Effect of a cement-lignin agent on the shear behavior of Shanghai dredged marine soils

With the rapid urbanization in Shanghai, China, suitable fill materials have been reported to be in great shortage in recent years. A prospective solution to these issues is to convert the huge amount of existing dredged marine soils to construction materials via solidification. However, there have been no studies on the shear behavior of solidified dredged materials from Shanghai region so far, while it has been reported by various researchers that the available data obtained from certain types of clay cannot be confidently and readily applied to other types of soils. To address this challenging issue, in this article, samples of Shanghai marine dredged soils were retrieved from the world’s largest reclamation project in Shanghai Lin-gang New City. A series of laboratory tests have been conducted to investigate the shear behavior of Shanghai dredged marine soils solidified using a new composite curing agent made of cement and lignin. The test results and the effect of this cement–lignin agent on the shear behavior of Shanghai marine soils, including the stress–strain behavior, shear strength properties, and failure characteristics are presented and discussed, which can provide valuable reference for the use of dredged soils as construction materials in the Shanghai region.     

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.     

Improved air-booster vacuum preloading method for newly dredged fills: Laboratory model study

Abstract

Newly dredged fills feature a high moisture content and a high floating mud content. Based on the conventional vacuum preloading (CVP) method, this article presents a new method of air-booster vacuum preloading (AVP) to reinforce newly dredged fills for different air-booster periods (45, 60 and 90?min). Compared with other methods, this new method features no sand cushion and adopts a self-developed air-booster pipe and a water–air separation device. A series of laboratory model tests were performed to explore the effect of the improved AVP method for the enhancement of newly dredged fills. A comparison of variables monitored during reinforcement (vacuum pressure, surface settlement, water discharge and pore-water pressure) and after reinforcement (water content, vane shear strength, SEM and MIP) indicates that the reinforcement effect of the AVP method is superior to that of the CVP method; the former can effectively alleviate the problem of prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) clogging, greatly reducing engineering costs and significantly shortening construction periods.     

Investigation and evaluation of contamination in dredged reclaimed land in China

Large-scale reclamation projects have been developing rapidly in China’s coastal lands since 2000. In this study, the scale and pollutant contents of reclaimed lands were collected from published data and field surveys. Over 80% of the gross area was formed using hydraulic reclaimed technology. The pollution index, geoaccumulation index, and Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI) of 13 pollutant types were calculated based on the collected data. The potential pollution within major newly reclaimed lands was evaluated with valid pollutant data from sediments of the neighboring water. All reclaimed lands larger than 30?km² were slightly to seriously polluted with Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg, As, and Ni according to NIPI. The reclaimed fields in Hengsha Island, Binhai Tower, and Lingang New City of Shanghai were selected as verification sites for the pollution evaluations. The Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, As, and Ni concentrations in dredged soils determined through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry showed a generally good soil quality within the typical reclaimed fields. Principal component and hierarchical clustering analyses indicated that the relatively high As content in the reclaimed soils was due to the internal pollutants of dredging fills and originated from anthropogenic sources.     

A Combined Dry Jet Mixing-Prefabricated Vertical Drain Method for Soft Ground Improvement: A Case Study

A remarkable combined dry jet mixing (DJM) and prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) method was used to enhance the performance for soft ground improvement. In the combined method, PVDs are first installed and then DJM columns are installed between the PVDs at larger spacing. This combined method improves the effectiveness of the ground improvement and creates a more economical solution. This paper presents a case study of the combined method for marine clay improvement in Lianyugang of China. The excess pore water pressure in soils created by the installation of DJM columns with and without PVDs was monitored and compared. In situ standard penetration tests were conducted in the DJM columns and before-and-after piezocone penetration tests were performed in soils surrounding the columns. Long-term settlement monitoring under embankment loading was carried out for the ground improved by combined method and DJM method alone. The field tests, settlement monitoring and economic benefit analysis results demonstrated that the DJM-PVD method is technologically sound and cost-effective as compared with the conventional DJM method.     

