Evaluation of Combined Base Soil Erodibility and Granular Filter Efficiency

Filters managed in zoned dams are designed according to criteria based on the grain size distribution of both filter and eroded soil. However, the constriction size distribution of the filter is the key parameter which governs the filter retention process of flowing eroded particles. To assess the filter efficiency regarding eroded particles, several filters and base soils are tested in a vertical cell with a configuration coupling erosion and filtration processes. For setting the boundary condition of eroded particles at the filter inlet, hole erosion test (HET) was performed on the base soil. The investigation of the evolution of filter behavior shows that the void ratio and the grain shape are of a great influence on filter efficiency. A new approach of filter clogging was proposed by evaluating a damage index which is affected by various parameters such as the ratio D₁₅/d₈₅ and the size of eroded particles. An approach linking the geometrical parameters (damage index) to the hydraulic conductivity leads to an estimation of the filter performance which provides a more quantifiable and realistic criterion. The results indicate that even existing criteria were not met; the tested filters remain efficient as regards to experimental data. An analytical approach based on constrictions size distribution was used and pore reduction was matched with experimental results.

     

Influence of relative density of the granular base soil on filter performance

Perpendicular contact erosion due to poorly designed filters is a frequent hazard for water-retaining structures serving as lifeblood to the community. This phenomenon occurs when the fine particles of a base soil at the contact interface with a coarser material are detached and transported through pores formed by the coarse particles. Therefore, most filter design criteria focus on the gradation of coarse particles or the gradation of pore constrictions. Meanwhile, the parameters of the base soil, such as relative density, are often overlooked. On the one hand, some experts neglect the impact of relative density because perpendicular contact erosion occurs at the interface, where fine particles expose themselves to larger pores. On the other hand, it is a general belief that the more compacted a base soil is, the less susceptible it will be to erosion as the seepage is reduced. This paper discusses this dilemma from a mutual perspective which assesses the influence of relative density from experimental, numerical, and analytical standpoints. The experimental study reveals that there is an optimal relative density which will release the least eroded mass. The influence is crucial as it can change the status of stability to unstable. The physical essence of the phenomenon is expressed by a numerical study at the micro-scale, which investigates the redistribution of flow lines and stress resulting from a particle detachment. The discovery at the micro-scale is confirmed by an analytical evaluation at the macro-scale, which assesses the redistribution of pore constrictions.

     

Numerical modelling of fluid-induced soil erosion in granular filters using a coupled bonded particle lattice Boltzmann method

This paper presents a three-dimensional coupled bonded particle and lattice Boltzmann method (BPLBM) with an immersed moving boundary scheme for the fluid-solid interaction. It is then applied to investigate the erosion process of soil particles in granular filters placed within earth dams. The microscopic migration of soil particles can be clearly visualised as the movement of particles can be directly recorded. Three granular filters with different representative size ratios are simulated and the numerical results are seen to match the empirical criteria. In addition, the effect of the representative size ratio of granular filters, hydraulic loading and erosion time are discussed.     

Numerical modelling of internal erosion during hydrate dissociation based on multiphase mixture theory

It has been reported that sand production, which is a simultaneous production of soil particles along with gas and water into a production well, forced to terminate the operation during the world's first offshore methane production test from hydrate-bearing sediments in the Eastern Nankai Tough. The sand production is induced by internal erosion, which is the detachment and migration of soil particles from soil skeleton due to seepage flow. The inflow of the eroded soil particles into the production well leads to damage of the production devices. In the present study, a numerical model to predict the chemo-thermo-mechanically coupled behavior including internal erosion during hydrate dissociation has been formulated based on the multiphase mixture theory. In the proposed model, the internal erosion is expressed as mass transition of soil particles from soil skeleton to the fluidized soil particles. Since the internal erosion is considered to depend on the soil particle size, mass of soil particles are divided into several groups that have different representative particle diameters, and the constitutive equations for the onset condition and the mass transition rate of the internal erosion are formulated for each group. Also, transportation of soil particles in the liquid phase is formulated for each particle size group in the proposed model. Finally, a simulation of the methane gas production from the hydrate-bearing sediment by depressurization method is presented, and the internal erosion and the dissociation behavior are discussed.     

