Laboratory and Field Observations for Golden Horn Marine Clay

Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and one of the major metropolitan areas in the world, cleaned one of its environmentally polluted areas—Golden Horn—by dredging 5 million m³ of the bottom sediments and pumping the resulting sludge to a storage area behind a dam built at an abandoned rock quarry site in Alibey district. The reclamation of the land that formed over the storage area of Golden Horn dredged material is socially and economically very desirable. In this paper, results from experimental studies that are focused on determining the shear strength behavior of the dredge material and undisturbed soil are presented. Slurry consolidometer test, large model tests and small model tests are used to consolidate the dredged soil samples from Halic to simulate the natural consolidation behavior of these soils. Shear strength parameters are determined by laboratory vane tests; unconfined compression tests; undrained-unconsolidated (UU) and consolidated-undrained (CU) triaxial tests on samples that are obtained through in situ undisturbed samples and laboratory model tank and slurry consolidation. Moreover, the effects of fly ash and lime additives on the undrained shear strength were determined by mixing the materials with the dredged clay from Golden Horn during the model experiments conducted in the laboratory. Based on these findings, equations are proposed that govern the relationships between undrained shear strength and water content value.     

Effects of fly ash and slag content on the solidification of river-dredged sludge

Abstract

River-dredged sludge has a high water content and minimal bearing capacity and strength. Adding cement, fly ash, and slag to dredged sludge as a combined curing agent can quickly reduce its water content and improve its strength. This study experimentally investigates the solidification effectiveness of different proportions of curing agents using methods including electron microscopy, particle size analysis, water ratio limit, and water content and direct shear tests. The water content and shear strength of different combined curing agents are obtained at different ages. We find that an optimum curing agent combination exists. With increases in fly ash and slag content, test results indicate that the water content of solidified sludge first decreases and then increases, whereas the shear strength first increases and then decreases, allowing an optimal combination curing agent to be obtained. When using industrial waste residue as curing agent, it is necessary to consider the negative effects of the curing agent to better control the dosage so as to achieve better curing effect.     

Effects of fracture grouting with sodium hydroxide during electro-osmosis on clay

ABSTRACT

Electro-osmosis is a foundation treatment method for clay that is not widely used because of its nonuniform consolidation effect and high cost. To overcome these limitations, this study investigates fracture grouting. To determine the optimal grouting method, anode grouting, polyurethane grouting, and fracture grouting were first compared in one-dimensional electro-osmosis consolidation tests using self-made model boxes under an equal electric potential gradient, and then different solution concentrations were tested. By comparing the current, drainage rate, and coefficient of energy consumption during the electro-osmosis process, as well as moisture content, electrical conductivity, and shear strength after the tests, the moisture and shear strength of clay after electro-osmosis were found to be significantly improved by adding chemical reagents at the fracture. In addition, the optimum concentration of fracture grouting was determined to be 1.5%, and the shear strength after testing of clay that had been treated with sodium hydroxide was found to be higher than that of the control group. However, the effects of fracture grouting in the early stage were clearer than the effects of fracture grouting at later stages.     

Comparison between reactive MgO- and Na2SO4-activated low-calcium fly ash-solidified soils dredged from East Lake,China

Abstract

A novel approach to mitigate the environmental concerns associated with cement industry is to replace Portland cement with low carbon alternative materials such as fly ash-based geopolymer cement. Hence, reactive MgO-activated low-calcium Class F fly ash was employed in comparison to Na₂SO₄-activated fly ash to stabilize a lacustrine soil reused potentially in soft coastal reclamation projects and as reinforced aggregates for anti-corrosion in marine engineering. The microstructural and strength properties were investigated with series of tests including X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry/differential thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and unconfined compressive strength (UCS). The results demonstrate that the main hydration products in reactive MgO- and Na₂SO₄-fly ash-solidified soils are, respectively, magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) gel and sodium aluminosilicate hydrate (N-A-S-H) gel. This finding is reconfirmed by the weight loss of solidified samples at 40–200?°C, which is correspondingly attributed to the dehydration of magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) gel and sodium aluminosilicate hydrate (N-A-S-H) gel. The morphology and bonding ability of hydration products affects the microstructure and long-term strength of solidified soils. The microstructural change identified from SEM images coincides well with the quantitative evolution of pore structure. The pores with radius of 0.01–1?µm, i.e., micropore and mesopore, are supposed to be the dominant pores in reactive MgO- and Na₂SO₄-activated fly ash-solidified soils. The comparison of UCS indicates reactive MgO-activated low-Ca fly ash behaves much superior to Na₂SO₄-activated fly ash in enhancing the long-term compressive strength of soils. This study provides insight into the promising potential of low-Ca fly ash activated by immerging material – reactive MgO to replace cement in soil improvement.     