Influence and countermeasure of specimen misalignment to small-strain behavior of soft marine clay

Triaxial test with local displacement transducers is an effective technique to obtain the small-strain stiffness of soils. Many previous studies provided feasible solutions for reducing or avoiding potential sources of error in conventional triaxial tests. However, little literature gave out detailed explanations on how to identify those potential errors from the measured testing data and corresponding solutions. Therefore, nowadays, it is still not easy for a new user to gain proficiency in such kind of advanced tests. In this article, by conducting triaxial tests featured with Hall effect transducer on Shanghai soft marine clay, it is found that the influence of the specimen misalignment to the measured small-strain stiffness cannot be neglected. The typical symptom of specimen misalignment, namely the tilting of specimen, was described carefully. An improved connection between top cap and load cell was applied to overcome the problem. The new connection can reduce the disturbance to specimen in terms of both force and displacement. It can be applied to both isotropic and anisotropic consolidated triaxial tests.     

Enhancing the mechanical properties of marine clay using cement solidification

Abstract

The use of soft clay and dredged marine clays as the construction material is challenging. This is because the high water content, high compressibility and low permeability of the clay causing the instability of ground and structure. This detrimental effect of soft clay can be improved by the cement solidification process, which is relatively cheap and efficient. This paper mainly focuses on the study of improvement on the mechanical behavior of cement mixed marine clay. The soil is reconstituted by using ordinary Portland cement of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% by its mass. The study reveals that cementation of clay significantly improves the peak and residual strength of soil. Similarly, the primary yield stress of the soil is also improved from 16 to 275?kPa as cement content increases from 5% to 20%, respectively. By using statistical tools, the relationships between various parameters are established, which are very important to define the mechanical behavior of the clay. This study reveals that the yield surface of the solidified marine clay is not a smooth elliptical surface. Rather it is composed of two linear surfaces followed by a log-linear surface which can be modeled by using simple parameters obtained from triaxial tests.     

Case Studies of PSDDF for Phased Placement of Dredged Soils

Use of Terzaghi's one-dimensional consolidation theory is not suitable for consolidation of highly deformable soft clays such as dredged soils. To model this condition, it is necessary to consider non-linear finite strain consolidation behavior, i.e., changes in compressibility and permeability with increasing stress. A one-dimensional non-linear finite strain numerical model, Primary Consolidation, Secondary Compression, and Desiccation of Dredged Fill (PSDDF), has been used to predict the stress-dependent settlement of fine-grained dredged materials. In this paper, two case studies of using PSDDF are discussed to illustrate the applicability and accuracy of PSDDF. The first case study involves PSDDF simulations of laboratory-phased placement of a marine clay dredged from Busan, Korea. PSDDF results are in good agreement with the corresponding results of the laboratory large strain consolidation tests. The other involves estimating the service life of the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area near Norfolk, Virginia, in the United States. The excellent agreement between measured and calculated values shows that PSDDF is a reliable tool for predicting settlement of dredged material.     

Study on “buoyancy-viscous force” of slurry-like soils

In newly completed hydraulic-fill dump sites, the water content of dredged slurry is usually more than two times of the liquid limit, objects can be stabilized after penetrating into dredged slurry for a certain depth. This property can be defined as the “buoyancy-viscous force” of slurry-like soils in this study. To investigate the mechanism of specific bearing capacity of slurry-like soils, the interaction between the penetrating objects and the slurry was observed. Based on the boundary layer theory of viscous fluid and the energy conservation principle, a theoretical model was established to calculate the “buoyancy-viscous force” of slurry-like soils, and then validated by load-controlled penetration tests in laboratory. It is indicated that the model prediction agreed with the experimental results very well when the water content is more than two times of the liquid limit.     

疏浚物倾倒现状与转化为再生资源的研究--中国海洋倾废面临的困难和对策

介绍了我国海洋倾废的历史和现状,分析了疏浚泥海洋倾倒面临的困难,这些困难将是今后相当长时期困扰和阻碍港口、航道和海岸海洋工程建设和发展的巨大障碍。只有将疏浚泥转化为再生资源,才能从根本上缓解海洋工程建设中疏浚泥的出路问题。把疏浚泥转化为再生资源的方法主要有3种：(1)将疏浚泥干燥、脱水后直接用于填海造地;(2)利用固化处理的化学方法,将疏浚泥转化为围海造地的填充料;(3)利用热处理的方法通过烧结将疏浚泥转化为生产轻型建筑材料和建筑陶瓷的原料。     

