In-situ assessment of the dynamic properties of municipal solid waste at a landfill in texas

An understanding of dynamic properties of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is essential for seismic response analysis of MSW landfills in areas of moderate to high seismicity. A field testing program aimed at characterizing the dynamic properties of MSW was executed at two locations in a Subtitle D landfill in Austin, Texas. Shear and primary wave velocities were measured using small-scale crosshole and downhole seismic tests. The combination of these seismic methods allowed an assessment of the effect of waste composition on dynamic properties, anisotropy, and Poisson׳s ratio of the MSW. In addition, steady-state dynamic testing was performed using two mobile vibroseis shakers to evaluate in-situ the nonlinear relationship between shear modulus and shearing strain. Horizontal steady-state shaking at increasing stress level generated shearing strains from 0.001% to 0.2% allowing evaluation of shear modulus reduction curves over a wide shearing strain range. The effect of confining stress on the dynamic properties of the MSW was also evaluated using the substantial weight of the vibroseis as reaction to apply surcharge vertical loads at the surface of the MSW.     

Effects of local site conditions on the seismic response of municipal solid waste landfills

Over the last decade, the seismic response of landfills made of municipal solid waste has drawn attention mainly due to the environmental and public-health issues that could be raised in the event of a failure. Nevertheless, there are several associated technical issues that have not been adequately investigated. One of these is the impact of local site conditions on the earthquake-induced accelerations and, thereby, on the seismic design of a landfill. This study presents the results of a parametric numerical simulation that has been performed in order to examine the effects of local site conditions on the dynamic response of a typical landfill. Emphasis is given on the special characteristics of ground motion, while the material nonlinearity of both soil and waste is taken into account by an equivalent-linear procedure. Results indicate that local site conditions may play a significant role in the seismic response of a landfill. However, this role cannot be judged a priori as beneficial or detrimental, as it depends not only on soil conditions and seismic excitation, but also on the material and geometric characteristics of the landfill.     

Influence of a cyclic and dynamic loading history on dynamic properties of dry sand, part II: cyclic axial preloading

Initial fabric of a soil induced by its cyclic strain history is an important parameter among others like void ratio, state of stress and amplitude concerning the further accumulation of deformations under cyclic loading. It is of high importance to determine methods in order to estimate the initial fabric of the grain skeleton or the cyclic loading history of the soil. An attempt is made in this paper to correlate small strain stiffness of non-cohesive soil with its cyclic loading history. For this purpose several cyclic triaxial tests with specimens subjected to cyclic axial loading were performed and changes of small strain soil properties due to this cyclic loading were studied. All these tests showed only moderate changes of small strain stiffnesses independently of the different boundary conditions. Thus, a correlation between fabric or strain history and small strain stiffnesses seems not to be possible.     

Influence of a cyclic and dynamic loading history on dynamic properties of dry sand, part I: cyclic and dynamic torsional prestraining

Initial fabric of a soil induced by its cyclic strain history is an important parameter together with the void ratio, state of stress and amplitude in respect to further accumulation of deformations under drained cyclic loading. It is of importance for the further deformation prediction to determine the initial fabric of the grain skeleton or the cyclic loading history of the soil. An attempt is made within this paper to correlate small strain stiffness of non-cohesive soil with its cyclic loading history. The results of performed cyclic and dynamic torsional tests show that small strain shear modulus is only moderately affected by cyclic prestraining even if high amplitudes are applied. A signature of prestraining history is observed in the tests since the sand memorizes its prestraining amplitude and the number of applied cycles.     

Spatial patterns from EOF analysis of soil moisture at a large scale and their dependence on soil,land-use,and topographic properties

We hypothesize that the spatial and temporal variation in large-scale soil moisture patterns can be described by a small number of spatial structures that are related to soil texture, land use, and topography. To test this hypothesis, an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is conducted using data from the 1997 Southern Great Plains field campaign. When considering the spatial soil moisture anomalies, one spatial structure (EOF) is identified that explains 61% of the variance, and three such structures explain 87% of the variance. The primary EOF is most highly correlated with the percent sand in the soil among the regional characteristics considered, but the correlation with percent clay is largest if only dry days are analyzed. When considering the temporal anomalies, one EOF explains 50% of the variance. This EOF is still most closely related to the percent sand, but the percent clay is unimportant. Characteristics related to land use and topography are less correlated with the spatial and temporal variation of soil moisture in the range of scales considered.