A coupling method for soil structure interaction problems

This paper describes a soil‐structure coupling method to simulate blast loading in soil and structure response. For the last decade, simulation of soil behavior under blast loading and its interaction with semi buried structure in soil becomes the focus of computational engineering in civil and mechanical engineering communities. In current design practice, soil‐structure interaction analysis often assumes linear elastic properties of the soil and uses small displacement theory. However, there are numerous problems, which require a more advanced approach that account for soil‐structure interaction and appropriate constitutive models for soil. In simplified approaches, the effect of soil on structure is considered using spring‐dashpot‐mass system, and the blast loading is modeled using linearly decaying pressure–time history based on equivalent trinitrotoluene and standoff distance, using ConWep, a computer program based on semi‐empirical equations. This strategy is very efficient from a CPU time computing point of view but may not provide accurate results for the dynamic response of the structure, because of its significant limitations, mainly when soil behavior is strongly nonlinear and when the buried charge is close to the structure. In this paper, both soil and explosive are modeled using solid elements with a constitutive material law for soil, and a Jones–Wilkins–Lee equation of state for explosive. One of the problems we have encountered when solving fluid structure interaction problems is the high mesh distortion at the contact interface because of high fluid nodal displacements and velocities. Similar problems have been encountered in soil structure interaction problems. To prevent high mesh distortion for soil, a new coupling algorithm is performed at the soil structure interface for structure loading. The coupling method is commonly used for fluid structure interaction problems in automotive and aerospace industry for fuel sloshing tank, and bird impact problems, but rarely used for soil structure interaction problems, where Lagrangian contact type algorithms are still dominant. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analyses of Formation cause for Special Engineering Properties of Marine Soil

This paper analyses special engineering properties of marine soil and its cause from following points: deposit environments, lithofacies and after-sedimentation, and points out some problems for attention in soil engineering experiments of marine soil.     

海洋土特殊工程性质的成因分析

本文从海洋土的沉积环境、岩相成因分析及沉积后作用等方面分析了海洋土特殊的工程性质及其原因,并指出了海洋土土工试验中的注意问题。     

Response to harmonic wave excitation of finite or infinite elastic plates on a homogeneous or layered half-space

The soil–structure interaction of elastic plates on homogeneous or layered soils excited by horizontally propagating waves is analysed. Large plates are modelled by a combined finite-element boundary-element method (FEBEM), whereas the response of infinitely long plates is calculated by a numerical integration in the frequency–wavenumber domain. The finite-element boundary-element method yields the complete soil–plate transfer function of frequency and distance whereas the frequency–wavenumber solution of the infinitely long plate can serve as an approximation for long distances on a finitely long plate. The soil–plate transfer function starts to decrease strongly at the coincidence frequency, where the bending stiffness equals the plate inertia. A strong decrease follows at mid frequencies and a strong reduction of less than 0.1 of the ground vibration is reached at high frequencies. Rules for the characteristic frequencies are derived from the numerical results clearly indicating the strongest influence of the soil stiffness and the weaker influence of the bending stiffness of the plate. The influence of the mass, length and width of the plate are shown to be limited in case of realistic parameters, but it should be noted that the reduction effects are less effective for layered soils and for nearer observation points.     

Use of sparse iterative methods for the resolution of three-dimensional soil/structure interaction problems

In this paper we present a study of the performance of sparse iterative solvers regarding the resolution of three-dimensional and non-linear problems encountered in soil/structure interaction. It is composed of two parts. In the first one, we present briefly iterative methods and preconditioners used in this study, then we analyse their performance on three soil/structure interaction problems: a shallow foundation under a vertical loading, a single pile subjected to a lateral loading and the construction of a lined tunnel in a soft soil. Tests are performed assuming an elastic–perfectly plastic constitutive law for the soil material with a non-associated Mohr–Coulomb flow rule. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Robust partitioned block preconditioners for large‐scale geotechnical applications with soil–structure interactions

Soil–structure interaction problems are commonly encountered in geotechnical practice and remarkably characterized with significant material stiffness contrast. When solving the soil–structure interaction problems, the employed Krylov subspace iterative method may converge slowly or even fail, indicating that the adopted preconditioning method may not suit for such problems. The inexact block diagonal preconditioners proposed recently have been shown effective for the soil–structure interaction problems; however, they haven't been exploited to full capabilities. By using the same partition strategy according to the structure elements and soil elements, the partitioned block symmetric successive over‐relaxation preconditioners or partitioned block constraint preconditioners are proposed. Based on two pile‐group foundation problems and a tunnel problem, the proposed preconditioners are evaluated and compared with the available preconditioners for the consolidation analysis and the drained analysis, respectively. In spite of one additional solve associated with the structure block and multiplications with off‐diagonal blocks in the preconditioning step, numerical results reveal that the proposed preconditioners obviously possess better performance than the recently developed inexact block preconditioners. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A residual force finite element approach to soil–structure interaction analysis

An iterative process based upon a hybrid ‘residual force’ method is presented for solving elasto–plastic soil–structure interaction problems. In this approach the soil and the structure are treated as separate bodies and related only by compatibility of displacements and equilibrium of forces at the soil–structure interface. This scheme enables a significant improvement in numerical stability and rate of convergence over the conventional initial stress method. It is also shown that various interface conditions such as shear failure, slip and breakaway, and frictional and dilatant behaviour can be readily accounted for. Some practical aspects associated with the proposed scheme are emphasized for a number of numerical examples.     

