _v and OCR. These soil properties were selected as independent variables, and nonlinear multivariable regression analysis was performed using Gauss–Newton algorithm to develop appropriate regression models for A. Best models were selected among all based on level of errors of prediction, which were validated with additional nineteen different site information available in the literature. The results indicated that the developed model is able to predict the setup behavior for individual cohesive soil layers, especially for values of setup factor greater than 0.10, which is the most expectable case in nature.     

上海粘性土剪切带倾角的试验研究

采用可量测局部侧向应变的平面应变仪，对上海地区第（2）层褐黄色粉质粘土和第（6）层暗绿色粉质粘土的原状土样，进行固结不排水平面应变压缩试验，观察土样的局部化变形过程，量测剪切带倾角，研究剪切带倾角随固结压力的变化情况，计算剪切带倾角的传统土力学理论解并与实测值进行比较，根据剪切带内局部剪胀角的近似估算，初步研究剪切带内的变形机理，认为剪切带的形成与孔隙水的运动密切相关。     

Estimation of undrained shear strength in moderately OC clays based on field vane test data

The undrained shear strength (s _u) of cohesive soils is a crucial parameter for many geotechnical engineering applications. Due to the complexities and uncertainties associated with laboratory and in situ tests, it is a challenging task to obtain the undrained shear strength in a reliable and economical manner. In this study, a probabilistic model for the s _u of moderately overconsolidated clays is developed using the Bayesian model class selection approach. The model is based on a comprehensive geotechnical database compiled for this study with field measurements of field vane strength (s _u), plastic limit (PL), natural water content (W _n), liquid limit (LL), vertical effective overburden stress (\(\sigma_{\nu }^{\prime }\)), preconsolidation pressure (\(\sigma_{\text{p}}^{\prime }\)) and overconsolidated ratio (OCR). Comparison study shows that the proposed model is superior to some well-known empirical relationships for OC clays. The proposed probabilistic model not only provides reliable and economical estimation of s _u but also facilitates reliability-based analysis and design for performance-based engineering applications.     

Cone penetration-induced pore pressure distribution and dissipation

The excess pore water pressure distribution (u) induced by the penetration of a piezocone into clay and its dissipation behaviour have been investigated by laboratory model tests, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. Based on the results of the tests and the analysis, a semi-theoretical method has been proposed to predict the piezocone penetration-induced pore pressure distribution in the radial direction from the shoulder of the cone. The method can consider the effect of the undrained shear strength (s_u), over-consolidation ratio (OCR) and rigidity index (I_r) of the soil. With a reliably predicted initial distribution of u and the measured curve of dissipation of pore water pressure at the shoulder of the cone (u₂), the coefficient of consolidation of the soil in the horizontal direction (c_h) can be back-fitted by analysis of the pore pressure dissipation. Comparing the back-fitted values of c_h with the values directly estimated by a previously proposed method indicates that the previously proposed method can be used reliably to estimate c_h values from non-standard dissipation curves (where u₂ increases initially and then dissipates with time).     

Experimental Study of Undrained Shear Strength of Silty Sand: Effect of Fines and Gradation

Two strong earthquakes occurred in the region of Chlef (north western part of Algeria) during the last century. From the geological context, there were several great masses of sandy soil ejections on to the ground surface level and severe damages to civil and hydraulic structures. These damages were due to the soil liquefaction phenomenon. The objective of this laboratory investigation is to study the effect of low plastic fines and gradation characteristics on the undrained shear strength (liquefaction resistance) response of sand-silt mixture samples. For this purpose, a series of undrained monotonic triaxial tests were carried out on reconstituted saturated silty sand samples with different fines content ranging from 0 to 50?% at two initial relative densities (D_r?=?20 and 91?%). The initial confining pressure was kept at 100?kPa. The evaluation of the data indicates that the undrained shear strength at the peak (q_peak) can be correlated to the undrained residual strength (S_us), the excess pore pressure (Δu), the fines content (F_c) and the intergranular void ratio (e_s). The test results indicate also that the undrained shear strength at the peak decreases with the increment of the coefficient of uniformity and fines content as well as with the decrement of the mean grain size in the range of 0–50?% fines content for both relative densities (D_r?=?20 and 91?%).     

Evaluation of Static Liquefaction Characteristics of Saturated Loose Sand Through the Mean Grain Size and Extreme Grain Sizes

Liquefaction of soils is a natural phenomenon associated with a dramatic loss of the soil shear strength in undrained conditions due to a development of excess pore water pressure. It usually causes extensive damages to buildings and infrastructures during earthquakes. Thus, it is important to evaluate extent of influential parameters on the liquefaction phenomenon of soils in order to clearly understand the different mechanisms leading to its triggering. The soil gradation is one of the most important parameters affecting the liquefaction phenomenon. In this context, a series of undrained compression triaxial tests were carried out on eighteen natural loose (Dr = 25%) sandy samples containing low plastic fines content of 2% (I_p = 5%) considering different extreme sizes (1.6 mm ≤ D_max ≤ 4 mm and 0.001 mm ≤ D_min ≤ 0.63 mm) and two mean grain size ranges (0.25 mm ≤ D₅₀ ≤ 1.0 mm) and (1.0 mm ≤ D₅₀ ≤ 2.5 mm). The initial confining pressure for all tests was kept constant (P′_c = 100 kPa). The obtained test results indicate that the mean grain size (D₅₀) and extreme grain sizes (D_max and D_min) have a significant influence on the undrained shear strength (known as liquefaction resistance) and appear as pertinent factors for the prediction of the undrained shear strength for the soil gradation under study. The undrained shear strength and the excess pore water pressure can be correlated to the extreme grain sizes (D_max and D_min) and the mean grain size (D₅₀) of tested wet deposited samples.     

