Shaking table study on liquefaction behaviour of different saturated sands reinforced by stone columns

Abstract

Liquefaction is a phenomenon developed in loose and saturated layers of sands subjected to dynamic or seismic loading, and often leads to excessive settlement and subsequent failures in structures. Several methods have been proposed to improve soil resistance against liquefaction, among which use of stone columns is one of the most applicable methods. In this research, the effect of stone columns with different geometries and arrangements on the liquefaction behaviour of loose and very loose saturated sands subjected to vibration is investigated using shaking table. Results of the experiments show that when using stone columns in sand layers, the level of maximum settlement is significantly reduced. Further, the presence of stone columns significantly reduces pore water pressure ratio. This further indicates that stone columns have a positive effect and reasonable performance, even in relatively strong earthquakes, provided that the number and cross-section of the columns are sufficient. In addition, stone columns reduce the pore water pressure dissipation time. Moreover, by increasing cross-sectional area and the number of columns, both pore water pressure and settlement decrease. Stone columns in loose sand have a greater effect on the reduction of pore water pressure compared to that of very loose sand.     

循环水压作用下粉土渗流试验研究

海底塌陷凹坑是黄河三角洲地区常见的一种地貌现象,广泛分布于近代沉积海床中。虽然目前海底塌陷凹坑形成机理尚未明确,但普遍认为其成因与波浪引起的海床渗流有关。为此,设计模拟波压力的实验装置,对粉土施加40kPa循环水压荷载,研究正常固结粉土在液化渗流条件下的侵蚀过程。试验过程中,粉土液化时产生2种不同的裂隙,即倾斜状的"干裂隙"和水平状的"水夹层";孔隙水从"水夹层"中渗出,把从土样侧壁冲刷下的物质运移至土样表面堆积,形成"泥火山"。试验表明,土体内气泡溢出对表层土的侵蚀具有强化作用;循环荷载产生的孔隙水压力梯度是粉土液化渗流动力,而渗流过程对土的粒径成分具有粗化作用;分析结果表明,波压力引起的海床渗流是长效的作用机制,不同于地震荷载引起的渗流侵蚀。这种侵蚀模式是海底塌陷凹坑形成的主要原因。     

波浪作用下埕岛海域海底土液化分区

根据埕岛海域表层沉积物特征,结合该区的波浪实测资料推算的波浪要素,利用动三轴实验得到研究区土体在循环荷载作用下孔隙水压力的增长与振动次数的关系,计算研究区内海底土层的液化可能性和液化所需的时间,并根据土体在不同水深情况下达到液化所需的时间对研究海域进行了液化分区。结果显示,7-8 m等深线之间的海底土体由于受到波浪破碎作用的影响,最易发生液化,液化影响深度也最深,自该海域向近岸和远海,液化可能性降低;土层埋深为2.5 m以浅时,研究区大部分区域液化可能性为高,而到埋深为4 m时土层液化可能性明显降低。     

The Mechanism Analysis of Seafloor Silt Liquefaction Under Wave Loading

The sediment in Chengbei area of the Huanghe (Yellow River) subaqueous delta is the object of a reseach project in this article. The accumulating and dissipating effects following the change of time are considered first in the study area and the distributing curves of excess pore water pressure along with time and depth in the soil stratum are gained; the possibility of silt liquefaction is evaluated using the computing values and the affecting depth of liquefaction is given. This paper quantitatively analyzes the dynamic response of seafloor soil under the cyclic loading of waves and makes an inquiry into the instable mechanism of soil.     

