3D bearing capacity probabilistic analyses of footings on spatially variable c–φ soil

Acta Geotechnica - The paper examines three-dimensional (3D) analyses of the load bearing capacity of square and strip footings on a spatially variable cohesive–frictional (c–φ)...     

Probabilistic analyses of three-dimensional circular footing resting on two-layer c–ϕ soil system considering soil spatial variability

Acta Geotechnica - The prime objective of this paper is to study the effect of soil spatial variability on the three-dimensional probabilistic bearing capacity of a circular footing resting on the...     

A closed-form solution for seismic passive earth pressure behind a retaining wall supporting cohesive–frictional backfill

The evaluation of seismic passive earth pressure is an important aspect in designing safe retaining walls. In this paper, a slice analysis method is adopted to study the nonlinear distribution of seismic passive earth pressure while considering most of the possible parameters. The closed-form expressions for the resultant force of seismic passive earth pressure, earth pressure distribution, and its application position are obtained. The explicit solution for the critical failure angle of seismic passive earth pressure is proposed by simplifying the relation between the resultant force and the failure angle based on a graphical analysis method. Under certain conditions, the present method correlates with classical passive earth pressure theories. By comparing the present method with test results and previously published solutions, the results are found to be consistent. The influence of the seismic coefficients on seismic passive earth pressure is also studied.     

A calculation method for deformation of diaphragm wall of narrow deep foundation pit in soft soil considering spatio-temporal effectEI北大核心

为准确评估软土地区基坑施工安全以及对周围环境的影响,开挖过程中的时间和空间影响因素不可忽视。以长江漫滩软土地区某深基坑开挖工程为依托,首先建立考虑顺逆结合施工过程的有限元模型,将地连墙水平位移的计算值与实测值进行对比,验证有限元计算的可靠性;基于理论分析、数值计算和实测数据,采用坑角效应影响系数和等效水平抗力系数来衡量时空效应对支护变形的影响,提出考虑时空效应的地连墙变形计算方法;通过工程实例验证了在软土地区基坑设计计算中考虑时空效应的必要性以及所提计算方法的合理性。该研究成果可为软土地区深基坑变形计算提供有益借鉴。     

A multiphase approach to the stability analysis of reinforced earth structures accounting for a soil–strip failure condition

A multiphase model, developed in the context of elastoplasticity, is applied to the simulation and design of reinforced earth retaining structures. The main feature of this model is to combine the advantage of a homogenization approach, as regards its computational efficiency, with the ability to account for a specific failure condition at the interface between the soil and the reinforcing strips, which may have a decisive influence on the behavior of the structure. A particular emphasis is put on the stability analysis of this kind of reinforced soil structures, formulated within the framework of the yield design theory. Making use of a generalized rigid block failure mechanism, the stability of a reinforced earth retaining wall is investigated by means of the kinematic approach, leading to upper bound estimates for the stability factor of the structure, which are then favorably compared with the results of an elastoplastic analysis. Special attention is paid to assessing in a quantitative way how a specific soil–strip failure condition affects the stability of the reinforced earth structure as a whole.     

The effect of cemented soil strength on the frictional capacity of precast concrete pile–cemented soil interface

Acta Geotechnica - The pre-bored grouted planted (PGP) pile is a composite pile consisting of a precast concrete pile and the cemented soil around the pile. Thus, the PGP pile shaft capacity is...     

Generalized Hoek-Brown solution of circular tunnel considering effects of axial stress and seepage forceEI北大核心CSCD