Laboratory Investigation into the Effects of Silty Fines on Liquefaction Susceptibility of Chlef (Algeria) Sandy Soils

In a number of recent case studies, the liquefaction of silty sands has been reported. To investigate the undrained shear and deformation behaviour of Chlef sand–silt mixtures, a series of monotonic and stress-controlled cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on sand encountered at the site. The aim of this laboratory investigation is to study the influence of silt contents, expressed by means of the equivalent void ratio on undrained residual shear strength of loose, medium dense and dense sand–silt mixtures under monotonic loading and liquefaction potential under cyclic loading. After an earthquake event, the prediction of the post-liquefaction strength is becoming a challenging task in order to ensure the stability of different types of earth structures. Thus, the choice of the appropriate undrained residual shear strength of silty sandy soils that are prone to liquefaction to be used in engineering practice design should be established. To achieve this, a series of undrained triaxial tests were conducted on reconstituted saturated silty sand samples with different fines contents ranging from 0 to 40 %. In all tests, the confining pressure was held constant at 100 kPa. From the experimental results obtained, it is clear that the global void ratio cannot be used as a state parameter and may not characterize the actual behaviour of the soil as well. The equivalent void ratio expressing the fine particles participation in soil strength is then introduced. A linear relationship between the undrained shear residual shear strength and the equivalent void ratio has been obtained for the studied range of the fines contents. Cyclic test results confirm that the increase in the equivalent void ratio and the fines content accelerates the liquefaction phenomenon for the studied stress ratio and the liquefaction resistance decreases with the increase in either the equivalent void ratio or the loading amplitude level. These cyclic tests results confirm the obtained monotonic tests results.     

Undrained Shear Strength in Cohesive Soils Estimated by Directional Modes of In-Situ Shear Wave Velocity

The estimated undrained shear strength (s_u) is often not a unique value because it can be evaluated by various test types and/or procedures, such as different failure modes, shear strain rates, and boundary conditions. This study explores (1) the relationship between reference undrained shear strength and in situ shear wave velocity in terms of the effective overburden stress, and (2) the independent relationships to evaluate the undrained shear strength with special consideration of different directional and polarization modes (VH, HV, HH shear waves), which has not been reported. This evaluation is done via a worldwide database compiled from 43 well-documented geotechnical test sites associated with soft ground. Finally, new correlation models are proposed to estimate the undrained shear strength based on the in situ shear wave velocity as well as the plasticity index or the overconsolidation ratio. The application of the shear wave velocity–undrained shear strength relation is illustrated through two independent case studies. The proposed relationships are expected to contribute to reasonable estimates of undrained shear strength as well as offer practical guidance on even extrapolation beyond the data that is available to geotechnical engineers.     

Effect of fines content and void ratio on the saturated hydraulic conductivity and undrained shear strength of sand–silt mixtures

The hydraulic conductivity represents an important indicator parameter in the generation and redistribution of excess pore pressure of sand–silt mixture soil deposits during earthquakes. This paper aims to determine the relationship between the undrained shear strength (liquefaction resistance) and the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the sand–silt mixtures and how much they are affected by the percentage of low plastic fines (finer than 0.074 mm) and void ratio of the soil. The results of flexible wall permeameter and undrained monotonic triaxial tests carried out on samples reconstituted from Chlef river sand with 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 % non-plastic silt at an effective confining pressure of 100 kPa and two initial relative densities (D _r = 20, 91 %) are presented and discussed. It was found that the undrained shear strength (liquefaction resistance) can be correlated to the fines content, intergranular void ratio and saturated hydraulic conductivity. The results obtained from this study reveal that the saturated hydraulic conductivity (k _sat) of the sand mixed with 50 % low plastic fines can be, in average, four orders of magnitude smaller than that of the clean sand. The results show also that the global void ratio could not be used as a pertinent parameter to explain the undrained shear strength and saturated hydraulic conductivity response of the sand–silt mixtures.     