Properties and performance of a high volume fly ash grout

Abstract

This study investigated the penetrability of high volume fly ash cement suspensions prepared with and without superplasticizer into sandy soil having different relative densities with 30%, 60%, 73%, and 83% through permeation grouting. Class C fly ash was used due to its pozzolanic activity and fineness. Due to engineering characteristics and cost, cementitious grouts are the most commonly used grout in both waterproofing and ground strengthening. Fly ash-cement grouts have relatively constant and low viscosity values for a reasonable period after preparation, exhibit limited or negligible bleed capacity and set and develop satisfactory strength within a relatively short period. Modeling of grouting of soil was done in laboratory and improvements in physical and mechanical properties of grouted soil were analyzed. Unconfined compressive strength, shear strength and permeability characteristics of grouted soil were studied as a result. Unconfined compressive strength values of grouted sand with high volume fly ash ranged between 410 and 1107?kPa. Morover, cohesion values were comparable to microfine cement grouting ranging from 373 to 511?kPa. Furthermore, permeability values were also approximately equal to the permeability of impervious liners, which is around 1?×?10^?7?cm/s. The findings support the applicability of grouting in different applications.     

Study of the Shear Strength of Sediments in Main Sedimentation Stages

The shear strength properties of sediments are relevant to many practical problems, including those related to predicting the bearing capacity of the man-made crust lying over dredged disposal sites and those associated with estimating the erosion resistance and the bearing capacity of sediments. In this study, an experimental apparatus and method is developed for sedimentation. This apparatus consists of a settling column, pore measurement apparatus, shear vane apparatus, and multilayer extraction sampling apparatus. The change regulation of interface height, density, excess pore pressure, peak undrained shear strength, residual undrained shear strength, and sensitivity varies before and after the excess pore pressure dissipates to zero in the self-weight consolidation stage. The higher the water content, the greater the particle segregation degree. Particles are mainly segregated in the settling stage, and they are not segregated further in the self-weight consolidation stage. Before excess pore pressure dissipates to zero in the self-weight consolidation stage, shear strength is related to water content, effective stress, and the formed structure of sediments. After excess pore pressure dissipates to zero, peak undrained shear strength is mainly associated with the structure (thixotropy) of sediments. Residual undrained shear strength increases because of the slight decrease in water content. The mechanisms of thixotropy can be expressed as the increase in the original and curing cohesions of sediments with time as determined from microscopic aspects.     

Shear Strength Development with Burial in Eel River Margin Slope Sediments

As part of the STRATAFORM project, a series of cores were obtained from the Eel River Margin area of Eureka, California. The geotechnical analysis of intact specimens and of reconstituted samples provides some insight on the development of shear strength with burial. The results show the effect of bioturbation in the early part of the lifetime of a sediment. SEDCON tests were used to proposed various relationships which help predict the changes in density, liquidity index, and strength as a function of depth. These relationships are found useful from near the water sediment-interface down to a depth of at least 400 m in the sediment column.     

强夯法处理粉煤灰地基效果评价

在青岛娄山河污水处理厂使用强夯法对粉煤灰地基进行处理,通过定量计算分析强夯前后土工试验、原位测试结果,评价粉煤灰物理力学性质的改善状况;分析原位测试试验成果之间的内在联系,对强夯法加固粉煤灰地基的效果评价进行了初步研究。结果显示,强夯有效加固深度内的粉煤灰层物理力学性质发生了明显改善,但其孔隙比仍大于1.0;点夯过程宜及时排水,以提高夯实效率。本文研究结论对粉煤灰地区的加固具有一定的指导和参考意义。     

黄河水下三角洲高浓度黏性泥沙流变特性及其影响因素

黏性泥沙在黄河水下三角洲广泛分布,其在外部载荷作用下易引发泥沙淤积、冲刷、海床流化等问题,对港口、航道、海底管线等工程设施构成巨大威胁.利用黄河水下三角洲埕岛海域所取海底表层沉积物,制备不同固结时间和不同含水率的高浓度黏性泥沙样品.采用R/S流变仪,对所制备高浓度黏性泥沙样品进行全剪切速率下的流变试验,分析黄河水下三角...     