Experimental study of particle migration under cyclic loading: effects of load frequency and load magnitude

The study of particle migration in porous media under cyclic loading is the key to understand the mechanism of mud pumping hazard in railway embankments. This paper presents a series of particle migration tests, in which soil particles migrate into an overlying gravel layer under cyclic loading. The results show that the increase in loading frequency and load magnitude leads to more particle migration upwards at a greater rate, implying that the train speed and axle loads affect the extent of mud pumping. The slurry turbidity in the gravel layer increases to a steady state value with time. Soil particles smaller than 5 μm have the potential to diffuse into the entire gravel layer, and larger particles tend to aggregate in the bottom layer of the gravel. The backward erosion gradually develops deeper into the soil layer, and there is a maximum erosion depth associated with each load frequency and load magnitude. As for the mechanism, the pore water pressure oscillates because of liquid sloshing. Its amplitude is much larger in the gravel layer than that in the soil layer due to their difference in permeability. The axial hydraulic gradient acts as a pumping effect to stimulate the migration of soil particles. Increasing load frequency is conducive to the generation of a stronger pumping effect at the gravel–soil interface. Increasing load magnitude does impact not only the extent of pumping effect, but also the development of an interlayer which plays an important role in promoting particle migration.

     

On the evaluation of internal stability of gap-graded soil: a status quo review

Internal instability is a phenomenon of fine particle redistribution in granular materials under the seepage action and consequent change in the soil’s internal structure and hydraulic and mechanical properties. It is one of the primary causes of failures of sand-gravel foundations and embankment dams. The criteria establishment is considered the key to solving the erosion problems, so the existing internal stability criteria need a review and classification to study the recent development trends in soil seepage and erosion. Therefore, this paper aims at reviewing the internal stability factors of gap-graded soil with a focus on the internal erosion mechanism and internal stability evaluation based on geometric and hydraulic criteria. Firstly, the paper compared the effect of several commonly used geometric criteria for gap-graded soil evaluation, such as particle size, fine content, void ratio, and fractal dimension. Furthermore, it provided a hydraulic criteria overview and analyzed the effects of the hydraulic gradient, hydraulic shear stress, confining pressure, and pore velocity on internal erosion. The geometric–hydraulic coupling methods were introduced, with a detailed elaboration of the erosion resistance index method based on accumulated dissipated energy. The capabilities and limitations of these criteria were discussed throughout the paper. It was found that combined Kezdi’s criterion and Kenney and Lau’s criterion is more reliable to evaluate internal stability of soil. The gap-graded soil with fine particle content higher than 35% is not necessarily internally stable. Finally, the energy-based method (erosion resistance index method) can effectively reproduce the total amount of erosion mass and the final spatial distribution of fine particles and identifies erosion. The review's outcome can be used as a basis to evaluate the internal erosion risk for gap-graded soils. The evaluation methods discussed here can help identify the zones of relatively high erosion potential.

     

Quantitative analysis of piping erosion micro-mechanisms with coupled CFD and DEM method

Piping, as one of the critical patterns of internal erosion, has been reported as a major cause for failures of embankment dams and levees. The fundamental mechanism of piping was traditionally investigated through experimental trials and simplified theoretical methods in macroscale. Nevertheless, the initiation and progressive evolution of piping is a microscale phenomenon in its essence. The current understanding of the micro-mechanism of piping erosion is limited due to a lack of quantitative analysis and visualized evidence. And in fact, seepage flows can affect the soil fabrics and the development of contact forces between particles. But how these fabrics and contact forces evolve under a critical hydraulic gradient is still not fully understood. In this paper, the detailed process of piping erosion is investigated by using a coupled computational fluid dynamics and discrete element method (CFD–DEM) approach. The treatment of soil–flow interactions in CFD–DEM is explained by exchanging the momentum between the two phases. During the simulation, the piping erosion process is initiated by incrementally ascending differential water head across the soil samples. The three main stages of piping erosion (initial movement, continuation of erosion and total heave) can be identified from monitoring the particle velocity and positions. In addition, the evolution of contact force, hydraulic force, coordination number and void fraction is inspected to provide insight into the micro-mechanism of piping erosion. Two cases are simulated, one with a uniform particle size and a relatively uniform porosity distribution and the other with specific particle size and porosity distributions. An interesting finding from this study is that piping does not always initiate from the free surface and the evolution of piping depends heavily on the particle size and porosity distribution.     

