The sequence of sediment behaviour during wave-induced liquefaction

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the complete sequence of sediment behaviour beneath progressive waves. The sediment was silty with d ₅₀ = 0.060 mm. Two kinds of measurements were carried out: pore-water pressure measurements (across the sediment depth), and water-surface elevation measurements. The process of liquefaction/compaction was videotaped from the side simultaneously with the pressure and water-surface elevation measurements. The video records were then analysed to measure: (i) the time development of the mudline, (ii) the time development of liquefaction and compaction fronts in the sediment and (iii) the characteristics of the orbital motion of the liquefied sediment including the motion of the interface between the water body and the sediment. The ranges of the various quantities in the tests were: wave height, H  = 9–17 cm, wave period, T  = 1.6 sec, water depth = 42 cm, and the Shields parameter = 0.34–0.59. The experiments reveal that, with the introduction of waves, excess pore pressure builds up, which is followed by liquefaction during which internal waves are experienced at the interface of the water body and the liquefied sediment, the sequence of processes known from a previous investigation. This sequence of processes is followed by dissipation of the accumulated excess pore pressure and compaction of the sediment which is followed by the formation of bed ripples. The present results regarding the dissipation and compaction appear to be in agreement with recent centrifuge wave-tank experiments. As for the final stage of the sequence of processes (formation of ripples), the ripple steepness (normalized with the angle of repose) for sediment with liquefaction history is found to be the same as that in sediment with no liquefaction history.     

移动状态边界面法在黏性土不排水蠕变孔压分析中的应用

在黏性土的各种流变现象的数学模拟研究中,不排水蠕变孔压方程几乎是空白。基于临界状态土力学理论,采用与时间相关的移动状态边界面法,给出了适用于正常固结黏性土的不依赖状态边界面具体形态的不排水蠕变孔压公式。正常固结黏性土的不排水蠕变孔压可以看作是体积蠕变势和剪应力水平增大造成的剪缩这两种作用的结果,前者与参数 有关（ 为次压缩指数, 为压缩指数）,后者则与状态边界面的具体形态有关。在此基础上进一步给出了可方便用于试验数据分析的双对数和单对数形式的两个公式。以修正剑桥模型椭圆形状态边界面为例,分析了双对数和单对数坐标系下蠕变孔压曲线的斜率m和m′与土的流变参数 的关系。采用提出的方法,很好地预测了Walkers给出的Leda clay黏土的蠕变孔压系数,并基于以上两种作用解释了Leda clay黏土的蠕变孔压形成的机制。     

循环荷载下吸力锚基础周围孔压响应特性数值研究

吸力锚基础海上安装方便、定位精确且具有较大上拔承载力,可作为张力腿平台的系泊基础,在深水油气工程应用广泛。服役过程中,作用在吸力锚基础上的荷载一般为一定预张力上的单向循环动力作用,动力荷载可分为波频荷载和二阶低频慢漂荷载,其中波频荷载的幅值较小但周期短,低频荷载幅值较大但周期较长。本文建立多孔介质海床中吸力锚在定常力基础上承受循环上拔荷载的有限元模型,对锚体周围的孔压响应特性进行数值计算与分析,重点分析比较波频荷载和低频慢漂荷载作用下的振荡和残余孔压的变化趋势与影响范围。研究表明,循环上拔荷载作用下吸力锚外侧浅层土体孔压累积显著,降低土体有效应力,弱化筒壁-土体摩擦阻力,有可能引起吸力锚失效模式的转化;循环荷载的幅值和周期都将对孔压响应的大小和分布造成一定影响。     

Post-installation pore-pressure changes around spudcan and long-term spudcan behaviour in soft clay

This paper presents a dual-stage Eulerian–Lagrangian analysis for modelling the entire process of spudcan installation in soft clay, followed by consolidation and working load operation. The analysis consists of three components, namely undrained effective stress Eulerian analysis of spudcan installation, mesh-to-mesh variable mapping and coupled-flow Lagrangian analysis for the post-installation spudcan working behaviour. The results show good agreement with centrifuge model data but also highlight the importance of replicating the hysteretic behaviour of the soil. The findings also show that while a wished-in-place approach was able to model the long-term bearing response of the spudcan, rotational stiffness was over-estimated. This is due to the fact that, while the wished-in-place analysis was able to model the hardening of the soil ahead of the spudcan, it was unable to model the softening of back-flowed soil behind spudcan. The latter influences the spudcan fixity significantly, but not bearing response. Although the analyses were conducted using ABAQUS, they can, in principle, be conducted using other codes.     

Excess pore pressure and grain crushing of sands by means of undrained and naturally drained ring-shear tests

An investigation of excess pore-pressure generation of a weathered granitic sand, taken from the source area of a typical landslide caused as a result of liquefaction, and a fine silica sand was conducted, in which grain crushing within the shear zone of ring-shear test specimens was examined as the key phenomenon of rapid long-runout motion of landslides. In order to investigate and explain the low average apparent-friction angle, mobilized in a liquidized landslide, speed-controlled ring-shear tests were conducted under undrained conditions on weathered granitic-sand specimens, formed under a wide range of initial void ratios. It was revealed that very small steady-state shear resistances were obtained irrespective of the initial void ratios, which can explain the low average apparent-friction angle. In addition, two series of ring-shear tests on weathered-granitic and fine-silica sands were conducted under naturally drained conditions by keeping the upper drain valve of the shear box open during the tests. The first series of tests was performed under differing total normal stresses, but at the same shear speed, and the second series was conducted at differing shear speeds, but under the same total normal stress. In order to investigate and analyze excess pore-pressure generation and dissipation within the shear zone that is associated with grain crushing, permeability analyses were conducted by passing water through the sample box of the ring-shear test apparatus before and after shearing. In addition, grain-size distribution analyses of samples taken from the shear zone after shearing were carried out. For the weathered granitic-sand samples, a significant change in bulk permeability and large amount of grain crushing were observed. In these tests on the above soil, a considerable reduction of shear resistance, which increased proportionally to the total normal stress and shear speed, were obtained. It was observed that due to grain crushing, finer grains that lowered the permeability of the soil in the shear zone, were formed. It is likely that the decrease in permeability facilitated the generation of high excess pore pressures by reducing the pore-pressure dissipation rate from the shear zone; thus, flow behaviour was exhibited even under naturally drained conditions.