Dynamic Behavior of Small Scale Nailed Soil Slopes

The shaking table tests are conducted on small scale nailed embankment slopes to study their behavior under dynamic conditions. Medium grained local sand with a water content of 3% is used in the study. The embankment slope is constructed using the controlled-volume compaction method. Three slope angles, 30°, 35° and 40° with a constant slope height of 18 cm are considered for the embankment. Each slope is reinforced with six number of hollow aluminum nails in two rows. The ratio of the length of nail to slope height (0.82) is same for all model slopes. The nails are inserted at three different inclinations. Three strain gauges are glued to each nail to obtain local strains during shaking. The accelerations at the base and the crest of the model slopes are monitored to find the acceleration responses of the embankments during the input ground motions. The numerical simulation of the model tests is performed by a commercial program called FLAC. The results of the numerical analyses are found to be reasonably close to the corresponding experimental results.     

Numerical modelling of soil nails in loose fill slope under surcharge loading

A plane–strain numerical model has been developed to mimic a nailed loose fill slope under surcharge loading. The model has been used to back-analyse a field test that was conducted to examine the behaviour of soil nails in loose fill slopes under surcharge loading. Incremental elasto-plastic analyses coupled with pore water diffusion have been performed to study the internal deformation, water content redistribution in the soil, and the performance of the soil nails during and after the application of surcharge loading. The model parameters describing the mechanical and hydraulic properties of the nailed slope were obtained from field or laboratory tests. Different modelling techniques and boundary conditions for mimicking soil–nail interaction in loose fill material have been examined. Comparisons between numerical predictions and field measurements demonstrate that a new interfacial model, denoted as the embedded bond–slip interface model, is more suitable for mimicking the interfacial behaviour. Despite the simplicity of the numerical model, the predicted responses are in close agreement with the field test results, in particular the mobilisation and distribution of nail forces in response to surcharge loading. Both the numerical and the field test results suggest that soil nails are capable of increasing the overall stability of a loose fill slope for the loading conditions considered in this study. The increase in confining stress along the soil nails near the surcharge area is central to the overall stabilising mechanism. On the contrary, the nail forces mobilised near the nail heads are much smaller, indicating that the beneficial effect of having a structural grillage system at the slope face is limited for the range of surcharge pressures considered in this study.     

The effect of pressure-grouted soil nails on the stability of weathered soil slopes

Pressure-grouted soil nails have been increasingly used for stabilizing slopes. The pullout resistance of a soil nail is the main factor for reinforcing the slope stability. In this study, a two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element model is developed to simulate the pullout behavior of a pressure-grouted soil nail. This model is verified with field pullout tests result of a pressure-grouted soil nails by comparing with gravity-grouted soil nails. Based on the analysis, a three-dimensional finite element model is proposed for stability analysis of a slope reinforced with pressure-grouted soil nails using the shear strength reduction method. A series of numerical slope stability analyses for a slope composed of weathered soil are performed to investigate the effects of grouting pressure on the slope stability and the behavior of the soil nails. Special attention is given to the installation effect of a pressure-grouted soil nails. It is found from the result of this study that the pressure-grouted soil nails increase the safety factor by fifty percent in a slope by increasing the stiffness of the nailed slope system. Numerical analysis results confirm the fact that the pullout resistance of a soil nail is the main factor for stabilizing slopes rather than the shear resistance of the soil nail.     

Dynamic behavior of small-scale model of nailed steep slopes

This paper presents the results of laboratory shaking table tests performed to study the dynamic behavior of reinforced steep slopes. The surface displacements, settlement of the crest and acceleration responses along with strain behavior of the facing wall are examined during the tests. Two 18-cm high steep slopes with slope angles of 60° and 70° are considered. Each slope is reinforced with nine number of hollow aluminum nails placed in three rows. Each nail is glued with three strain gauges to measure the tensile force developed in the nails. Four strain gauges are fixed at the center of the facing wall to measure the development of strains during shaking. The acceleration responses at the base and crest of the model slopes are monitored during the test durations. The numerical simulation of the model tests is performed by a commercial program called FLAC. The numerical results are found to be reasonable close to the corresponding experimental results.     