This paper studies the joint effect of seepage force and axial stress on the stress and displacement of circular tunnel. The circular tunnel is simplified as an axisymmetric model and the seepage field is simplified as volumetric force in the stress field. The excavation cross-section of surrounding rock is assumed as a plane as well, and an axial stress perpendicular to the plane is further introduced. Nonlinear solutions for the stress and displacement of circular tunnel are deduced considering the joint effect of axial stress and seepage force, based on the generalized Hoek-Brown failure criterion and the non-associated flow rule in elastic-brittle-plastic rock mass. Numerical simulations are also employed to analyze the distribution of stress field and displacement field in plastic zone of a circular tunnel under the joint effect of axial stress and seepage force. The calculated results show that the displacement in plastic zone increases significantly with the gradient increment of the seepage pressure, compared with the situation without seepage force. The radius and stress of surrounding rock in plastic zone increase when axial stress is the intermediate principal stress, while the radius and stress have less change when axial stress is the major or minor principal stress. It can be concluded that the seepage force has negative effects on the stability of circular tunnel, and the axial stress significantly influences the stress and displacement of the circular tunnel, especially in water-rich areas. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the joint effects of axial stress and seepage force to ensure the stability of circular tunnel in water-rich area.     

Analytical Model for the Palaeoenvironmental Evolution of the Nihewan Beds

In this paper, the evolutional characteristics of palaeoclimate and oxidation-reduction conditions as well asacidity-alkalinity environment are discussed by means of the step-regression, cluster, optimal partitioning andcorrelation analyses of CaCO_3, C / P_2O_5, Fe~(2+) / Fe~(3+), pH and Eh values, taking the Xiaodukou section in theNihewan basin as an example. The CaCO_3, C / P_2O_5 and pH were calculated respectively using the optimalpartitioning method. Thus five cold zones and six warm zones as well as five reduction and six oxidation zoneswere distinguished. Then the inductive method was used to produce four numerical groups: 8.10, 8.3-8.4,8.6-8.7 and 8.9-8,97. The above-mentioned results are respectively based on CaCO_3 content, C/P_2O_5 andpH values. From Fig. 3, Tables 1 and 2 it can be seen that the Nihewan Beds were formed mainly under a re-duction and slightly alkaline environment of cold climate, with pH values of 8.3-8.4. Fig. 3 shows that bed 35is approximately near the boundary between the Brunhes and Matuyama polarity epochs, 0.73 Ma in age; bed26 is roughly near the Jaramillo event (base), 0.97 Ma in age; bed 18 coincides roughly with themagnetostratigraphic boundary of 2.00 Ma (?). Bed 13 may be the Pleistocene-Pliocene boundary, 2.48 Ma inage. Thus geochemical zones Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ include respectively cold zones 1; 2 and 3; 4; and 5.     

Prediction of hydraulic conductivity for soil–bentonite mixture

Owing to its low hydraulic conductivity, soil and bentonite mixture is applied as a liner material. However, the experimental determination of hydraulic conductivity, which is controlled by various physical, chemical and mineralogical factors, requires an expensive and time-consuming setup. In the present work, multigene symbolic, genetic programming was used to model functional relationships for hydraulic conductivity. The developed model was able to generalize highly nonlinear variations in data as well as predict system behavior from experimental observations. It was found that the predictions obtained from developed model agree well with experimental observations.     

“Soil arching” for piled embankments: insights from stress redistribution behaviour of DEM modelling

Acta Geotechnica - For piled embankments, it is widely recognised that the majority of embankment load can be transferred to the piles through the “soil arching” mobilised in the...     

Equation of state and bulk modulus under the effect of high pressure–high temperature

 A simple theoretical method for the determination of equation of state and bulk modulus under the effect of pressure and temperature is investigated. The calculations are performed for MgO and Mg₂SiO₄ at different temperatures and atmospheric pressure. The results obtained are discussed in the light of recent research on minerals under the effect of high temperatures. A good agreement between theory and experiment is obtained. The method is also discussed to predict the equation of state and bulk modulus at different pressures along the isotherms 300, 1000, 1500 and 2000 K for MgO. The results are found to present a good agreement with the studies based on ab initio calculations at high pressures and high temperatures. Received: 26 May 1998 / Accepted: 22 April 2000     

Analytical solutions for one-dimensional advection–dispersion equation of the pollutant concentration

We present simple analytical solutions for the unsteady advection–dispersion equations describing the pollutant concentration C(x, t) in one dimension. The solutions are obtained by using Laplace transformation technique. In this study we divided the river into two regions x ≤ 0 and x≥0 and the origin at x = 0. The variation of C(x, t) with the time t from t = 0 up to t → ∞ (the steady state case) is taken into account in our study. The special case for which the dispersion coefficient D = 0 is studied in detail. The parameters controlling the pollutant concentration along the river are determined.     