Comparison of Strain-rate Dependent Stress-Strain Behavior from Ko-consolidated Compression and Extension Tests on Natural Hong Kong Marine Deposits

This article presents results from a series of K_o-consolidated compression and extension triaxial tests on specimens from undisturbed samples of Hong Kong Marine Deposits (HKMD). To investigate the strain-rate effects, a total of seven K_o-consolidated triaxial tests were conducted including four compression tests and three extension tests. After K_o-consolidation, the triaxial test specimens were sheared at step-changed axial strain rates under three different confining pressures of 50 kPa, 150 kPa, and 400 kPa, respectively. The step-changed strain rates were applied in the following order: +2%/h, +0.2%/h, +20%/h, -2%/h (unloading) and +2%/h (reloading) for the four compression tests and -2%/h, -0.2%/h, -20%/h, +2%/h (unloading) and -2%/h (reloading) for the three extension tests. The results are reported and analyzed in the paper. The results show that the strain rate effects, the stress-strain characteristics, and the effective stress paths of the specimens for tests in a compression state are different from those for tests in an extension stage. One order of magnitude increase in axial strain rate causes an average 8.6% increase in undrained shear strength for compression tests and a 12.1% increase for extension tests. It is also found that the failure mode of the specimens in compression is different from that in extension. The stress-strain behavior of specimens shows strain-softening and a clear shear band in compression tests, but strain-hardening without any clear shear band in extension tests for the same absolute value of axial strain.     

The behavior of fly-ash derived arsenic in seawater

With the rising cost of oil the electric power generating companies are turning to coal as a fuel source. Large amounts of fly ash are produced as a by product of coal combustion. This fly ash must then be disposed of, with the oceans being considered an alternative to land fill disposal. This research investigated the sorptive behavior of the surface-associated arsenic and utilized the results to project arsenic's impact on the water column during the ocean disposal of fly ash.Several acid digests were investigated to determine an effective method of arsenic recovery from fly ash. Of these, the HCl digest was the most effective technique, yielding 100% arsenic recoveries from fly-ash particles. The arsenic content of the fly ashes studied varied from 69 ± 11 μg g⁻¹ to 323 ± 24 μg g⁻¹, reflecting differences in the arsenic content of the source coal. In both seawater and freshwater there is an increase in arsenic desorption with increasing pH. The greatest release of arsenic occurred at pH 12 with generally over 80% of the surface arsenic released.Fly ash in contact with seawater and freshwater can exhibit either acidic or alkaline tendencies depending upon the soluble elemental composition on the surface of the flyash particle. The acidic ashes were shown to leach a greater percentage of arsenic (16.9%) than the more alkaline ashes (8.2%). During these leaching studies in seawater, arsenic was found to leach in both the pentavalent and trivalent oxidation state. The pentavalent state was predominant, comprising 77% of the arsenic initially desorbed.The dissolution in seawater of arsenic was utilized to assess the possible impact of the ocean disposal of fly ash. Based upon these data it appears that the natural levels of arsenic in the water column would not be significantly increased. Further research is needed on the fate of fly-ash particles in marine sediments.     

Mechanical and Germination Characteristics of Stabilized Organic Soils

High-organic-content dredged soils are known to have inferior mechanical characteristics because they are highly compressible and have low shear strength. To recycle dredged soil with a high organic content as a top soil this study describes an investigation of the mechanical properties and germination characteristics of stabilized organic soils using unconfined compression tests, pH tests, and seed germination tests. Several mixtures with organic contents in the range 0–30% by mass and binder contents in the range 5–15% were prepared to evaluate the effects of the organic content on the mechanical and germination characteristics of the stabilized soils. The results show that an increase in the organic content leads to a decrease in the strength and pH of the stabilized organic soil, which are favorable conditions for germination. The germination rate increased significantly with the increasing organic content, and the plant growth rate also increased. The addition of a binder into the mixtures increased the strength of the soil; however, it also increased the pH and decreased the rate of seed germination and plant growth.     

