Experimental study on the coefficient of lateral pressure at rest for calcareous soils

Abstract

The coefficient of lateral pressure at rest (k₀) is a key parameter required to determine the horizontal stress distribution on subsoils. In this paper, k₀ was measured from consolidation test for calcareous and siliceous sand, and the effect of water contents on k₀ of calcareous sand was also discussed. Comparison of k₀ values measured and calculated based on empirical formulas were carried on. Results indicated that (1) the reduction rate of k₀ for calcareous sand with an increase in relative density was less than that of siliceous sand. The k₀ at low water content was generally smaller than that of siliceous sand, and it was similar to that of siliceous sand for high-water content; (2) the k₀ of calcareous sand increased with increasing initial water content initially, and then decreasing. However, the magnitude of variation was small. So the impact of water content on the k₀ of calcareous sand was limited; (3) the formulas proposed by Abdelhamid and Krizek (1976 Abdelhamid, M. S., and R. J. Krizek. 1976. At-Rest Lateral Earth Pressure of Consolidating Clay. Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division 102 (7): 721–738. [Google Scholar]) for estimation of the k₀ was highly applicable to calcareous fine sand.

• Highlights

• The k₀ of calcareous fine sand was investigated.

• The k₀ of calcareous and siliceous sand were compared.

• Shape parameters of sand particles for calcareous and siliceous sand were analyzed.

• Effects of related density and initial water content on the k₀ were discussed, respectively.

• The applicability of various empirical formulas for calculating k₀ of calcareous fine sand was evaluated.

     

Biological aspects of pollution in the Heathcote river,Christchurch, New Zealand

The presence and degree of pollution in the Heathcote River was estimated from bacterial and chemical analyses of water sampled at low tide from five stations in summer 1967–68. The river is very badly polluted in the industrial area and downstream of it, but is fairly clean upstream of the industrial area. Results of analyses of micro‐organisms and macrofauna at 20 stations are presented and distributions of these organisms are related to salinity and pollution in the river. Pollution is restricting the macrofauna of the river but is encouraging micro‐organism populations. Three groups of macrofauna are present:

• Those present in clean freshwater only,

• Those tolerating pollution but restricted to freshwater, and

• Those tolerating pollution but restricted to saline water.

The use of these groups of species as biological indicators of pollution in the Heathcote River has been evaluated; pollution appears to be indicated by absence of a group of species rather than by presence of one species.     

Offshore Occurrences of Heavy-Mineral Placers,Northwest Galicia,Spain

ABSTRACT

Results of offshore water-jet sediment sampling demonstrate the potential for interstadial placer deposits of industrial minerals in the shore-face to inner-shelf of Cape Ortegal, NW Spain. Placer deposition is interpreted to have occurred during glacial interstadials since the Last Glacial Maximum, and deposits sampled at 24 to 42 m. BSL were formed during the Younger Dryas, and subsequently preserved as a result of very rapid rising sea-levels. The sediments are almost entirely terrestrially derived with a particularly high heavy mineral content (Sp. Gr. >2.9), of more than 75% in all samples. Reworked garnet from earlier-sedimentary deposits constitutes an important fraction of the placer deposits identified but is generally absent in other sediments. Indications of the presence of +5 m-thick paleo-placer deposits with sections include:

• Placer garnet + spinel grades increase with depth in those sediments at 24 to 42 m BSL to the ocean-floor.

• The d50 of sediments with background grades decrease with depth while those of placer deposits do not display any significant trend.

• Garnets in non-mineralized sediments are almost entirely angular, whereas in placer enriched sediments they vary in form from well-rounded to angular. Some grains in the latter display surface morphologies typical of reworked sediment while none of the former do.

Sediments deposited during glacial interstadials at depths of up to 130 m BSL may represent important, undeveloped exploration targets for offshore placer deposits of industrial minerals. Industrial mineral exploration should extend the depths of investigations to those corresponding to major interstadial periods.     

Shear Strength and Dilatancy of Calcareous Sand in the South China Sea

The shear strength and dilatancy of typical uncemented calcareous sand from the South China Sea are investigated by soil lab tests. According to drained triaxial tests at various relative densities and confining stresses, it is found that the constant volume friction angle is approximated as 39° and the traditional Bolton’s equations can be modified to estimate the peak friction angle and dilation angle. The reliability of the equation proposed for the peak friction angle is verified in terms of calcareous sands from more onshore and offshore sites worldwide, while the errors of the predicted dilation angles scatter in a relatively large range. Totally, the dilation angles of sands in the South China Sea are estimated by the equation presented with an error of ±30%. The peak friction angle measured by the undrained is similar to that by the drained tests as the relative density smaller than 60%, while the former is slightly lower for denser samples.

