Performance of quasilinear elastic constitutive models in simulation of geosynthetic encased columns

Past numerical simulations of geosynthetic encased columns (GECs) using different versions of the quasilinear elastic hyperbolic model for the encased granular material have, in certain cases, yielded unrealistic results. In this paper the cause of such results is investigated by performing three-dimensional finite element analyses of GECs in soft clay, utilizing three common functional forms of the hyperbolic model for the encased granular material. Results indicate that one form of the hyperbolic model can predict an unrealistic lateral response for GECs during application of load to the column. In addition, the inability of hyperbolic models to properly account for soil behavior near failure compromises their ability to realistically capture the behavior of encased granular soil in GECs. Modeling the behavior of soil near failure is essential for properly simulating the behavior of GECs, as soil shear failure is necessary to mobilize the tensile stresses in the encasement and improve the stress–displacement response of the GEC. Although this type of hyperbolic model behavior was demonstrated for the specific case of encased soil in a GEC, the limitations of the hyperbolic model described herein apply equally to other geotechnical problems in which some portion of the soil mass is at or near failure.     

路堤荷载下柔性桩复合地基沉降实用计算方法

根据等应变假设得到的复合地基加固区复合模量计算公式与实际路堤荷载下柔性桩桩土间的非等应变事实不符,因此,路堤荷载下复合模量法计算的沉降量多小于实测值。通过二维有限元方法分析了路堤荷载下复合地基变形特性。采用分层总和法反算加固区复合模量,提出了复合模量计算修正方法;并通过参数分析得到了各主要影响因素对复合地基加固区变形特性的影响;对比桩体设置前后下卧层变形差异,对下卧层沉降计算方法进行修正。由此建立了有限元方法与工程实用的分层总和法之间的联系,将有限元方法实用化,分别得到了路堤荷载下柔性桩复合地基加固区和下卧层的沉降实用计算方法。实例计算证明了所推荐方法的有效性。     

Simulation of the progressive failure of an embankment on soft soil

A pragmatic strain-softening constitutive model, which is based on Modified Cam Clay, was applied to the simulation of the progressive failure of an embankment constructed on a deposit of sensitive (strain-softening) clay in Saga, Japan. A comparison of the predictions for this case indicates that if softening is ignored, only relatively small deflections and consolidation settlements are predicted, especially after construction. In contrast, for the case where softening is included in the analysis, progressive failure within the clay induces large shear deformations and finally failure of the embankment is predicted. This comparison suggests that softening-induced progressive failure should be considered in the design of embankments on such soils, and the residual strength of the deposit may have an important influence on the overall factor of safety of the construction. Detailed analyses of predicted excess pore water pressures, shear strains and shear stress levels in the ground indicate that considering the strain-softening process: (a) is associated with the buildup of excess pore water pressure; (b) promotes strain localization; and (c) results generally in a larger zone of soil involved in the failure.     

TECHNICAL NOTE: Stabilization of embankment foundations by using stone columns

Summary In this Technical Note a parametric study, based on Dimaggio's (1978) approach, of the reinforcing effect of stone columns on the stability of road embankments is examined. For a certain embankment geometry, stability analyses of discrete soil and stone column elements were also carried out. The results of the above analyses are compared to the results of the analyses based on Dimaggio's approach.     

Numerical investigation of the failure of a building in Shanghai,China

The overturning failure of a 13 storey residential building in Shanghai, China, has been investigated by plane strain finite element analysis (FEA). The results of the FEA indicate that ultimate failure of the building was probably initiated by the formation of tensile cracking in the reinforced concrete piles located under the side of the building adjacent to an excavation. This eventually led to complete structural failure of the piles located along the excavation side, which probably caused further settlement of the building, leading eventually to a toppling failure resulting in overturning of the entire building. Excessive tensile stress in the piles was probably caused by the combination of excavation of soil at one side of the building and the temporary dumping of the excavated soil on the opposite side of the building. It is likely that the effect of temporary dumping of the excavated soil adjacent to the building was either not considered or not properly taken into account in the foundation design nor the construction operations. A simple but important lesson to be draw from this failure is the need for engineers who design foundations in soft soil regions to consider not only the final loading conditions, but also any temporary and transient loading conditions during the construction process.     