Geotechnical Properties of Surface Sediments in the INDEX Area

As a part of the environmental impact assessment studies, geotechnical properties of sediments were determined in the Central Indian Basin. The undrained shear strength and index properties of the siliceous sediments were determined on 20 box cores of uniform dimension collected from various locations in five preselected sites. The maximum core length encountered was 41 cm and most of the sediments were siliceous oozes consisting of radiolarian or diatomaceous tests. The shear strength measurements revealed that surface sediments deposited in recent times (0-10 cm) have a shear strength of 0-1 kPa; this value increases with depth, reaching 10 kPa at 40 cm deep. Older sediments have greater strength because of compaction. Water content varies in the wide range of 312-577% and decreases with depth. The clay minerals such as smectite and illite are dominant and show some control over water content. Wet density, specific gravity, and porosity do not indicate any notable variation with depth, thereby indicating a uniform, slow rate of sedimentation. The average porosity of sediments is 90.2%, specific gravity 2.18, and wet bulk density 1.12 g/cm 3 . Sediments exhibit medium to high plasticity characteristics, with the average plasticity index varying between 105% and 136%. Preliminary studies on postdisturbance samples showed an increase in natural water content and a decrease in undrained shear strength of sediments in the top 10- to 15-cm layer.     

Study of the sedimentation and self-weight consolidation behavior of seafloor sediments using a radioisotope densitometer

ABSTRACT

In this study, settling tests were conducted to investigate the sedimentation and self-weight consolidation behavior of seafloor sediments from Isahaya Bay, Ariake Sea, Japan. During the tests, the density variations with depth and time were measured by a gamma-ray transmission radioisotope densitometer. The test results show that the settling process of the seafloor sediments can be classified into the flocculation stage, settling stage, and consolidation stage. The settling rate of the seafloor sediments in the settling stage is dependent on the temperature and initial water content, while the settling rate in the consolidation stage is independent of the temperature and initial water content. The density profile changes from a constant density profile to a linear density profile when the sedimentation process transitions to the self-weight consolidation process. The relations between the void ratio (e) and effective vertical stress (p’) at very low pressures can be calculated from the measured density values, and this can be used for the analysis of the self-weight consolidation of seafloor sediments. For the seafloor sediments tested in this study, the undrained shear strength (s_u) values are almost the same when the density values are less than 1.14?g/cm³, and the s_u values increase linearly with an increase in density when the density values are in the range of 1.14–1.2?g/cm^3.     

基于CPTU解释黏性土不排水抗剪强度方法研究

黏性土的不排水抗剪强度Su是海上风电工程设计中重要的力学参数之一,孔压静力触探测试（简称CPTU）无法直接测得黏土强度,但其所提供的锥尖阻力、侧摩阻力以及孔隙水压力与土体的不排水抗剪强度存在映射关系,国内外基于CPTU已经演化出多种解释土体不排水抗剪强度计算公式。基于滨海某海上风电项目,开展了原位CPTU试验、三轴不固结不排水（UU）、三轴固结不排水（CU）、固结快剪（CQ）以及船上微型十字板剪切（MVST）试验,对已有计算公式的适用性进行了校验,分析发现需根据区域场地情况对其中经验系数进行相应的调整以提高计算精度。研究基于CU试验结果,结合工程实例对原有公式中经验参数进行优化修正,最后通过误差分析,验证了修正预测模型的准确性与合理性,利用改进后的修正预测模型可使江苏地区海域黏性土不排水抗剪强度的计算得到更准确的结果。     

Effect of polymer and fiber usage on dewatering and compressibility behavior of fly ash slurries

Coal ash producing is an increasing trend because of its high energy demand worldwide. For transportation, disposal, and reuse of the industrial waste materials, geotextile tube’s dewatering technology has been widely used over the last three decades, which helps to decrease the volume of the dewatered slurry. In this study, effect of usage of polymer and fibers on dewatering characteristic of fly ash slurries was investigated. For the experimental investigation, an anionic polymer and short nylon fibers were used. As a new concept, centrifuge test is introduced as an alternative for the widely used pressure filtration test (PFT). Centrifuge test was used to evaluate final solid content of the retained sediments and change in slurry volume of fly ash. Tests were conducted on unconditioned and anionic polyacrylamide and/or fiber conditioned fly ash slurries. Centrifuge test results were compared with PFT results with respect to final solid content. It was found that fiber and/or polymer usage has remarkable effect on the dewatering rate of fly ash slurry. It was also found that final solid content of fly ash slurries was decreased by inclusion of fibers and polymer, which indicates that fiber and/or polymer usage can create more permeable soil body.     