Soil nailed slope by strength reduction and limit equilibrium methods

A detailed study of nailed slopes under different conditions is reported in this paper. No major difference is found in terms of safety and slip surfaces between the strength reduction method (SRM) and the limit equilibrium method (LEM) in general cases. Appreciable differences between the SRM and LEM appear, however, if the nail load is controlled by the overburden stress. Some special slip surfaces from the SRM obtained by using a very fine mesh are discussed. Field tests demonstrated that the nail head is important in determining the failure mode and the factor of safety of a nailed slope, while the effect of the nail elastic modulus is more noticeable only when the slope is very steep. The optimum layout of the soil nail was found to be longer at bottom and shorter at the top, which is contrary to some engineers’ guidelines for soil nail design during top-down construction. The distribution of tensional force along the soil nail is influenced by the state of the slope (service state, limit state) and the failure modes (external failure, internal failure). In general, the line of maximum tension may not correspond to the critical slip surface as commonly believed, except for the case where the failure mode is an internal tensile failure.     

River bank erosion control by soil nailing

A study has been done for analysing soil nailed cuts with circular type wedge failure by friction circle method. Various parameters such as nail length, nail diameter, nail inclination, wall inclination and angle of internal friction of soil have been considered to determine the factor of safety of nailed open cuts. The study shows that for cohesionless soil nailed cut, factor of safety increase with increase of parameters like angle of internal friction of soil, length of nail (L) versus height of cut (H) ratio, cohesion of soil and nail inclination (upto 15°) with horizontal. The study revealed that nails grouted with cement perform better than driven nails. A case study further confirms the analytical findings. Received 7 October     

黄土边坡开挖与支护效应的离心模拟试验研究

黄土边坡在开挖卸载过程中的稳定性分析及其防护在边坡工程中占有重要地位。采用西南交通大学土工离心机进行了1组非支护边坡和2组土钉支护边坡的离心模型试验,研究了开挖卸载过程中黄土边坡的变形特性、稳定性变化规律及土钉的加固效应。离心模型试验研究表明,土钉能够显著提高黄土边坡的稳定性。土钉支护的边坡土体,因土钉的锚固效应,边坡的变形范围更大,但变形量较小,最大变形量并不在坡面,而是发生在坡面下的锚固区域内,非支护黄土边坡的潜在滑移面产生于距坡顶约40 cm处,土钉支护后,黄土边坡基本不会发生破坏。对于抵抗边坡发生变形而言,不等长土钉支护的效果要优于等长土钉支护,研究成果为黄土边坡的开挖与防护提供了参考。     

The mechanical behaviour and design concerns for a hybrid reinforced earth embankment built in limited width adjacent to a slope

This paper aims to investigate the mechanical behaviour of a hybrid reinforced earth embankment built in limited width adjacent to a slope. This embankment system incorporates reinforced earth embankments with soil nails, installed in the existing ground. Soil nails work to provide additional resisting forces to stabilize the embankment which may be unstable due to insufficient reinforcement length. Nail forces developed in the hybrid reinforced earth embankment with various geometric conditions in the fill space are analyzed. The FE method is used to simulate the construction of the hybrid reinforced earth embankment. Influence of reinforcement length, reinforcement stiffness, and slope gradient on the nail forces developed following the construction is analyzed and discussed. Additionally, design concerns for the hybrid reinforced earth embankment system are also studied. Simple charts for estimating the maximum nail force mobilized at back of the hybrid reinforced earth embankment are established in this research and can be helpful in the design of the soil nails in the system.     

An embedded bond-slip model for finite element modelling of soil–nail interaction

Soil nailing has been widely used as a reinforcing technique to retain excavations and stabilise slopes. Proper assessment of the interaction between the nails and the surrounding soil is central to safe and economical design of the composite reinforced soil structure. In this note, a new interface model, denoted as “embedded bond-slip model”, is proposed to model the soil–nail interaction numerically in a simplified manner. Combining the key features of the embedded element technique and the conventional interface element method, the proposed plane–strain interface model has the advantages that no special considerations have to be given to the arrangement of the finite element mesh for the soil nails, and that possible tangential slippage along the interface can be modelled. The formulation also allows pore water flow across the soil nails to be incorporated into the analysis. The proposed model has been implemented into a finite element code and verified by simple element tests under different uni-direction loading conditions. Using the proposed interface model, back analyses of a field test involving a soil-nailed cut slope subjected to a rise in groundwater table have been conducted. This note presents the details of the embedded bond-slip model and the numerical results which demonstrate that the proposed model is capable of simulating soil–nail interaction conveniently and realistically.     

Soil Nailing Application in Erosion Control – An Experimental Study

A study has been done for soil nailed cut considering circular type wedge failure by friction circle method. Effect of variation of design parameters such as nail length, nail diameter, nail inclination, wall inclination, angle of internal friction of soil, etc. have been incorporated in the study to determine the factor of safety of nailed open cuts. It is seen that at sites which are susceptible to rainfall induced erosion, the erosion may be checked to a greater degree by soil nailing. This methodology can be adopted at embankment sites, natural slopes, highways, etc. including free board of riverbank area of natural rivers. The study shows that grouted nails perform better than driven nails. A case study further confirms the analytical findings.     