Three-dimensional analysis of embankments on soft soils incorporating vertical drains by finite element method

Three-dimensional behaviour of an embankment on soft soils incorporating vertical drains is analysed by a numerical model based on the finite element method. The model, which incorporates the Biot’s consolidation theory (coupled formulation of the flow and equilibrium equations) and constitutive relations simulated by the p–q–θ critical state model, is applied on both the embankment with vertical drains (three-dimensional analysis) and the same problem but without vertical drains (two-dimensional analysis). Special emphasis is given to the analysis, during and after the construction period, of the excess pore pressures, settlements, horizontal displacements and stress levels.     

Influence of geosynthetic reinforcement on the progressive failure of rigid columns under an embankment load

Acta Geotechnica - Prior investigations have revealed that the stress characteristics of columns at different locations beneath an embankment vary. A failed column releases stress and causes...     

Stability analysis of an embankment resting upon a column‐reinforced soil

The design against failure of an embankment resting upon a soft soil improved by a group of columns is investigated with the help of the yield design homogenization approach. Assuming that both constituents of the reinforced ground are purely cohesive materials (‘lime column’ technique), an upper bound estimate for the macroscopic strength condition of the reinforced soil as a homogenized medium is first obtained, providing definite evidence of a shear strength anisotropy associated with the reinforcement preferential orientation. The kinematic method of yield design is then performed on the basis of such a criterion, making use of rotational failure mechanisms involving slip circles in the reinforced ground. Upper bound estimates are finally obtained for the embankment stability factor, as functions of the degree of reinforcement and relative thickness of the soil layer. These results are compared with those derived from a simplified analysis, where the reinforced soil is assumed to exhibit an averaged isotropic cohesion. This comparison clearly indicates that the latter simplified analysis may produce quite unsafe estimates for the embankment stability, which can be attributed to the fact that it fails to capture the inherent strength anisotropy of the reinforced soil. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical analysis of an embankment built on soft soil reinforced with deep mixing columns: Parametric study

The behaviour of an embankment built on normally consolidated soft soil reinforced with deep mixing columns is studied using a coupled soil–water formulation. The numerical predictions are analysed in terms of settlements, increments in vertical effective stresses and excess pore pressures. Firstly, the effectiveness of the use of deep mixing columns is studied. Afterwards, a parametric analysis is performed to study the influence on the soil-columns system of the replacement ratio (columns’ spacing), the deformability of the embankment and columns, and the coefficient of vertical permeability of the columns.     

Probabilistic analysis of responses of cantilever wall-supported excavations in sands considering vertical spatial variability

The influence of vertical spatial variability of sands on the excavation-induced lateral wall deflection and bending moment of excavations supported by cantilever retaining walls is investigated in this paper. Herein, the random finite element method (RFEM) is adopted to explicitly study the effect of one-dimensional spatial variability of internal friction angle of sands on the predicted wall and ground responses. The RFEM analysis consists of three components: (1) finite element method for analyzing lateral wall deflection and bending moment, (2) random field theory implemented with Monte Carlo simulation (MCS), and (3) statistical interpretation of MCS results through confidence intervals. This study reveals the importance of random field modeling in coping with the spatial variability of sands in the problem of supported excavations: (1) neglecting spatial variability of soil property will cause an overestimation of the variation in the predicted wall deflection and bending moment; (2) the estimated probability of failure based on a well-established serviceability limit state may be overestimated or underestimated depending on the chosen limiting lateral wall deflection. This study further investigates the effect of the number of MCS on the confidence intervals of the predicted statistics of the maximum lateral wall deflection and the maximum bending moment. The results also demonstrate that the confidence interval analysis of the predicted statistics of the maximum lateral wall deflection and the maximum bending moment provides a rational tool for interpreting the statistical data from RFEM.     

Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian based finite element analysis of cone penetration in soft clay

This paper presents a numerical model for the analysis of cone penetration in soft clay based on the finite element method. The constitutive behaviour of the soil is modelled by modifying an elastic, perfectly-plastic soil model obeying Von-Mises yield criterion to take into account the strain-softening, rate dependent behaviour of soft clay. Since this is a problem involving large soil deformations, the analysis is carried out using an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian method where the quality of the mesh is preserved during penetration. The variation of cone resistance is examined with various parameters such as rigidity index of the soil, in situ stress anisotropy and roughness at the cone–soil interface, which influence the penetration resistance of the cone. A theoretical correlation has been developed incorporating these parameters and the results have been compared with previous correlations based on the cavity expansion theory, finite element method and strain path method. With the increase in strain-softening, relative brittleness of the soil increases and the penetration resistance is significantly reduced. With the rising strain-rate dependency, penetration resistance increases but this increase is independent of the degree of brittleness of the soil.     