Modelling of internal erosion based on mixture theory: General framework and a case study of soil suffusion

A general thermo-hydro-mechanical framework for the modelling of internal erosion is proposed based on the theory of mixtures applied to two-phase porous media. The erodible soil is partitioned in two phases: one solid phase and one fluid phase. The solid phase is composed of nonerodible grains and erodible particles. The fluid phase is composed of water and fluidized particles. Within the fluid phase, species diffuse. Across phases, species transfer. The modelling of internal erosion is contributed directly by mass transfer from the solid phase towards the fluid phase. The constitutive relations governing the thermomechanical behaviour, generalised diffusion, and transfer are structured by the dissipation inequality. The particular case of soil suffusion is investigated with a focus on constitutive laws. A new constitutive law for suffusion is constructed based on thermodynamic conditions and experimental investigations. This erosion law is linearly related to the power of seepage flow and to the erosion resistance index. Owing to its simplicity, this law tackles the overall trend of the suffusion process and permits the formulation of an analytical solution. This new model is then applied to simulate laboratory experiments, by both analytical and numerical methods. The comparison shows that the newly developed model, which is theoretically consistent, can reproduce correctly the overall trend of the cumulated eroded mass when the permeability evolution is small. In addition, the results are provided for four different materials, two different specimen sizes, and various hydraulic loading paths to demonstrate the applicability of the new proposed law.     

硅酸钾材料加固土遗址耐风蚀颗粒元模拟分析

西北干旱地区土遗址受风化、风蚀等破坏严重,大量土质文物亟待加固抢修。加固后土遗址的各耐环境因素及加固机制研究是土遗址加固的理论基础。首次引入颗粒元程序PFC,通过改变模型中颗粒间平行连接强度,对硅酸钾（简称PS）加固前后的土样进行数值模拟。在考虑实际土样颗粒粒径和密度的前提下,拟合了生土PS加固前后的抗压和抗拉强度,并将拟合后的颗粒元模型应用于风蚀模拟。通过随机生成挟沙风颗粒,以一定的速度撞向土体,模拟挟沙风的吹蚀作用。挟沙风颗粒数与循环步数成正比例,因此,可以用挟沙风颗粒数来代表吹蚀时间的长短。挟沙风颗粒的速度则代表挟沙风风速。模拟结果表明,在20 m/s的挟沙风吹蚀作用下,风蚀程度随吹蚀时间的增加而增大,未加固土样的风蚀程度增幅度远大于加固土样;同样吹蚀时间条件下,加固土样的抗风蚀强度明显高于未加固土样。这些模拟结论与风洞试验结果的统计规律一致。本研究拟合的颗粒流模型可进一步应用于PS加固机制研究及耐风蚀、雨蚀、冻融等诸环境影响分析研究。     

不同滤波算法在土壤湿度同化中的应用

为研究不同滤波算法在土壤湿度同化中的有效性,以及土壤湿度模拟结果对模型参数的敏感性,结合简单生物圈模型SiB2,设置敏感性实验,探求土壤饱和水力传导度对土壤湿度模拟结果的影响;并在此基础上,采用集合卡尔曼滤波（EnKF）、无迹卡尔曼滤波（UKF）和无迹粒子滤波（UPF）开展土壤湿度实时同化实验。结果表明：土壤饱和水力传导度能显著影响土壤湿度模拟精度;利用EnKF、UKF、UPF同化站点观测数据,均能改善土壤湿度模拟结果;3种同化方法在不同土壤层的同化效果不同,在土壤表层,EnKF的有效性优于UKF和UPF,在根域层和土壤深层,3种滤波方法有效性在降雨前后相差较大。因此,针对性地选择同化方法,是提高土壤湿度模拟精度的有效手段。     

三层堤基中细砂层厚度对管涌影响的试验研究

对由弱透水黏土层、细砂层和强透水砂砾层组成的三层堤基进行了管涌发展的砂槽模型试验,为了便于观察分析,细砂层由各种颜色的细彩砂依次排列在砂砾石层上表面,通过改变彩砂层的厚度分析研究了不同细砂层厚度对管涌发生、发展机制及过程的影响。试验结果表明,三层堤基细砂层厚度的不同使管涌发生的临界水力梯度、涌砂量和通道发展的速度不同,与双层堤基有很大区别。临界水力梯度是由多种元素决定的,包括破坏土体的性质及其整体性等;细砂层的存在使流量在渗透变形初期对涌砂不敏感;在试验中发生的相同水位下多次间歇性涌砂,其原因一方面是颗粒在运动过程中发生堵塞,另一方面是通道边界的土体失去支撑发生应力释放,抵抗力随着时间逐渐减小。     

Capacity of quartz fibers with high filtration efficiency for capturing soot aerosol particles

Two proposed quartz fibrous filters with dissimilar solid volume fractions and thicknesses are investigated for their efficiency in removing soot aerosol particles from air. Soot particles are sourced from a candle burning in a chamber, and the tests involve 1.5 h of continuous loading of particles at three different flow rates: 4.5, 8.15 and 9.55 l/min. The fractional efficiency, morphology and pressure drop of both clean and loaded filters are studied using a scanning mobility particle sizer, scanning electron microscope and differential pressure gauge. Both filters have relatively similar levels of efficiency 93% for particle size (100–400 nm) at the lowest flow rate. At higher flow rates, the re-entrainment process effects the filtration efficiency of both filters. At the higher flow rate of 8.15 l/min, the filter with a higher solid volume fraction and thickness shows a higher pressure drop and an efficiency level of 95%. Increasing the flow rate to 9.55 l/min helps to pass the particles with diameters larger than 100 nm through two filters. This phenomenon decreases the fractional efficiency of both filters during the loading time.     