水位下降条件下土钉加固土坡破坏特性研究

水位下降是导致滑坡的重要原因之一,而土钉是加固土坡的有效手段。进行离心模型试验,再现了水位下降时土钉加固土坡的变形和破坏过程,测量了土坡的位移变化。试验结果表明,水位下降条件下土钉加固土坡的破坏模式以绕钉破坏为主,滑裂面从坡顶逐渐向下发展至坡面;土钉加固土坡的破坏过程与变形局部化过程表现出显著的耦合变化;土钉加固机制主要表现为通过土钉与坡体的相互作用,减小土坡的变形和变形局部化程度,从而提高土坡的稳定性。增加土钉长度使得滑裂面向坡内部移动,显著减小土坡的变形及变形局部化程度,从而提高了土坡安全性。     

土钉加固黏性土坡加载的离心模型试验研究

进行了不同坡度土钉加固边坡坡顶加载的离心模型试验,观测了土坡的破坏过程并测量土坡的位移场,研究了土钉加固黏性土坡的承载力、变形和破坏规律以及坡角对其破坏规律的影响。试验结果表明,坡顶荷载的增加引起土坡变形的增加,变形的集中产生和发展导致滑裂面的形成并使土坡发生破坏。土钉变形规律受加载阶段和加载底板的综合影响,坡顶荷载越大,接近坡顶的土钉弯曲挠度越大,钉土间的相互作用越强。土坡的坡角越大,承载力越低,土体呈现出更显著的向坡面位移的趋势。     

深基坑土钉支护现场测试分析研究

土钉支护技术在我国深基坑开挖和支护中己得到了广泛的应用,但对其工作机理和计算方法的研究尚不完善。以一个基坑土钉支护工程为实例,对基坑水平位移、土钉拉力进行现场测试,得出了土钉水平位移和拉力的分布规律:(1)基坑最大位移发生在基坑顶部;(2)沿基坑深度范围受力最大的土钉在中部;(3)单根土钉最大拉力作用点在其长度的中部,沿基坑深度方向土钉最大拉力作用点的连线形成的曲线是潜在最危险滑动面的位置。     

土钉支护施工阶段土钉轴力的计算分析

土钉支护的形成过程对其受力和变形有直接影响。结合土钉支护边开挖、边支护且开挖在前的施工特点,定义开挖影响面以反映土体开挖时边坡滑动趋势的变化,与开挖影响面相交处的土钉在土体开挖时轴力增加最多。开挖土压力表示以开挖影响面为边界的土块体产生的土压力,由相邻两步开挖土压力之差求得挖土引起的不平衡力。增加的土钉轴力在平衡此不平衡力的同时,维持着边坡稳定。据此,以开挖影响面及其土钉轴力增量为主要研究对象,提出了施工阶段土钉轴力的分析方法。该方法在求得土钉轴力最大值及其作用位置的同时,还给出了土钉轴力沿钉长方向的分布。应用此方法对法国CLOUTERRE项目1号墙足尺试验进行了计算,结果表明：计算与测试结果吻合良好。     

Deformation and crack development of a nailed loose fill slope subjected to water infiltration

The paper presents the characteristics of progressive movement and crack development observed in a loose fill slope reinforced by soil nails subjected to water infiltration. The purpose-built test slope was constructed by end-tipping completely decomposed granite on moderately gentle sloping ground with minimal compaction, and two rows of soil nails were installed after completion of the slope. Based on the field monitoring data obtained from a comprehensive instrumentation system, this field test has identified the initiation and development mechanism of deformation, including crack propagation in the test slope. The test results on the temporal and spatial variation of wetting-induced movement, water content distribution, and suction change as well as the formation and propagation of surficial cracks are presented. The causative mechanisms of wetting-induced deformations and their implications on the stability of nailed fill slopes are also presented and discussed.     

