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.     

Numerical modeling of multiphase fluid flow in deforming porous media: A comparison between two- and three-phase models for seismic analysis of earth and rockfill dams

In this paper, a fully coupled numerical model is presented for the finite element analysis of the deforming porous medium interacting with the flow of two immiscible compressible wetting and non-wetting pore fluids. The governing equations involving coupled fluid flow and deformation processes in unsaturated soils are derived within the framework of the generalized Biot theory. The displacements of the solid phase, the pressure of the wetting phase and the capillary pressure are taken as the primary unknowns of the present formulation. The other variables are incorporated into the model using the experimentally determined functions that define the relationship between the hydraulic properties of the porous medium, i.e. saturation, relative permeability and capillary pressure. It is worth mentioning that the imposition of various boundary conditions is feasible notwithstanding the choice of the primary variables. The modified Pastor–Zienkiewicz generalized constitutive model is introduced into the mathematical formulation to simulate the mechanical behavior of the unsaturated soil. The accuracy of the proposed mathematical model for analyzing coupled fluid flows in porous media is verified by the resolution of several numerical examples for which previous solutions are known. Finally, the performance of the computational algorithm in modeling of large-scale porous media problems including the large elasto-plastic deformations is demonstrated through the fully coupled analysis of the failure of two earth and rockfill dams. Furthermore, the three-phase model is compared to its simplified one which simulates the unsaturated porous medium as a two-phase one with static air phase. The paper illustrates the shortcomings of the commonly used simplified approach in the context of seismic analysis of two earth and rockfill dams. It is shown that accounting the pore air as an independent phase significantly influences the unsaturated soil behavior.     

A seismic source zone model for the seismic hazard assessment of the Italian territory

We designed a new seismic source model for Italy to be used as an input for country-wide probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) in the frame of the compilation of a new national reference map.

We started off by reviewing existing models available for Italy and for other European countries, then discussed the main open issues in the current practice of seismogenic zoning.

The new model, termed ZS9, is largely based on data collected in the past 10 years, including historical earthquakes and instrumental seismicity, active faults and their seismogenic potential, and seismotectonic evidence from recent earthquakes. This information allowed us to propose new interpretations for poorly understood areas where the new data are in conflict with assumptions made in designing the previous and widely used model ZS4.

ZS9 is made out of 36 zones where earthquakes with M_w > = 5 are expected. It also assumes that earthquakes with M_w up to 5 may occur anywhere outside the seismogenic zones, although the associated probability is rather low. Special care was taken to ensure that each zone sampled a large enough number of earthquakes so that we could compute reliable earthquake production rates.

Although it was drawn following criteria that are standard practice in PSHA, ZS9 is also innovative in that every zone is characterised also by its mean seismogenic depth (the depth of the crustal volume that will presumably release future earthquakes) and predominant focal mechanism (their most likely rupture mechanism). These properties were determined using instrumental data, and only in a limited number of cases we resorted to geologic constraints and expert judgment to cope with lack of data or conflicting indications. These attributes allow ZS9 to be used with more accurate regionalized depth-dependent attenuation relations, and are ultimately expected to increase significantly the reliability of seismic hazard estimates.     

A homogenization approach for evaluating the longitudinal shear stiffness of reinforced soils: column versus cross trench configuration

The macroscopic linear elastic behaviour of inclusion‐reinforced soils, regarded as periodic composite media, is investigated by means of the homogenization theory. Special attention is given here to the determination of their longitudinal shear stiffness properties, which strongly govern the reinforced ground response under lateral loading. Combining the use of analytical, variational and numerical methods, we thoroughly examined three particular engineering‐relevant configurations: single trench, column and cross trench reinforcements. Fairly accurate closed‐form expressions are thus obtained, giving the value of the reinforced soil longitudinal shear stiffness as a function of the individual components shear moduli and reinforcement volume fraction. It is shown in particular that adopting a cross trench reinforcement layout instead of the classical column configuration results in a much higher improvement of the longitudinal shear stiffness. The results are then applied to assessing the reduction of soil liquefaction risk, which can be attributed to the presence of the reinforcing inclusions. Again, they clearly demonstrate the excellent performance of the cross trench configuration as compared with the complete inefficiency of the column reinforcement technique. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Formulation of a three‐dimensional constitutive model for unsaturated soils incorporating mechanical–water retention couplings

Wheeler, Sharma and Buisson proposed an elasto‐plastic constitutive model for unsaturated soils that couples the mechanical and water retention behaviours. The model was formulated for isotropic stress states and adopts the mean Bishop's stress and modified suction as stress state variables. This paper deals with the extension of this constitutive model to general three‐dimensional stress conditions, proposing the generalized stress–strain relationships required for the numerical integration of the constitutive model. A characteristic of the original model is the consideration of a number of elasto‐plastic mechanisms to describe the complex behaviour of unsaturated soils. This work presents the three‐dimensional formulation of these coupled irreversible mechanisms in a generalized way including anisotropic loading. The paper also compares the results from the model with published experiments performed under different loading conditions. The response of the model is very satisfactory in terms of both mechanical and water retention behaviours. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