A coupled 3‐dimensional bonded discrete element and lattice Boltzmann method for fluid‐solid coupling in cohesive geomaterials

This paper presents a 3D bonded discrete element and lattice Boltzmann method for resolving the fluid‐solid interaction involving complicated fluid‐particle coupling in geomaterials. In the coupled technique, the solid material is treated as an assembly of bonded and/or granular particles. A bond model accounting for strain softening in normal contact is incorporated into the discrete element method to simulate the mechanical behaviour of geomaterials, whilst the fluid flow is solved by the lattice Boltzmann method based on kinetic theory and statistical mechanics. To provide a bridge between theory and application, a 3D algorithm of immersed moving boundary scheme was proposed for resolving fluid‐particle interaction. To demonstrate the applicability and accuracy of this coupled method, a benchmark called quicksand, in which particles become fluidised under the driving of upward fluid flow, is first carried out. The critical hydraulic gradient obtained from the numerical results matches the theoretical value. Then, numerical investigation of the performance of granular filters generated according to the well‐acknowledged design criteria is given. It is found that the proposed 3D technique is promising, and the instantaneous migration of the protected soils can be readily observed. Numerical results prove that the filters which comply with the design criteria can effectively alleviate or eliminate the appearance of particle erosion in dams.     

Investigation of Effective Parameters on the Embankment Dam Filter Behavior in Simultaneous Cracking in the Core and Filter

Cracks in filter can develop as a result of earthquake deformations or post-construction settlement and in some cases cracks extended through both the core and filter. Hence, a test apparatus has been developed to investigate filter performance in the case of filter and core material cracking in the embankment dams. The apparatus allows testing of incomplete cylindrical test specimens of 10 cm diameter and height of 20 cm. If the filters work well and successfully, crack filling occur, also the flow rate decrease, and the head water pressure increase to the range of early pressure. In the failed filters case, the flow rate do not decrease and remain high, also a very low head water pressure take place. In this research, variations of pressure, fines contents of filter soils, compaction time, PI of the base material and amount of eroded materials was evaluated. Results showed that prime flow rate increased as hydraulic gradient increased, but decreased in a little time and reach to a stable value. Filter with 15% of non-plastic fine content, had ability to slump to fill the crack, but its coefficient of permeability decreased significantly, hence, cannot be used as a filter in embankment dams.     

土壤侵蚀链内细沟浅沟切沟流动力机制研究

通过模拟降雨试验的方法,系统研究了细沟流流速与流量、水深与流量、流速与水深及阻力系数与雷诺数之间的关系,雨强与坡度对细沟流水力特性的影响,不同细沟流流型、流态及水动力要素作用下的侵蚀特点,并对浅沟与切沟流的水动力特性及侵蚀规律进行了初步探讨.研究结果对于揭示土壤侵蚀链内不同侵蚀方式下的水沙流动力学机制,以及土壤侵蚀演化规律具有重要意义.     

A Critical Review on Filter Design Criteria for Dispersive Base Soils

Dispersive soils have become common materials for the construction industry. Highly susceptible to internal erosion and piping, dispersive soils must only be used with specific engineering measure in order to avoid failures that were often catastrophic. In an earth dam, clayey soils are used for the core and sandy materials are used for the filter to retain the eroded core soils and prevent their migration. In the absence of first-rate core material, dispersive soils have been used instead. This paper provides a review of the current knowledge and experiences regarding filtration of core soils, particularly the dispersive ones. The engineering problems associated with the use of dispersive soils are discussed and significant findings from previous studies on protective filters are summarized. It is worthy to note that the current review considers both, the conventional, rather empirical filter design criteria based on particle sizes and the current, quite theoretical state-of-the-art filter design criteria based on constriction sizes, with discussion given on the advantages and disadvantages of both. The information provided by this review should be handy for the study, design, construction, and operation of related geotechnical and geo-environmental projects.     