     

Shear tests of interfaces between calcareous sand and steel

Abstract

Various modified direct shear tests on the interface between calcareous sand and steel with different degrees of roughness were conducted in this article, and the different interface property results between calcareous sand-steel and siliceous sand-steel were compared. It was found that: (1) Under various normal stresses, the limit shear stress at the interface reaches the peak value when the groove depth is at the critical value Rcr. Further, when the flat width is at a critical value Gcr, the limit interface shear stress reaches to that of a grooved surface with a flat width of zero. (2) The magnitudes of Rcr and Gcr are related to the gradation and grain size of sand. For the calcareous sand tested, Rcr and Gcr are three times and seven times the mean grain size, respectively. (3) When the intersection angle between the symmetrical V-shaped grooves and the direct shear direction equals to 45°, the limit interface shear stress reaches the peak value and no significant increase is observed at the larger intersection angle. (4) Under the same interface testing conditions with siliceous and calcareous sands, the interface friction angle of the calcareous sand is ～5°–6° greater than that of siliceous sand.     

Gradation affects basic mechanical characteristics of Chinese calcareous sand as airport subgrade of reefs

Abstract

Construction of the reefs in the South China Sea is a significant foundation to the secure stability and economic development of China. The construction of an airport runway is necessary for this realization. The calcareous sand is the main primary material in the runway construction. A certain type of calcareous sand near a certain reef of the South China Sea was studied in this paper. To investigate this specific calcareous sand, quartz sand was used as a reference for comparison. Microscopic 3-D imaging, compression and triaxial tests were conducted to test the micro, squeezing and shear properties. The effect mechanism of gradation on the calcareous sand’s compressibility and shear characteristics are discussed from a mesoscopic viewpoint using 3-D morphology. Calcareous sand particles are multiangular and flatter in comparison with quartz sand. The larger the particle sizes are, the more different the two sands’ morphologies are. The compressibility of calcareous sand is greater, and the effect of the coarse fraction (5–1?mm) content in the gradation plays the most significant role in this feature. When the coarse particles’ content is less than 25% and the mass ratio of the middle and fine particles (M) is constant, there is the worst coarse fraction content causing the calcareous sand to be most likely compressed. The worst coarse fraction content decreases with the increase in M, and an empirical formula is proposed. When the gradation, relative density and confining pressure are the same, the peak shear stress and strain of calcareous sand are all at a high level. The effect of confining pressure is manifested in calcareous sand. The shear strength and dilation of calcareous sand are also most affected by the medium coarse fraction (5–0.25?mm) content.     

Evaluation of State Parameter of Crushable Jeju Sand Using Cone Resistance

This study was performed to evaluate the critical state parameter of crushable Jeju sand and to suggest the relationship between the state parameter and cone resistance of Jeju sand. It is observed from a drained triaxial test that Jeju sand mainly shows contractive behavior due to high void ratio and large compressibility. Although strain localization is not evident, the particle crushing results in a lower void ratio than the critical state void ratio of some Jeju specimens. Critical state parameters of Jeju sand are similar to those of calcareous sands, but significantly larger than those of common sands. The relationship between the normalized cone resistance and state parameter of Jeju sand significantly differs from that of other materials, and this relation appears to be affected by the stress level. This is because the variation of stress level affects the state parameter of Jeju sand more significantly than that of common sand due to the high compressibility of Jeju sand.     

Comparison Between Shear Behaviors of Overconsolidated Nakdong River Sandy Silt and Silty Sand

From this research, overconsolidated undrained and drained behaviors of specimens with high sand content were highly dilatant. According to the comparison results of laboratory tests, the deviator stresses of silty sand were greater than sandy silt due to high sand content under increasing OCRs, and both silty sand and sandy silt were presented strain softening tendency after failure under undrained loading. The pore water pressure increased with increasing fines content under increasing OCRs. Silty sand exhibited more dilatancy and increasing shear strength than sandy silt because pore water pressures of silty sand were lower than sandy silt under higher OCRs. In overconsolidated drained tests, silty sand is higher strength than sandy silt because silty sand has a lower volumetric strain and higher deviator stress than sandy silt under increasing OCRs. As the degree of overconsolidation increased, similar behaviors of silty sand and sandy silt observed that volumetric strain decreased to negative values due to dilatancy effect and low-cohesion under current effective confining pressures.     