坡顶加载时黏性土坡土钉加固前后的离心模型试验比较研究

为研究坡顶加载条件下黏性土坡的承载特性和变形规律,进行了素土坡和土钉加固土坡的加载离心模型试验。测量了土坡的承载和变形过程。通过对比两种土坡的承载特性和变性规律,土钉的加固作用体现在：限制了土坡向坡面方向的位移,使土坡的承载能力得到了明显提高;在加固土坡内形成的土钉影响区域改善了加载底板边缘处的薄弱程度;增大了土坡中上部土体的竖向压缩变形,减小了剪切变形,增强了土坡的稳定性。土坡上部土钉的加固效果随着坡顶荷载的增大而越明显;土坡中下部土与土钉的相互作用越靠近坡面越强     

土钉横向抗剪效应对边坡稳定性的影响

土钉支护是边坡治理、基坑开挖的一种经济、便捷的支护型式,在设计中一般只考虑土钉轴向受力,而忽略土钉的抗剪、抗弯效应。为了探究工程实践中土钉支护黏土质边坡的横向抗剪效应边坡稳定性的贡献,本文根据极限平衡法,推导了考虑土钉横向抗剪效应的边坡稳定性计算公式,并系统研究了该作用对边坡安全系数大小以及潜在滑移面位置所产生的影响规律。研究结果显示,土钉抗剪效应对提高边坡稳定性有着很大的影响。当抗剪效应因子从0增大0.3时,边坡安全系数随着土钉倾角有着先增大后减小的规律,土钉的最优倾角也相应增大。在土钉长度和倾角不变的情况下,考虑土钉抗剪效应使得边坡的安全系数计算值有所提高,同时推测出的边坡滑移面后移。在抗剪效应因子从0增至0.5的过程中,安全系数可以提高两到三成。本研究的结论为在工程中更合理应用土钉支护技术提供了参考依据。     

平台分级对加筋土边坡稳定性的影响研究

对于分级修建的边坡,如何选择合适的平台宽度还有待研究。利用离心模型试验和有限元强度折减法对加筋土边坡进行分析,探讨平台分级的影响。试验表明,设置平台可以使边坡分解成若干个次级边坡,边坡分级后,其整体破坏向各个次级边坡集中,失稳部分的规模有所减少;加筋增强了边坡的整体性,能够强化次级边坡之间的独立性;合适的宽度可以使滑动面只发生在次级边坡中,对整体安全是有利的。有限元计算表明,边坡高度较大时,土的黏聚力的作用就会削弱,通过将高大的边坡变成高度较小的次级边坡,能够充分发挥黏聚力对边坡稳定的作用。而加筋的主要效果就是给土体提供一个似黏聚力。也就是说,合适的边坡高度分级能够充分发挥筋材的加筋效果。另外,对加筋高边坡来说,筋材的模量和延伸率是更为关键的材料参数。延伸率不足,在其他筋材的强度还没有发挥时被拉断,就达不到共同承载的目的。     

土体抗拉强度对均质边坡稳定性的影响

目前对均质边坡稳定性受岩土体抗拉强度影响程度的看法不一,尤其是对不同坡度的边坡受抗拉强度的影响甚至有相反意见。基于有限差分程序FLAC^3D提供的考虑张拉-剪切复合破坏的Mohr-Coulomb准则,采用强度折减法对多个典型均质边坡进行一系列数值计算,研究土体抗拉强度对不同坡度边坡稳定性的影响。结果表明：边坡越陡,土体抗拉强度对安全系数的影响越大;抗拉强度取值对直立边坡的稳定安全系数及变形破坏特征影响显著,对45°及以下边坡的影响相对较小。总体来说,对于坡角超过60°的陡坡,土体抗拉强度不同引起的边坡安全系数变化幅度可达10%以上,应在边坡稳定分析中特别注意,避免因土体抗拉强度取值过大或过小而导致计算结果偏于危险或过于保守。     

黄土高边坡土钉-预加固桩复合支护体系性状分析

土钉-预加固桩复合支护技术已在基坑及边坡工程中取得了大量应用,但在黄土高边坡开挖中的应用相对较少。基于详细的现场监测数据并辅以有限元数值计算,分析了边坡开挖过程中支护体系受力及变形随时间和空间的变化规律。结果表明：预加固桩的水平位移随着时间的推移与开挖深度的增加呈增大趋势,并最终趋于稳定,同时,桩身剪力及弯矩亦随开挖的进行而不断增大;剪力最大值的位置不断下移,说明边坡的潜在滑动面有不断向下扩展的趋势。与深基坑支护桩的土压力分布相比,土钉-预加固桩复合支护体系中桩后土压力随开挖呈不断减小的趋势,但桩前土压力随着开挖深度的增加,有增有减。随着施工开挖深度的增加,土钉所测得的应力有着明显的增大,说明土钉对抑制坡体变形起到了一定作用。在预加固桩的影响下,桩上方坡体的最危险破裂面为圆弧状,其剪出口位于预加固桩桩顶处。开挖深度较浅时,土钉对整体稳定性的贡献较大,而随着开挖深度的变大,预加固桩的加固效果开始占主导地位。