Cement Deep Soil Mixing (CDSM) for Solidification of Soft Estuarine Sediments

A preliminary study was conducted to determine the potential for cement deep soil mixing (CDSM) technology as a method for in-situ solidification of contaminated river and estuarine sediments. The study was conducted in Newark Bay, near the mouth of the Passaic River, New Jersey. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the viability of CDSM for the in-situ S/S with a focus on: 1) determining the correct mix of the cement slurry, which provides rapid stabilization of the sediment matrix, 2) potential resuspension of solids during CSDM operations, 3) the effects of high organic content on the solidification process, and 4) the feasibility of using conventional dredging/extraction methods once the sediments have been stabilized and allowed to cure. The results of the study show CDSM slurry mixtures, as low as 7% in cement content, result in significant solidification and strength gain of in-situ sediments under ambient conditions. In sediments with very high organic contents (> 20%), the slurry mix would need to be adjusted to account for retardation effects of organics on cement hydration. Sediment resuspension during application was shown to be minimal at a distance of as little as 75 feet from the mixing head. Strength gains were considerable, effectively consolidating the sediment particles in a secure matrix, but not so high as to preclude extraction of solidified sediments with conventional dredging equipment. Dredged solidified sediment exhibited characteristics of a stiff glacial clay, and as such was easier to handle and transport than untreated dredged sediments. This technique has high potential to be used as an interim remedial measure prior to either extraction and decontamination/disposal or proper capping.     

Critical State Sedimentation Line of Soft Marine Clays

The compression behavior responsible for unity sensitivity is very valuable in quantitative assessment of the effects of soil structure on the compression behavior of soft marine sediments. However, the quantitative assessment of such effects is not possible because of unavailability of the formula for the compression curve of marine sediments responsible for unit sensitivity. In this study, the relationship between the remolded state and the conventional critical state line is presented in the deviator stress versus mean effective stress plot. The analysis indicates that the remolded state is on the conventional critical state line obtained at a relatively small strain. Thus, a unique critical state sedimentation line for marine sediments of unit sensitivity is proposed. The comparison between the critical state sedimentation line proposed in this study and the existing normalized consolidation curves obtained from conventional oedometer tests on remolded soils or reconstituted soils explains well the     

Gmax of Reclaimed Ground on the Western Coast of Korea Using Various Field and Laboratory Measurements

The maximum shear modulus of soil is a principal parameter for the design of earth structures under static and dynamic loads. In this study, the statistical data of the maximum shear moduli of reclaimed ground in the Songdo area on the western coast of Korea were evaluated using various field and laboratory tests, including the standard penetration test (SPT), piezocone penetration test (CPTu), self-boring pressure meter test (SBPT), down-hole seismic test (DHT), seismic piezocone penetration test (SCPTu) and resonant column test (RCT). Soils were classified variously by using a conventional unified soil classification system and classification charts for CPTu data. For the soils containing mostly sand and silt, the soil classifications using the classification charts for CPTu data show good agreement with the unified soil classification. Based on the statistical analysis on various maximum shear moduli, new site-specific empirical correlations between the shear moduli and SPT and CPTu values were proposed. Predictions of the maximum shear moduli using the proposed correlations were compared with the data obtained from the DHT, which is comparatively exact in evaluating the maximum stiffness of soils. The good agreement confirmed that the proposed correlations reasonably predicted the maximum shear moduli of soils in western coastal area of Korea.     

Critical State Parameters of Dredged Chennai Marine Clay Treated with Low Cement Content

The present article discusses the stress–strain behavior and critical state parameters of the dredged Chennai marine clay stabilized with low cement content (2.5–10%). A series of one-dimensional consolidation tests and consolidated undrained tri-axial tests are performed on the cement stabilized dredged Chennai marine clay to evaluate the critical state parameters (λ, κ, M, Г, N) for varying cement contents and curing days. The results show that the slope of the critical state line M increases with an increase in the cement content. The parameter λ for the treated marine clay increases up to a cement content of 7.5% followed by a reduction. The parameter κ decreases with the addition of cement content. Finally, empirical formulations are proposed to predict the critical state parameters as the functions of the cement's contents and curing days.     