考虑温度影响的冻土蠕变本构模型

冰作为冻土的基本组成部分,对冻土蠕变的加速蠕变阶段有重要影响。温度通过影响冻土中冰的冻结与融化过程,及其黏塑性流动,引起冻土结构的强化与弱化,从而成为了决定冻土蠕变力学行为的关键因素之一。同时,外部应力也造成冻土的强化与弱化,影响着冻土的蠕变。通过引入硬化因子与损伤因子来考虑温度、应力造成的冻土材料强化与弱化。硬化因子H代表了蠕变过程中强化效应的大小,而损伤因子D则代表了由弱化效应造成的冻土材料相关参数的折减比例,进而提出了适用于冻土的改进西原蠕变本构模型。该模型预测值与试验数据的比较表明：改进的模型不仅能较好地描述初始蠕变阶段、稳定蠕变阶段,而且相比于传统模型,能更好地描述冻土加速蠕变阶段,具有合理性与一定的实用性。     

A homogenization method for estimating the bearing capacity of soils reinforced by columns

The ultimate bearing capacity problem of a strip foundation resting on a soil reinforced by a group of regularly spaced columns is investigated in the situation when both the native soil and reinforcing material are purely cohesive. Making use of the yield design homogenization approach, it is shown that such a problem may be dealt with as a plane strain yield design problem, provided that the reinforced soil macroscopic strength condition has been previously determined. Lower and upper bound estimates for such a macroscopic criterion are obtained, thus giving evidence of the reinforced soil strong anisotropy. Performing the upper bound kinematic approach on the homogenized bearing capacity problem, by using the classical Prandtl's failure mechanism, makes it then possible to derive analytical upper bound estimates for the reinforced foundation bearing capacity, as a function of the reinforced soil parameters (volume fraction and cohesion ratio), as well as of the relative extension of the reinforced area. It is shown in particular that such an estimate is closer to the exact value of the ultimate bearing capacity, than that derived from a direct analysis which implicitly assumes that the reinforced soil is an isotropic material. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A numerical model for the transient analysis of offshore foundations under cyclic loading

A comprehensive numerical model for the analysis of offshore foundations under a general transient loading is presented here. The theoretical basis of the model lies on the Swansea formulation of Biot’s equations of dynamic poroelasticity combined with a constitutive model that reproduces key aspects of cyclic soil behaviour in the frame of the theory of generalised plasticity. On the practical side, the adoption of appropriate finite element formulations may prevent the appearance of spurious numerical instabilities of the pore pressure field. In this respect, the use of a coupled enhanced-strain element is here proposed. On the other hand, the practicality of the presented model depends ultimately on its computational efficiency. Some practical recommendations concerning the solution strategies, the matrix storage/handling procedures and the parallel multi-processor computation are here provided. Finally, the performance of the model with a benchmark study case and its practical application to analyse the soil–structure interaction of an offshore monopile under a realistic transient storm loading are discussed.     

A method for extending a general constitutive model to consider the electro-chemo-mechanical phenomena of mineral crystals in expansive soils

The mechanical behavior of expansive soils varies according to the chemical composition of the pore fluid. It is well known that electrochemical phenomena on the surface of clay mineral crystals considerably affect their macrostructural behavior. In particular, a change in the pore fluid composition causes osmotic consolidation or swelling. In this study, a model is constructed to describe the characteristic behavior of expansive soils by coupling the interlaminar behavior of clay mineral crystals and the soil skeleton behavior. The interlaminar behavior is derived from the electro-chemo-mechanical coupling equilibrium of mineral crystals, and the soil skeleton behavior is given by a general elastoplastic constitutive model for soils. This modeling approach extends a general model to consider the electro-chemo-mechanical phenomena of mineral crystals. Oedometer tests with the replacement of the cell fluid and the swelling pressure and deformation tests on expansive clays are simulated with the proposed model. The simulation results indicate that the proposed method can reasonably represent the typical behavior of expansive soils.     

风暴潮贝壳堤的沉积特征及发育模式

南海北部长湾贝壳堤是一典型的风暴潮成因贝壳堤。该贝壳堤的横向、纵向露头和钻孔所显示的地层结构、层理特征、粒度特征、14C测年、物质组成、贝屑种属生境及当地风暴增水高度和地壳升降幅度表明：（1）贝壳堤由风暴沉积组成,是风暴潮增水期间海岸沉积物堆积的结果,由于堆积在平均高潮面之上,增水退却后不受正常天气下波浪的影响得以保存;（2）理想剖面由下而上分4个部分：1）潮滩堆积;2）激浪带堆积;3）增水面下波浪堆积;4）增水面上波浪爬高堆积。各个部分具有不同的沉积特征,分别代表贝壳堤向上增长的各个阶段的沉积环境和风暴作用方式;（3）风暴潮贝壳堤与非风暴潮贝壳堤不仅在发育过程,而且在沉积结构、粒度特征、贝屑种属、堆积部位、堆积高度及环境意义等方面都有所不同。     

基于不确定性分析框架的动态环状河网水质模型--以温州市温瑞塘河为例

以温州市温瑞塘河为背景,基于不确定性分析的框架,开发了动态环状河网水质模型。用HSY(Hornberger,Spear and Young)算法作水质参数的不确定性分析,求得模型参数的空间分布,从而提高模型使用的可靠性、降低决策的风险度。模型由水量子模型及水质子模型两部分组成:水量子模型采用圣维南方程并用四级解法求解;水质子模型采用CSTR(Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor)模型的机理,并结合环状河网特征作了修正,由于只需解常微分方程,因而避免了矩阵求解,显著提高了计算效率,使得用HSY算法进行不确定性分析成为可能。模型选取温州市温瑞塘河流域的鹿城区河网进行了首次应用,用HSY算法率定水质参数并讨论了参数的不确定性。对参数率定结果进行验证,结果比较理想。最后简要讨论了参数不确定性传递。