Failure mode and pullout capacity of anchor piles in soils with cohesive and cohesionless properties

Abstract

The present work develops a theoretical model based on a rational mechanical model and the failure mechanism of anchor piles in the seabed, by which the failure mode and pullout capacity of anchor piles under inclined loading can be predicted in the soils with both cohesive and cohesionless properties. Experimental and numerical results are employed to validate the theoretical predictions. Parametric studies are performed to investigate the effects of different parameters on the failure mode and pullout capacity of anchor piles, to demonstrate the applicability and efficiency of the theoretical model and to gain further knowledge of the anchor properties. An analytical method is also proposed to evaluate the optimal position of the attachment point of anchor piles, and confirmed by relevant studies in either cohesive or cohesionless soils.

1. Highlights

2. A novel theoretical model is proposed to analyze the failure mode and pullout capacity of anchor piles.

3. The model is applied to inclined loading and to soils with both cohesive and cohesionless properties.

4. Efficiency and applicability of the model are validated through comparative and parametric studies.

5. A simple expression is proposed to predict the optimal position of the attachment point for anchor piles.

     

Experimental study on the phase transformation point of crushable and noncrushable soils

Two marine calcareous deposits as crushable soils and a siliceous sand as a noncrushable soil were used in this study to compare their monotonic response. Undrained monotonic triaxial tests were conducted on samples, which were prepared in different relative densities and consolidated under various confining pressures. The location of phase transformation point in undrained response of the sands in different initial conditions was evaluated. The effect of important parameters including relative density, confining pressure, particle shape, and particle breakage on phase transformation point was assessed. The input energy applied per unit volume of the soils was used to interpret the shearing response of crushable and noncrushable soils. The results showed that calcareous sands have more tendencies in contraction. Particle shape and breakage play a key role in engineering behavior of crushable soils.     

Ultimate Lateral Capacity of Rigid Pile in <Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis>–<Emphasis Type="Italic">φ</Emphasis> Soil

To date no analytical solution of the pile ultimate lateral capacity for the general c–φ soil has been obtained. In the present study, a new dimensionless embedded ratio was proposed and the analytical solutions of ultimate lateral capacity and rotation center of rigid pile in c–φ soils were obtained. The results showed that both the dimensionless ultimate lateral capacity and dimensionless rotation center were the univariate functions of the embedded ratio. Also, the ultimate lateral capacity in the c–φ soil was the combination of the ultimate lateral capacity (f _c ) in the clay, and the ultimate lateral capacity (f _φ ) in the sand. Therefore, the Broms chart for clay, solution for clay (φ=0) put forward by Poulos and Davis, solution for sand (c=0) obtained by Petrasovits and Awad, and Kondner’s ultimate bending moment were all proven to be the special cases of the general solution in the present study. A comparison of the field and laboratory tests in 93 cases showed that the average ratios of the theoretical values to the experimental value ranged from 0.85 to 1.15. Also, the theoretical values displayed a good agreement with the test values.     

Mechanical Behavior of Light-Weight Soil Under Consolidated Drained Shear Condition

To reveal the influence of material composition on mechanical properties of light-weight soil, stress-strain -volumetric strain characteristics and Poisson's ratio of mixed soil were researched by consolidated drained shear tests. The results show that light-weight soil is a kind of structural soil, so its mechanical properties are affected by mixed ratio and confining pressure, and mixed soil possesses structural yield stress. When confining pressure is less than the structural yield stress, strain softening occurs; when confining pressure is more than the structural yield stress, strain hardening is observed. There are two kinds of volume change behavior: shear contraction and shear dilatancy. Shear dilatancy usually leads to strain softening, but there isn't an assured causal relationship between them. Poisson's ratio of mixed soil is a variational state parameter with the change of stress state, it decreases with increased confining pressure, and it increases with increased stress level. When axial strain is near 5%, Poisson’ ratio is gradually close to a steady value. The main range of Poisson's ratio is 0.25～0.50 when confining pressure changes from 50 to 300 kPa. When unconfined compressive strength of mixed soil is less than 328 kPa, its stress-strain-volumetric strain characteristics can be predicted very well by Duncan-Chang model (E-B model). However, when the range of unconfined compressive strength is [328 kPa, 566 kPa], the model can't predict stress-strain characteristics accurately when confining pressure is under 200 kPa, and it also can't predict the strong shear dilatancy phenomenon of mixed soil under low confining pressure.     