渤海西北岸填海造陆的生态损失及其对海岸带可持续发展的启示

填海造陆已经成为全球沿海地区缓解土地短缺、促进社会发展和经济增长的重要手段。随着快速工业化和城市化过程,亚洲已经成为填海造陆的中心。从天津滨海新区到唐山曹妃甸新区,在渤海西北岸正在进行的填海工程其规模在世界上名列前茅。为了剖析海岸带发展的环境因素并促进其可持续发展,对渤海西北岸填海造陆的生态损失采取了回顾性和预测性评价,从生态系统服务角度货币化计算了供给、调节、支持、文化四大类10个方面的生态损失。结果表明：2000-2010年填海造陆的生态损失为9.719亿美元,2010-2020年新增填海造陆的生态损失将达7.021亿美元,其中气体调节和水产品供应方面的损失最大。针对填海造陆可持续发展,提出相关建议,包括：在综合评估基础上的合理规划;减少填海造陆面积;优化填海区土地结构;采用“低影响”开发模式填海;采用生态补偿机制,等。     

Evaluating the stiffness of chemically stabilized marine clay

Cement-stabilized clay is widely used in soft clay improvement for deep excavation, underground construction, and land reclamation. This paper presents a study on the evaluation of elastic modulus for cement-stabilized marine clay. First, two types of cement-stabilized soils were studied through isotropic compression tests and cylinder split tensile tests. Specimens with different mix ratios and curing periods were used. Stress–strain behavior under isotropic compression was discussed, followed by an introduction and estimation of the stress-free bulk modulus. Empirical correlations between elastic moduli and functions for estimating elastic moduli were then proposed. Further estimation of elastic modulus was conducted with another data set. The results showed that the proposed function for estimating elastic modulus is effective for cement-improved marine clay. Finally, the proposed method and empirical functions were validated with other types of cement-stabilized clay.     

The penetration experiment to predict liquefaction resistance of reclaimed soils

The liquefaction resistance of the soils used to be estimated through the in situ tests, such as standard penetration test and cone penetration test; or by means of cyclic triaxial test in laboratory. However, both in situ tests and cyclic triaxial test are time-consuming and costly; this study introduces a quick and cost-effective method to evaluate the liquefaction resistance of soils under certain confining pressure in laboratory. A particular device modified from the conventional triaxial compression test apparatus, namely “Triaxial Cone Penetration Test”, was developed to obtain the peak values of cone resistance in soils so as to correlate the liquefaction resistance of the reclaimed soils evaluated by cyclic triaxial tests. The test result indicates a good correlation between the peak value of cone resistance and the corresponding cyclic stress ratio (CSR) at the state of initial liquefaction, in which the correlation for loose samples is better than that for dense samples. Besides, both peak values of cone resistance and corresponding CSR increase with fine content of soils reaches 10% and decreased with fine content varying between 10% and 50%. By examining the compositions of the soils with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, it is found that the proportion and characteristics of the fines plays an important role on the liquefaction resistance of the reclaimed soils.     

A dredged material solidification treatment for fill soils in East China: A case history

Large amounts of sediments are dredged annually from Chinese oceans. Dredged materials (DMs) possess poor geotechnical properties and are normally treated as waste. This paper presents the first large-scale engineering application of DM solidification treatment in China. The technique has been used to treat approximately 1.8?×?10⁶?m³ of DM from Taihu Lake to produce fill soils. Portland cement was chosen as the solidification material, the amount of which is confirmed through indoor unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests. Special solidification machines process DM at 120?m³/hours. Field-based DM solidification engineering began in September 2006. Curing specimens were examined over 28 days. Results show that both UCS and failure strain of solidified DM could meet fill soil requirements. Bearing capacity was also assessed with a cone penetrometer test. Samples were examined after 2 years (after project completion), and the mean UCS of the specimens was 237.2?kPa, which completely satisfied the engineering request. Wuxi Taihu City Science and Technology Industrial Park has now been established on top of the solidified DM storage yard. The successful engineering of such facilities results in economic and environmental benefits; thus, engineering applications of DM solidification treatment are widely promoted in China.     

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.     

Assessment of Consolidation Behavior of Golden Horn Marine Dredged Material

Polluted sea bottom sediments from Golden Horn in Istanbul have been dredged and stored on land at a disposal site. Reclamation of the disposal site was highly dependent on prediction of self-weight consolidation behavior of the dredged material, which is analyzed numerically using software which employs a nonlinear finite strain solution algorithm (Fox and Berles 1997). The material parameters needed for the numerical model are determined using a seepage-induced consolidation testing system and prediction of the numerical model is tested against experimental observations in a slurry consolidation model tank. The numerical modeling of the field behavior at the disposal site could be successfully accomplished using sediment property data from the seepage-induced consolidation test.