Mechanical properties of calcareous silts in a hydraulic fill island-reef

Abstract

The mechanical characteristics of calcareous silt interlayers play an important role in the stability of island-reef foundations. Direct shear and consolidation tests were performed to study the relationship between the mechanical properties and the physical parameters of calcareous silt. Based on the consolidation test results and analysis of the settling examples, different calculation methods for soil settling were compared. The results show the following. (1) The relationship between the cohesion and water content of calcareous silt can be represented by an M-shaped curve. The water contents corresponding to the two peaks of the M-type curve increase with increasing dry density. (2) When the dry density is less than 1.33?g/cm³, increasing the density significantly improves the internal friction angle of calcareous silts. When the dry density of the calcareous silt is greater than 1.33?g/cm³, the internal friction angle is affected by both the dry density and the water content. (3) The shear strength decreases when the water content exceeds the optimum level. (4) The compressive modulus of calcareous silt is larger than that of terrigenous silt. Specifically, it decreases with decreasing dry density and increasing water content. (5) The stepwise loading method should be used to estimate the soil settling before fill engineering construction.     

Effect of nano-MgO on mechanical performance of cement stabilized silty clay

Abstract

A series of direct shear tests were performed on cement-admixed silty clay to investigate the effect of cement content and nano-magnesia (MgO) on its shear strength properties. For each normal stress, shear strength increased with cement content. However, an obvious increment in shear strength was achieved when the cement content was adjusted from 13% to 17%. Both cohesion and friction angle of cemented soil increased with cement content, and exponential function was adopted to correlate both the factors with cement content. For cement content of 10% investigated in this study, the optimum nano-MgO content was 10‰, wherein the cohesion could reach the peak value. The microstructure of the mixture revealed that the structure of the mixture was compacted for the optimum nano-MgO content. However, micro-cracks were formed when the amount of nano-MgO exceeded its optimum content.     

Geotechnical Properties of Surface Sediments in the INDEX Area

Abstract

As a part of the environmental impact assessment studies, geotechnical properties of sediments were determined in the Central Indian Basin. The undrained shear strength and index properties of the siliceous sediments were determined on 20 box cores of uniform dimension collected from various locations in five preselected sites. The maximum core length encountered was 41 cm and most of the sediments were siliceous oozes consisting of radiolarian or diatomaceous tests. The shear strength measurements revealed that surface sediments deposited in recent times (0–10 cm) have a shear strength of 0–1 kPa; this value increases with depth, reaching 10 kPa at 40 cm deep. Older sediments have greater strength because of compaction. Water content varies in the wide range of 312–577% and decreases with depth. The clay minerals such as smectite and illite are dominant and show some control over water content. Wet density, specific gravity, and porosity do not indicate any notable variation with depth, thereby indicating a uniform, slow rate of sedimentation. The average porosity of sediments is 90.2%, specific gravity 2.18, and wet bulk density 1.12 g/cm³. Sediments exhibit medium to high plasticity characteristics, with the average plasticity index varying between 105% and 136%. Preliminary studies on postdisturbance samples showed an increase in natural water content and a decrease in undrained shear strength of sediments in the top 10- to 15-cm layer.     

Effect of sand on the vacuum consolidation of dredged slurry

Vacuum preloading is often used to improve the geotechnical properties of dredged slurry. Although the performance of this method has improved with rapidly developing technology, soil columns usually formed on the drainage boundary induce the decrease of permeability around the boundary, thereby limiting the further development of this method. To address this issue, this paper proposes a method for pretreating the slurry combined with sand prior to vacuum consolidation. This method partially replaces the fine particles with sand to reduce the formation of soil columns. Two groups of vacuum preloading tests were performed to investigate the effect of sand content and sand grain size on the vacuum consolidation of dredged slurry. The test results revealed that for a given sand grain size, increasing the sand content of the sand–slurry mixture increased the pore water drainage and accelerated the dissipation of pore water pressure, thereby increasing the vane shear strength. In contrast, for a constant sand content, the samples containing coarse sand exhibited increased pore water drainage and accelerated dissipation of pore water pressure, thereby increasing the vane shear strength of the soil.