Response of multilayer geosynthetic-reinforced bed resting on soft soil with stone columns

In the present study, a mechanical model has been developed to study the behavior of multilayer geosynthetic-reinforced granular fill over stone column-reinforced soft soil. The granular fill and geosynthetic reinforcement layers have been idealized by Pasternak shear layer and rough elastic membranes, respectively. The Kelvin–Voight model has been used to represent the time-dependent behavior of saturated soft soil. The stone columns are idealized by stiffer springs and assumed to be linearly elastic. The nonlinear behavior of the soft soil and granular fill is considered. The effect of consolidation of soft soil due to inclusion of the stone columns on settlement response has also been included in the model. Plane strain conditions are considered for the loading and reinforced foundation soil system. An iterative finite difference scheme is applied for obtaining the solution and results are presented in nondimensional form. It has been observed that if the soft soil is improved with stone columns, the multilayer reinforcement system is less effective as compared to single layer reinforcement to reduce the total settlement as there is considerable reduction in the total settlement due to stone column itself. Multilayer reinforcement system is effective for reducing the total settlement when stone columns are not used. However, multilayer reinforcement system is effective to transfer the stress from soil to stone column. The differential settlement is also slightly reduced due to application of multiple geosynthetic layers as compared to the single layer reinforcement system.     

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.     

路堤荷载作用下软基沉降特性研究

为探究路基断面几何参数对软基沉降特性的影响,基于弹性Biot三维固结有限元程序PDSS,就路基顶面宽度、路基高度及边坡坡比等断面几何参数对软基沉降特性的影响进行较深入的模拟分析,重点探讨现行各类铁路、公路路基宽度下软基沉降变形的模式.宽窄路堤荷载作用下软基的沉降模式不同,宽路堤软土路基沉降盆表现为"W"形状,而窄路堤软土路基的沉降盆表现为"V"形状.     

Seismic analysis of laterally loaded pile under influence of vertical loading using finite element method

An efficient analytical approach using the finite element (FE) method, is proposed to calculate the bending moment and deflection response of a single pile under the combined influence of lateral and axial compressive loading during an earthquake, in both saturated and dry homogenous soil, and in a typical layered soil. Applying a pseudo-static method, seismic loads are calculated using the maximum horizontal acceleration (MHA) obtained from a seismic ground response analysis and a lateral load coefficient (a) for both liquefying and non-liquefying soils. It is observed that for a pile having l/d ratio 40 and embedded in dry dense sand, the normalized moment and displacement increase when the input motion becomes more severe, as expected. Further increasing of a from 0.1 to 0.3 leads to increase in the normalized moment and displacement from 0.033 to 0.042, and 0.009 to 0.035, respectively. The validity of the proposed FE based solution for estimating seismic response of pile is also assessed through dynamic centrifuge test results.     

An experimental study on static and dynamic bending behaviour of piles in soft clay

Static and dynamic lateral load tests were carried out on model aluminium single piles embedded in soft clay to study its bending behaviour. Model aluminium piles with length to diameter ratios of 10, 20, 30 and 40 were used. Static lateral load tests were conducted on piles by rope and pulley arrangement upto failure and load–deflection curves were obtained. Dynamic lateral load tests were carried out for different magnitudes of load ranging from 7 to 30 N at wide range of frequencies from 2 to 50 Hz. The load transferred to the pile, pile head displacement and the strain variation along the pile length were measured using a Data Acquisition System. Safe static lateral load capacity for all piles is interpreted from load–deflection curves. Dynamic characteristics of the soil–pile system were arrived from the acquired experimental data. The soil–pile system behaves predominantly in nonlinear fashion even at low frequency under dynamic load. The displacement amplitude under dynamic load is magnified by 4.5–6.5 times the static deflection for all piles embedded in soft clay. But, the peak magnification factor reduces with an increase in the magnitude of lateral load mainly because of increase of hysteretic damping at very soft consistency. The maximum BM occurs at the fundamental frequency of the soil–pile system. Even the lower part of the pile affects the pile head response to the inertial load applied at the pile head. The maximum dynamic BM is magnified by about 1.5 times the maximum static BM for model piles in tested consistency of clay. The maximum dynamic BM occurs at a depth of about 1.5 times the depth of maximum static BM for model piles, which indicates an increase of active pile length under dynamic load.     