Lagrangian meshfree particles method (SPH) for large deformation and failure flows of geomaterial using elastic–plastic soil constitutive model

Simulation of large deformation and post‐failure of geomaterial in the framework of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) are presented in this study. The Drucker–Prager model with associated and non‐associated plastic flow rules is implemented into the SPH code to describe elastic–plastic soil behavior. In contrast to previous work on SPH for solids, where the hydrostatic pressure is often estimated from density by an equation of state, this study proposes to calculate the hydrostatic pressure of soil directly from constitutive models. Results obtained in this paper show that the original SPH method, which has been successfully applied to a vast range of problems, is unable to directly solve elastic–plastic flows of soil because of the so‐called SPH tensile instability. This numerical instability may result in unrealistic fracture and particles clustering in SPH simulation. For non‐cohesive soil, the instability is not serious and can be completely removed by using a tension cracking treatment from soil constitutive model and thereby give realistic soil behavior. However, the serious tensile instability that is found in SPH application for cohesive soil requires a special treatment to overcome this problem. In this paper, an artificial stress method is applied to remove the SPH numerical instability in cohesive soil. A number of numerical tests are carried out to check the capability of SPH in the current application. Numerical results are then compared with experimental and finite element method solutions. The good agreement obtained from these comparisons suggests that SPH can be extended to general geotechnical problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geoenvironmental Testing

Geoenvironmental concerns involve unsaturated soils in problems like soil contamination, waste disposal and ground-atmosphere interactions. This paper deals with the two first points. To tackle geoenvironmental problems in unsaturated soils, it is necessary to identify experimentally the retention and transfer phenomena that govern the movements of fluids and chemical species in the unsaturated soil. Some of the experimental techniques used in unsaturated soils can be adapted to face these problems, but extensions accounting for the various physico-chemical processes involved in soil contamination and waste disposal are necessary, including temperature effects and the mechanical couplings resulting from the changes in temperature and chemical concentrations. After an introduction to the geoenvironmental problems that are related to unsaturated soils, the paper presents a series of experimental developments carried out in relation to retention and transfer properties of water (pure or with dissolved species), hydrocarbons and gas, also accounting for temperature effects and chemical effects. The techniques presented are applicable to soil contamination and waste disposal, with a special concern addressed to nuclear waste disposal, in which the effects of desaturation of the geological barrier together with the unsaturated nature of compacted engineered barriers appeared to be quite important.     

Human impacts on soils: Tipping points and knowledge gaps

Soil ecosystem functions are derived from plant, animal and microorganism communities and the non-living environment interacting as a unit. Human activities have affected soil ecosystem functions and in many cases caused soil ecosystem collapse. This review provides a synthesis of current knowledge of human impacts on soil ecosystems, with a special focus on knowledge gaps regarding soil ecosystem shifts and tipping points, using the island of Crete, Greece as an example. Soil ecosystem shifts are abrupt changes that occur at “tipping points” and have long-lasting effects on the landscape and both the biotic and abiotic structure of the soil. These shifts can occur due to climate change, land use change, fertilization, or above-ground biodiversity decline. The environmental pressures in the agricultural land of Crete, place the island very close to tipping points, and make it an “ideal” area for soil ecosystem shifts. Reversing the trend of the shift while using the soil ecosystem services, means that significantly more organic matter needs to be added to the soil compared to the amount added under set-aside conditions. Potential nutrient supply and demand calculations indicate that fertilizer demand in Crete can be satisfied by recycling of bio-residue and livestock excreta produced on the island. Soil fertility improves faster if, in addition to bio-fertilization, farmers use traditional agricultural practices such as crop rotations and legume row plantings within olive trees and orchards. A renewed soil fertility paradigm shift requires a “holistic” management of biotic-soil–water resources in order to provide sufficient and an appropriate type of organic matter to the plant–microorganism system to maximize food production.     