The effect of sulfur content on density of the liquid Fe–S at high pressure

The density of liquid Fe–S was measured at 4 GPa and 1,923 K using a sink/float method with a composite density marker. The density marker consisted of a Pt rod core and an Al₂O₃ tube surrounding. The uncertainty in the density of the composite marker is much smaller than that of the composite sphere, which had been used in previous density measurements. The density of liquid Fe–S decreases nonlinearly with increasing sulfur content at 4 GPa and 1,923 K. This tendency is consistent with the results measured at ambient pressure. The molar volume of FeS calculated from the measured density gradually increases with sulfur content. The excess molar volume from ideal mixing of Fe and S at 4 GPa was negative value. The new method proposed here is applicable to the density measurement of other Fe alloys at high pressure. The tendency of the molar volume and the excess molar volume with sulfur content at ambient pressure is consistent with these at high pressure at least up to 4 GPa. The excess molar volume at high pressure is essential for estimating the amount of light elements in the outer core.     

Analytical solution of advection–diffusion equation in heterogeneous infinite medium using Green’s function method

Some analytical solutions of one-dimensional advection–diffusion equation (ADE) with variable dispersion coefficient and velocity are obtained using Green’s function method (GFM). The variability attributes to the heterogeneity of hydro-geological media like river bed or aquifer in more general ways than that in the previous works. Dispersion coefficient is considered temporally dependent, while velocity is considered spatially and temporally dependent. The spatial dependence is considered to be linear and temporal dependence is considered to be of linear, exponential and asymptotic. The spatio-temporal dependence of velocity is considered in three ways. Results of previous works are also derived validating the results of the present work. To use GFM, a moving coordinate transformation is developed through which this ADE is reduced into a form, whose analytical solution is already known. Analytical solutions are obtained for the pollutant’s mass dispersion from an instantaneous point source as well as from a continuous point source in a heterogeneous medium. The effect of such dependence on the mass transport is explained through the illustrations of the analytical solutions.     

Rotation–translation mechanisms for upper-bound solution of bearing capacity problems

To obtain rigorous upper-bound solutions for the bearing capacity of strip footings subjected to combined loadings, a new collapse mechanism consisting of three rigid blocks undergoing impending rotational or translational movements is proposed. The proposed mechanism improves the efficiency of the previously-developed rigid block mechanisms to account for eccentric loading condition in restricted bearing capacity problems. The comparisons show a good agreement between the results obtained using the present method and those of the known solutions. The effectiveness of the proposed mechanism was examined through investigating the bearing capacity of eccentrically loaded strip footings over thin layer foundation soils.     

A heuristic method for the analytical solution of Maxwell’s equations for direct current

We propose a heuristic method for the analytical solution of electrical-prospecting problems for direct currents and 3D isotropic media. The corresponding parameters of the medium (conductivity, magnetic permeability) are determined from Maxwell’s equations by the assignment of electric- or magnetic-field intensity in the analytical form. The application of this method is illustrated with examples.     

Enhancement of a hypoplastic model for granular soil–structure interface behaviour

Modelling of interfaces in geotechnical engineering is an important issue. Interfaces between structural elements (e.g., anchors, piles, tunnel linings) and soils are widely used in geotechnical engineering. The objective of this article is to propose an enhanced hypoplastic interface model that incorporates the in-plane stresses at the interface. To this aim, we develop a general approach to convert the existing hypoplastic model with a predefined limit state surface for sands into an interface model. This is achieved by adopting reduced stress and stretching vectors and redefining tensorial operations which can be used in the existing continuum model with few modifications. The enhanced interface model and the previous model are compared under constant-load, stiffness and volume conditions. The comparison is followed by a verification of two the approaches for modelling the different surface roughness. Subsequently, a validation between available experimental data from the literature versus simulations is presented. The new enhanced model gives improved predictions by the incorporation of in-plane stresses into the model formulation.