In-situ geotechnical experimentation and stability evaluation of an instrumented 180 m×70 m×12.5 m fill dike constructed on laminated soft ground

 An instrumented trial-fill dike was constructed on soft, laminated soils of the Lisan Peninsula foreshore of the Dead Sea. The earthwork had base dimensions of 180 m by approximately 70 m wide and was raised in two stages to a maximum height of 12.5 m above original ground level. The geotechnical data of the dike were monitored in order to: assess the short- and long-term strength of the foundation, obtain and analyze the pore-pressure response of the foundation soils for potential use in construction control, obtain data on embankment settlement in order to refine end-of-construction and post-construction settlement assessments, and optimize the height of the dike to be constructed by providing information on the construction sequence for use in calculation of capital costs and alternative layouts and dike heights. The successful completion of the trial dike has demonstrated that steep-side dikes up to 12.5 m high can be constructed rapidly on soft soils. The construction of the trial dike has therefore proved a very substantial benefit to the evaluation of the likely performance of a dike constructed along the Lisan shore. The key factor which made this fast construction possible was the unexpected, very rapid consolidation of the majority of the foundation soil which has been shown to occur. The principal observations from the trial dike were: (1) end of construction settlements may be calculated using drained stiffnesses where E′/s_{u initial} has a value of around 65; (2) post-construction settlements can be calculated using a coefficient of secondary compression, Cα equal to 0.015; (3) a rapid increase in undrained shear strength occurred when loading the soil up to a value of s_u equal to around 30 kPa. The value of s_u/σ_v′ was as high as 0.5 at this stage. With further loading the strength increase was more modest and s_u/σ_v fell to around 0.25 for a vertical effective stress of 160 kPa; (4) for the undrained stability analyses of the trial dike, the mean vane shear-strength profile provided an appropriate assessment of the short-term factor of safety against failure, 5) For the drained stability analyses of the trial dike, lower bound effective strength parameters for the foundation and embankment fill (c′=0, φ′=30° and c′=2 kN/m², φ′=33°, respectively), combined with field measurements of end of construction pore water pressures provided an analysis which was broadly compatible with the undrained analysis; and (6) the trial dike has been stable, pre- and post-construction, because of the well drained nature of its foundation which prevented the build up of high pore water pressures and led to rapid consolidation. Received: 22 June 1998 · Accepted: 30 October 1998     

Undrained shear strength response under monotonic loading of Chlef (Algeria) sandy soil

During the last mid-century, the Chlef area was strongly affected by two earthquakes. From the geological context, there were numerous ejections onto the ground level of great masses of sandy soils and large displacements of various forms of some building foundations. These damages are due to soil liquefaction problem. This loss of shear strength can be attributed to many factors. History of recent cases indicates that sand deposited with silt content is much more liquefiable than clean sand. Therefore, a deep understanding of silty sand behavior is needed for the liquefaction assessment of silty sandy soils. Moreover, during seismic shaking, the post-liquefaction behavior of silty sand and, consequently, the stability of structures founded on liquefied soil depend on the steady-state shear strength of soil. The objective of this laboratory investigation is to show the effect of silt contents and the relative density on the mechanical behavior of such soils in monotonic loading. In this context, a series of undrained triaxial tests were performed on reconstituted saturated silty sand samples with different fines content ranging from 0% to 40%. In all tests, the confining pressure was held constant to 100 kPa. The fines content and the global void ratio are expressed by means of the equivalent void ratio. Linear correlations relating the undrained residual shear strength of loose, medium dense, and dense (D _r?=?12%, 50%, and 90% before consolidation) sand–silt mixtures to the equivalent void ratio are obtained. The concept of the equivalent void ratio will then be used as a key parameter to express the dilatancy behavior of both clean and silty sand soils. Moreover, from the experimental results obtained, it is clear that the global void ratio cannot be used as a state parameter and may not represent the actual behavior of the soil as well.     

Flux of nutrients and heavy metals from the Melai River sub-catchment into Lake Chini, Pekan, Pahang, Malaysia

This study was carried out to determine the flux of nutrients and heavy metals from the Melai sub-catchment into Lake Chini through the process of erosion. Melai River is one of the seven feeder rivers that contributed to the present water level of Lake Chini. Three properties of soils, such as particle size, organic matter content, and soil hydraulic conductivity and three chemical soil properties, such as available nutrients, dissolved nutrients, and heavy metals, were analyzed and interpreted. Potential soil loss was estimated using the revised universal soil loss equation model. The results show that the soil textures in the study area consist of clay, silty clay, clay loam, and sandy silt loam. The organic matter content ranges from 3.40 to 9.92 %, while the hydraulic conductivity ranges from 5.2 to 25.3 cm/h. Mean values of available P, K, and Mg amount was 8.5 ± 3.7 μg/g, 24.5 ± 3.4 μg/g, and 20.7 ± 18.6 μg/g, respectively. The highest concentration of soluble nutrients was SO ₄ ^?2 (815.8 ± 624.1 μg/g), followed by NO₃ ^?-N (295.5 ± 372.7 μg/g), NH₄ ⁺-N (24.5 ± 22.1 μg/g) and PO₄ ^3? (2.0 ± 0.8 μg/g). The rainfall erosivity value was 1658.7 MJ mm/ha/h/year. The soil erodibility and slope factor ranges from 0.06 to 0.26 ton h/MJ/mm and 7.63 to 18.33, respectively. The rate of soil loss from the Melai sub-catchment in the present condition is very low (0.0028 ton/ha/year) to low (18.93 ton/ha/year), and low level flow of nutrients and heavy metals, indicating that the Melai River was not the contaminant source of sediments, nutrients, and heavy metals to the lake.