岩土工程勘察土工试验中的常见问题

用岩土力学理论对现行《土工试验方法标准》中的一些试验方法进行剖析,分析试样制备、土物理性质试验和力学性质试验理论的关键点和模糊认识。结合实践经验讨论土工试验中的常见问题,并提出解决方法和建议。     

An elasto‐plastic three phase model for partially saturated soil for the finite element simulation of compressed air support in tunnelling

This paper presents a fully coupled finite element formulation for partially saturated soil as a triphasic porous material, which has been developed for the simulation of shield tunnelling with heading face support using compressed air. While for many numerical simulations in geotechnics use of a two‐phase soil model is sufficient, the simulation of compressed air support demands the use of a three‐phase model with the consideration of air as a separate phase. A multiphase model for soft soils is developed, in which the individual constituents of the soil—the soil skeleton, the fluid and the gaseous phase—and their interactions are considered. The triphasic model is formulated within the framework of the theory of porous media, based upon balance equations and constitutive relations for the soil constituents and their mixture. An elasto‐plastic, cam–clay type model is extended to partially saturated soil conditions by incorporating capillary pressure according to the Barcelona basic model. The hydraulic properties of the soil are described via DARCY 's law and the soil–water characteristic curve after VAN GENUCHTEN . Water is modelled as an incompressible and air as a compressible phase. The model is validated by means of selected benchmark problems. The applicability of the model to geotechnical problems is demonstrated by results from the simulation of a compressed air intervention in shield tunnelling. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial variability of reconstructed soil properties and the optimization of sampling number for reclaimed land monitoring in an opencast coal mine

Drastically disturbed soils caused by opencast mining can result in the severe loss of soil structure and increase in soil compactness. To assess the effects of mining activities on reconstructed soils and to track the changes in reclaimed soil properties, the variability of soil properties (soil particle distribution, penetration resistance (PR), pH, and total dissolved salt (TDS)) in the Shanxi Pingshuo Antaibao opencast coal-mine inner dump after dumping and before reclamation was analyzed using a geostatistics method, and the number of soil monitoring points after mined land reclamation was determined. Soil samples were equally collected at 78 sampling sites in the study area with an area of 0.44 km². Soil particle distribution had moderate variability, except for silt content at the depth of 0–20 cm with a low variability and sand content at the depth of 20–40 cm with a high variability. The pH showed a low variability, and TDS had moderate variability at all depths. The variability of PR was high at the depth of 0–20 cm and moderate at the depth of 20–40 cm. There was no clear trend in the variance with increasing depth for the soil properties. Interpolation using kriging displayed a high heterogeneity of the reconstructed soil properties, and the spatial structure of the original landform was partially or completely destroyed. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) can be used to determine the number of sampling points for soil properties, and 40 is the ideal sampling number for the study site based on cross-validation.     

Beam–solid contact formulation for finite element analysis of pile–soil interaction with arbitrary discretization

This paper presents an embedded beam formulation for discretization independent finite element (FE) analyses of interactions between pile foundations or rock anchors and the surrounding soil in geotechnical and tunneling engineering. Piles are represented by means of finite beam elements embedded within FEs for the soil represented by 3D solid elements. The proposed formulation allows consideration of piles and pile groups with arbitrary orientation independently from the FE discretization of the surrounding soil. The interface behavior between piles and the surrounding soil is represented numerically by means of a contact formulation considering skin friction as well as pile tip resistance. The pile–soil interaction along the pile skin is considered by means of a 3D frictional point‐to‐point contact formulation using the integration points of the beam elements and reference points arbitrarily located within the solid elements as control points. The ability of the proposed embedded pile model to represent groups of piles objected to combined axial and shear loading and their interactions with the surrounding soil is demonstrated by selected benchmark examples. The pile model is applied to the numerical simulation of shield driven tunnel construction in the vicinity of an existing building resting upon pile foundation to demonstrate the performance of the proposed model in complex simulation environments. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constitutive description of interface behavior including cyclic loading and particle breakage within the framework of critical state soil mechanics

The cyclic behavior of soil–structure interface can be very important in dynamic problems. The cyclic behavior of soil–structure interface may be nonlinear, which includes hysteresis, hardening, degradation, and particle breakage. The breakage of granular soil particles during shearing of granular soil–structure interface is associated with cyclic degradation and can be critical to the dynamic behavior of soil–structure system. The critical state soil mechanics concept formerly used to simulate the nonlinear monotonic behavior of granular soil–structure interface was modified and extended to describe the cyclic behavior, especially soil‐particle breakage and degradation during cyclic shearing. Soil‐particle breakage was assumed to relate to the energy consumption during cyclic shearing and the critical state line of the soil–structure interface was assumed to translate with the consumption of shearing energy during cyclic shearing as the threshold value is attained. The model was formulated in the framework of generalized plasticity and is capable of describing the salient features of granular soil–structure interface under cyclic loading. Most of the model parameters have straightforward physical meanings and are calibrated using monotonic or cyclic interface test results. The proposed model was calibrated and validated against published test results. The dependency of interface behavior on stress path and cyclic degradation can be successfully described by the proposed model. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of shredded tyre waste in improving the geotechnical properties of expansive black cotton soil