Parametric studies of DDC-induced deflections of sheet pile walls in soft soils

This paper presents a thorough finite element (FE) parametric study of sheet pile wall deflections caused by deep dynamic compaction (DDC). In this study, the effects of several parameters which may affect the wall deflections were investigated. These parameters are (1) wall embedment length; (2) tamping distance; (3) impact energy per blow; (4) blow counts; (5) soil types on the supporting side of sheet pile walls; and (6) wall stiffness. The effects of these parameters were quantified and discussed, and the factors that help to reduce wall deflections were identified. A series of figures which depict the effects of these parameters were generated. Finally, some suggestions and recommendations for design and construction were reached.     

软弱基座型斜坡变形破坏机制模拟研究

软弱基座型斜坡崩滑在我国西南山区及三峡库区是一种较为常见的地质灾害。下伏软岩在上部硬岩重力作用和外营力地质作用下产生压缩变形,向临空方向塑性流动,导致上部硬岩拉裂,进一步发展演变为崩滑。贵州某斜坡为一典型缓倾内软弱基座斜坡,上部为灰岩形成高度约150m陡崖,下部为厚度大于150m泥岩形成的缓坡。调查发现上部硬岩坡肩部位产生多条深大拉裂,坡肩局部发生过多次崩塌落石现象,斜坡变形仍在继续。本文采用有限元数值模拟和底摩擦物理模拟相结合的方法,分析了该斜坡坡体内应力、变形分布特征和发展过程,在此基础上研究软弱基座型斜坡的变形破坏机制,为软弱基座斜坡崩滑地质灾害防治提供理论支撑。研究结果表明,缓倾内具软弱基座的斜坡变形破坏机制表现为压缩（塑流）拉裂剪断三段式滑坡。     

循环荷载下低填方桩承式路堤动力响应分析

低填方桩承式路堤在交通荷载下的动力响应特性与路堤的承载能力及其稳定性密切相关。基于前人的室内模型试验,采用PFC2D软件建立了桩承式路堤离散元数值分析模型;采用数值双轴试验、数值单向压缩试验分别对路堤填料和桩间土的细观参数进行了标定;同时,根据路堤荷载传递效率对模拟结果与试验数据进行了对比分析,验证了离散元数值模型的正确性及适用性。在此基础上,在低填方路堤表面施加正弦波循环荷载,并对路堤荷载传递效率、接触力分布及路堤沉降等的变化规律进行了分析。模拟结果表明：在循环荷载作用下,低填方路堤中土拱结构的承载力先逐渐弱化并最终趋于稳定;该弱化作用在宏观上表现为路堤荷载传递效率的逐渐降低,而在细观上则表现为桩顶及桩间土上方接触力差异程度的逐渐减小;同时,土拱结构的弱化将不断加剧路堤表面的不均匀沉降。     

Discrete modeling of strain accumulation in granular soils under low amplitude cyclic loading

An advanced understanding of the strain accumulation phenomenon in granular soils subjected to low amplitude cyclic loading with relatively high frequency is needed to enhance the ability to predict the settlement of granular soils induced by vibrations. In the current study, the discrete element method is used to study this phenomenon. A loose and a medium dense sample composed of a relatively large number of spheres are considered. A series of stress controlled cyclic triaxial tests with different excitation amplitudes and frequencies is performed on these samples at different static stress states. The response of these samples at the macroscopic and microscopic scales is analyzed. The sample density, the cyclic stress amplitude and the static stress state importantly affect strain accumulation. However, the cyclic excitation frequency has a small effect on strain accumulation. At the microscopic scale, frictional sliding occurring at a few contacts continuously dissipates energy and the fraction of these contacts varies periodically during cyclic loading. The coordination number of these samples increases slightly as strain accumulates. However, the anisotropy remains almost constant during low amplitude cyclic excitation. A qualitatively good agreement between numerical and experimental results is found.