Monotonic and cyclic behaviors of loose anisotropically consolidated calcareous sand in torsional shear tests

ABSTRACT

The behavior of loose anisotropically consolidated calcareous sand obtained from an island in the South China Sea was investigated under undrained monotonic and cyclic loading in a hollow cylinder torsional apparatus. The tests were conducted on specimens which consolidated under various initial effective confining pressures and consolidation stress ratios. The monotonic test results show that the failure and phase transformation line are essentially independent of the consolidation conditions, while the initial contractive tendency of the specimens decreases with an increasing consolidation stress ratio. During monotonic loading of the anisotropically consolidated specimens, a same major principal stress direction is observed at the constant stress ratio lines up to the phase transformation line, irrespective of initial effective confining pressure. The cyclic strength of the sand increases with an increasing consolidation stress ratio. Moreover, a pronounced stress dependence is observed in the sand with higher consolidation stress ratio. During cyclic loading, the generated excess pore water pressure presents considerable fluctuations. The normalized terminal excess pore water pressure is described as a function of consolidation stress ratio. The tests show that the particle shape, rather than particle crushing, plays an important role in the monotonic and cyclic behaviors of the calcareous sand.     

Shearing response of geotextile-reinforced calcareous soils using monotonic triaxial tests

Abstract

Different types of geosynthetic reinforcements have been widely used for improving shear strength of soil materials in recent decades. In this study, two different calcareous soils reinforced by geotextile layers were evaluated by monotonic compression triaxial tests. The calcareous soils were obtained from Hormuz Island and Boushehr Port located in the north coast of the Persian Gulf. Different reconstituted samples were prepared at dense conditions with and without geotextile layers and consolidated under different effective confining pressures ranging from 100 to 600?kPa. Different layers of reinforcements including one, two and three geotextile layers were placed in the reinforced samples and sheared under drained condition. The results show that confining pressure has a significant effect on the efficiency of reinforcements. Evidently, increasing the reinforcement layers decreased the particle breakage of the calcareous soils used in this study.     

Model experimental research on uplift single pile in calcareous sand of South China Sea

Vertical uplift static loading tests of single model pile were conducted in the in-lab calcareous sand and quartz sand by emulating practical condition of full-size piles in site. The settlement, lateral deflection, axial force, and friction distribution of the pile are analyzed for each physical test. The pile behaviors in calcareous sand and quartz sand are compared. From the test results, it can be found that the pile top displacement of uplift pile in calcareous sand can be divided into two stages: the pile–sand synchronous stage and pile–sand asynchronous (relative displacement) stage. Data from uplift tests show that the heave of calcareous sand around pile top is very small, which is resulted from the mutually restraint of surface particle. The mutual restriction of surface particle leads to “bottleneck effect” and strengthens ultimate side friction of upper pile segment. In addition, the shear dilatancy and particle breakage of calcareous sand lead to the upper harden and the lower soften of side friction, respectively. Cases of calcareous sand and quartz sand show different responses to pile forming methods, which due to the sands’ different characteristics of particle breakage when compressed as well as plastic deformation under loading–unloading conditions.     

Distribution of pelagic blue-green algae in the North Pacific Ocean

The distribution of pelagic blue-green algae, especially ofTrichodesmium thiebautii, was investigated on the basis of the collection of theHakuhō Maru Cruise KH-69-4 along 155°W (50°N-15°S) in the North Pacific Ocean from September to November 1969.

1. Five species were identified:Trichodesmium thiebautii (most predominant),T. erythraeum, Oscillatoria sp.,Katagnymene spiralis andRichelia intracellularis.
2. T. thiebautii was most abundant in the western North Pacific central water and abundant next to it in the equatorial water, but it did not occur in the subarctic water.
3. T. thiebautii was ubiquitously distributed in the lower layer of 100–200 m in the equatorial water, though not in a large quantity.
4. T. thiebautii inhabited only the water warmer than 20°C. In its main habitat, nitrate and nitrite were almost zero, but ammonia and phosphate were present. There was not found any correlation between its occurrence and the salinity.
5. Blue-green algae were generally thinly populated in the water rich in diatoms.