In recent years, geotechnical engineers are using tyre waste to alter the properties of soil for providing sustainable solutions to complex engineering problems. It is noted that black cotton soil, which is expansive in nature, covers a major portion of the Indian sub-continent, such as the Deccan plateau, Malwa plateau and a portion of Gujarat and poses challenging problems to infrastructural development in the region. In the present study, authors have characterised the geotechnical properties of black cotton soil, which is partially replaced with 4.75 mm passing – 2 mm retained (coarse fraction) and 2.0 mm passing - 75 micron retained (fine fraction) shredded tyre waste. The results of the experimental studies clearly show that partial replacement of black cotton soil with shredded tyre waste alters the geotechnical properties favourable to engineering applications and greatly reduces the swelling potential of the black cotton soil. It is noted that instead of fine fraction (2.0–0.075 mm), replacement with coarse fraction (4.75–2.00 mm) of shredded tyre waste can better be used for light weight fill behind the retaining walls as well as for embankment construction as it helps in reducing swelling pressure as well as improving the strength properties.     

Shield Tunneling in Rock–Soil Interface Composite Formations

With increased demand for the tunnel construction in rock–soil interface composite formations, the influence on surrounding environment especially the excavation face instability during construction and ground settlement in the long term has gained great attention. The researches about environmental disturbance by shield tunneling construction in single ground as the soil or rock conditions have been developed continuously. However, due to the complexity and uncertainty of the interaction between rock–soil interface composite formations and shield machines, works on these special conditions have not been carried out sufficiently. In this paper the theoretical, experimental and numerical researches on the excavation face stability and ground settlement are discussed while the in situ datum are used to support them. First, the typical projects in rock–soil interface composite formations are listed and the difficulties met are summarized. Second, the failure model of excavation face and support pressure from the tunneling shield in rock–soil interface composite formations are discussed. Then, a comprehensive survey of the factors of ground settlement during and after construction and some effective prediction models are made. Finally, the existing problems and directions for future research are introduced.     

GPU-accelerated iterative solutions for finite element analysis of soil–structure interaction problems

Soil–structure interaction problems are commonly encountered in engineering practice, and the resulting linear systems of equations are difficult to solve due to the significant material stiffness contrast. In this study, a novel partitioned block preconditioner in conjunction with the Krylov subspace iterative method symmetric quasiminimal residual is proposed to solve such linear equations. The performance of these investigated preconditioners is evaluated and compared on both the CPU architecture and the hybrid CPU–graphics processing units (GPU) computing environment. On the hybrid CPU–GPU computing platform, the capability of GPU in parallel implementation and high-intensity floating point operations is exploited to accelerate the iterative solutions, and particular attention is paid to the matrix–vector multiplications involved in the iterative process. Based on a pile-group foundation example and a tunneling example, numerical results show that the partitioned block preconditioners investigated are very efficient for the soil–structure interaction problems. However, their comparative performances may apparently depend on the computer architecture. When the CPU computer architecture is used, the novel partitioned block symmetric successive over-relaxation preconditioner appears to be the most efficient, but when the hybrid CPU–GPU computer architecture is adopted, it is shown that the inexact block diagonal preconditioners embedded with simple diagonal approximation to the soil block outperform the others.     

A stepwise damping‐solvent extraction method for large‐scale dynamic soil–structure interaction analysis in time domain

Time‐domain analysis of dynamic soil–structure interaction based on the substructure method plays an increasing role in practical applications as compared with the frequency‐domain analysis. Efficient and accurate modelling of the unbounded soil or rock medium has been a key issue in such an analysis. This paper presents a subregional stepwise damping‐solvent extraction formulation for solving large‐scale dynamic soil–structure problems in the time domain. Accuracy and efficiency of the formulation are evaluated in detail for a classical problem involving a rigid strip foundation embedded in a half‐space. A practical large‐scale soil–structure interaction problem, which represents a high concrete gravity dam subjected to seismic load, is then analysed using the proposed method. Various responses of the dam, including time histories of the crest displacement and acceleration and contours of the peak principal stresses within the dam body, are presented. Comparisons are also made between these results with those obtained using other models for the unbounded medium. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

包气带粘性土层防污性能研究

包气带粘性土的特性及其分布规律是影响污染物自然衰减的重要因素。在分析粘性土类型和粘性土防污机理的基础上,探讨了微生物等因素对粘性土防污效果的影响,指出目前包气带粘性土防污研究中存在的若干问题。3S技术、ADM非确定理论有助于解决研究尺度偏小、量化指标不足的问题,多学科交叉复合将是包气带粘性土层防污研究的必然发展趋势。