Three-dimensional DEM modeling of the stress–strain behavior for the gap-graded soils subjected to internal erosion

In this work, 3D discrete element method modeling of drained shearing tests with gap-graded soils after internal erosion is carried out based on published experimental results. The erosion in the model is achieved by randomly deleting fine particles, mimicking the salt dissolving process in the experiments. The present model successfully simulates the stress–strain behavior of the physical test by employing the roll resistance and lateral membrane. The case without erosion shows a strain-softening and dilative response, while strain-hardening and contractive response starts to occur as the degree of erosion increases. The dilative to contractive transition is mainly caused by the increase in void ratio due to the loss of fine particles. The change from dilative behavior to contractive behavior is more abrupt for the specimen with larger fine particle percentage because the soil skeleton is mainly controlled by the fine particles instead of by the coarse soil particles. The transition from “fines in sand” to “sand in fines” might be associated with the rapid increasing in the contacts associated with fine particles in the specimen as the percentage of fine content increases. The erosion scenario based on the hydraulic gradient is also modeled by deleting the fine particles based on the ranking of the contact force. Compared with the scenario based on random deletion, the remaining fine particles for the erosion scenario based on the ranking of contact force are more dispersedly distributed, which might benefit the small strain stiffness but result in a smaller strength. This work provides some insights for better understanding the mechanism behind the internal erosion and the associated stress–strain behavior of soil. The gradient of the critical state line increases with more loss of fine particles denoting that the fine particles are helpful for holding the structure of the soils from larger deformation.

     

Erosion of bentonite particles at the interface of a compacted bentonite and a fractured granite

Compacted bentonite has been considered as a candidate buffer material in the underground repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. An erosion of bentonite particles caused by a groundwater flow at the interface of a compacted bentonite and a fractured granite was studied experimentally under various geochemical conditions. The experimental results showed that bentonite particles could be eroded from a compacted bentonite buffer by a flowing groundwater depending upon the contact time, the flow rate of the groundwater, and the geochemical parameters of the groundwater such as the pH and ionic strength.

A gel formation of the bentonite was observed to be a dominant process in the erosion of bentonite particles although an intrusion of bentonite into a rock fracture also contributed to the erosion. The concentration of the eroded bentonite particles eroded by a flowing groundwater was increased with an increasing flow rate of the groundwater. It was observed from the experiments that the erosion of the bentonite particles was considerably affected by the ionic strength of a groundwater although the effect of the pH was not great within the studied pH range from 7 to 10. An erosion of the bentonite particles in a natural groundwater was also observed to be considerable and the eroded bentonite particles are expected to be stable at the given groundwater condition.

The erosion of the bentonite particles by a flowing groundwater did not significantly reduce the physical stability and thus the performance of a compacted bentonite buffer. However, it is expected that an erosion of the bentonite particles due to a groundwater flow will generate bentonite particles in a given groundwater condition, which can serve as a source of the colloids facilitating radionuclide migration through rock fractures.     

Investigation of slope instability induced by seepage and erosion by a particle method

A novel particle based Bluff Morphology Model (BMM) developed by the authors is extended in this paper to investigate the effect of two dimensional seepage on the stability and collapse of soil slopes and levees. To incorporate the seepage in the model, Darcy’s law is applied to the interactions among neighbouring soil particles and ghost particles are introduced along the enclosed soil boundary so that no fluid crosses the boundary. The contribution of partially saturated soils and matric suction, as well as the change in hydraulic conductivity due to seepage, are predicted well by the present model. The predicted time evolution of slope stability and seepage induced collapse are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results for homogeneous non-cohesive sand and multiple layered cohesive soils. Rapid drawdown over a sand soil is also investigated, and the location and time of the levee collapse occurrence are well captured. A toe erosion model is incorporated in the BMM model, and the location and quantity of erosion from lateral seepage flow is well predicted. The interplay of erosion, seepage and slope instability is examined.     

A Thermodynamics-Based Model on the Internal Erosion of Earth Structures

The present paper describes a model of internal erosion of earth structures, based on rigorous thermodynamic principles and the theory of porous media. A particular focus of this paper is concerned with the initial stage of internal erosion, when the pore volume forms a continuous network, without the formation of macroscopic cavities or channels. The continuum approach is applicable in this case. The soil skeleton saturated by a pore fluid is treated as the superposition of three continua in interaction, with independent velocity fields. The pore fluid itself consists of a mixture of water and eroded particles. The erosion kinetics is based on the shear stress developed at the solid–fluid interface. The applicability of the model is illustrated by numerical simulations based on the finite element method. These simulations show how the phenomenon of piping can progressively arise, and preferentially in regions where hydraulic gradients are critical. Effects of mechanical degradations due to internal erosion are at the same time demonstrated.