     

Closure to “anisotropic hydraulic conductivity and critical hydraulic gradient of a crushed sandstone–mudstone particle mixture”

A closure is presented to the discussion of Anisotropic hydraulic conductivity and critical hydraulic gradient of a crushed sandstone–mudstone particle mixture by Salahou, Jiao, and Yousif (2017 Fener, M., and N. Yesiller. 2013. Vertical pore structure profile of a compacted clayey soil. Engineering Geology 166:204–15. doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2013.08.001.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The relationship between the critical hydraulic gradient and the uniformity coefficient can be limited to two curves. The internal erosion mechanism of soils with different particle grade curves is different. The maximum diameter of fine particles of different particle grade curves can be calculated by a lot of methods. The density of the original paper is the average density. The anisotropic hydraulic conductivity is caused by uneven density distribution. The hydraulic conductivities are tested on the saturated soils. The saturated hydraulic conductivity can be regard as a constant value for a saturated soil.     

The FAO guidelines for the development and use of indicators for sustainable development of marine capture fisheries and an Australian example of their application

Guidelines for developing and implementing sustainability indicators for marine capture fisheries were drafted during a recent expert consultation jointly organised by Australia and FAO in Sydney (Australia). This paper provides an overview of the guidelines and illustrates their application with an Australian example. As a background to the guidelines, the concept of sustainable development (SD) for marine capture fisheries was discussed and an agreed set of definitions and usage of common terms developed. The guidelines then outline the five sequential steps that need to be addressed in developing a meaningful set of indicators in the context of a Sustainable Development Reference System (SDRS). The five steps are:

• 1.specifying the scope of the SDRS;
• 2.developing a framework to agree on components within the system;
• 3.specifying criteria, objectives, potential indicators and reference values;
• 4.choosing the set of indicators and reference values;
• 5.specifying the method of aggregation and visualisation.

These steps are further elaborated in terms of how to scope the SDRS, define the dimensions and hierarchical levels to be included in the system, set multiple objectives and link these to indicators and reference values (e.g. targets, thresholds and/or standards). The guidelines also provide some examples of possible indicators, criteria for selecting some indicators over others and present ways of aggregating and visualising the indicators so that progress towards achieving sustainable development can be communicated easily to decision-makers.     

Characteristics of deep currents off Cape Shiono-misaki before and after formation of the large meander of the Kuroshio in 1981

Deep currents measured by moored current meters over the shelf-slope off Cape Shiono-misaki, Kii Peninsula during the period from 28 April, 1981 to 4 May, 1982 are analyzed to determine characteristics of the deep current before and after the large meander of the Kuroshio formed. The observed deep currents show some different characteristics between the periods before and after the formation of the large meander of the Kuroshio,i.e.:

1. The mean current direction over the shelf slope changed to westward after the meander was formed, though it was eastward at two offshore stations before the meander was formed.
2. The eddy kinetic energy, \(ke((\overline {u'^2 } + \overline {\upsilon '^2 } )/2)\) became large at all stations after the meander formed.
3. It appears that there were current variations in the period band shorter than 10 days which propagated offshore before the meander formed but inshore after the meander formed.
4. After the meander formed, the current variations with a period of O(25 days) were amplified at two of the three stations. The current variations in this period band showed high coherence among the three stations.

Data from tidal stations showed that sea level variations with a period of O(30 days) were also amplified along the south coast of Japan after the meander was formed. But sea level variations were not coherent with current variations in this period band.     

Nonlinear Creep and Swelling Behavior of Bentonite Mixed with Different Sand Contents Under Oedometric Condition

Due to the viscous nature, especially the swelling property, bentonite is selected as buffer and backfill material for marine radioactive waste disposal. This article presents experimental results from one-dimensional oedometric compression tests with multi-stage loading and unloading/reloading on specimens of bentonite mixed with different sand contents. The sand contents are 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90%, respectively, in terms of the dry mass of sand over the dry mass of the mixture. Influences of sand contents on time-dependent stress-strain behavior of the bentonite-sand mixture under 1-D straining are examined with special attention to the nonlinear creep and swelling behavior. It is found that the bentonite-sand mixtures exhibit distinct nonlinear creep and swelling behavior that cannot be neglected. Moreover, a nonlinear creep function proposed by Yin (1999 Yin , J.-H. 1999 . Non-linear creep of soils in oedometer tests . Geotechnique 49 ( 5 ): 699 – 707 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) for Hong Kong Marine Deposits has been modified to describe the nonlinear creep behavior of the bentonite-sand mixture.