波浪作用下黄河口粉土液化与振荡层形成试验研究

通过室内水槽试验,观察波浪作用下土体产生的现象,分析了土体内孔隙水压力的变化及波浪作用后土体粒度组成变化特征,研究了波浪荷载作用下黄河口粉土液化和"振荡层"的形成过程。试验及讨论结果表明:在波浪作用下,上层粉土体大部分时间处于液化状态;由液化土形成的振荡土层与下部土层之间形成"W"形的滑动面,振荡土层的厚度随着波浪作用时间的增加而变小;在波浪的振动和孔隙流体的共同作用下,土颗粒重新排列,细粒物质向上迁移,土体底部土颗粒粒径较为粗大,振荡层范围内土颗粒粒径组成相似,粒径分布范围较小;其内部孔压比随深度和波浪作用次数的增加而较少,土体内部积累的超孔压逐渐消散,海床土体逐渐趋于稳定。     

Two-Dimensional Numerical Analysis of the Subgrade Improved By Stone Columns in the Soft Soil Area

Based on the vertical equal strain assumption, there are many consolidation theories of soft soil incorporating vertical drains. Because the influence of many factors is often ignored and the flow of the pore water usually happens in three-dimensional directions, analytical solutions could not be accurate enough. Because of the amount of computer storage and the computing time needed, two-dimensional finite element analysis is used to model the stone column improving the soft foundation. The embankment load is transferred to a column because of the soil arching effect. When the embankment is constructed, the settlement accounts for 64% of the total settlement, which shows that the column can reduce the post-construction settlement. The stone column's bulge is confined to a length about one to two times the diameter of the stone column away from its top, and the column at the toe would bears the shear stress to some extent.     

Physical Modeling of a Footing on Soft Soil Ground with Deep Cement Mixed Soil Columns under Vertical Loading

Deep cement mixing (DCM) technique is a deep in-situ stabilization technique by mixing cement powder or slurry with soft soils below the ground surface to improve their properties and behavior. Some of DCM treated soft soil grounds are approximately in a plane-strain condition; for example, a fill embankment on DCM improved ground. In this study, a plane-strain physical model was created with instrumentation and used to investigate the bearing capacity and failure mode of a soft soil improved by an end-bearing DCM column group. This study focuses on the observed wedge-shaped shear failure of the model ground and attempts to give an account of the failure. Two different methods are used to calculate the bearing capacity of the model ground, and the computed values are compared with the measured ones. It is found that the simple Brom's method gives a better estimate of the bearing capacity of the present model ground. It is also found that measured data of pore water pressures at different locations in the soft soil indicate coupling between failure of columns and consolidation of the soft soil. This study has presented the first time that a wedge-shaped block failure was observed for pattern of DCM treated soil ground.     

Evaluation of Excess Pore Water Pressure Characteristics in Sand Mat Used for Recycling Dredged Soil

The design of sand mats should be reviewed on the basis of excess pore pressure behavior, which can be obtained by combining the characteristics of soft ground with the permeability of the mats. In this study, a banking model test was performed using dredged sand as the mat material to investigate the hydraulic gradient distribution of sand mats. The results were compared with numerical analysis results utilizing Terzaghi's one-dimensional consolidation equation. The results showed that the pore pressure was influenced by an increase in the amount of settlement at the central part of the sand mat as the height of the embankment increased. The measured decrease of the pressure head due to the residing water pressure in the sand mat was delayed compared to the numerical analysis results. Accordingly, sand mats should be laid to reduce the increased hydraulic gradient at the central part of the embankment.     

基于孔压监测的强夯置换和砂井-强夯处理饱和软土地基试验研究

在青岛某饱和软土场区采用强夯置换和砂井-强夯2种不同方案进行试夯试验。在试验区距夯点不同距离、不同深度的土层中埋设孔隙水压力计,通过观测,分析试夯过程中超孔隙水压力的变化规律,得出以下结论:2 000~2 500kN·m夯击能作用下,点夯试验最佳夯击数为强夯置换14击、砂井强夯16击,且2种方案强夯有效加固深度均可达6m;强夯置换区块距离夯点越近,超孔隙水压力累积幅值越大,而砂井-强夯区块这一趋势则不明显;砂井-强夯区块较强夯置换区快地基具有更好的均匀性,但其夯后超孔隙水压力消散速度比后者慢;孔压监测是确定强夯参数,了解加固深度,评价加固效果的有效手段。     

内孤立波浅化破碎过程斜坡沉积物孔压响应特征实验分析

观测资料显示内孤立波沿斜坡浅化过程对海底沉积物的作用犹如一台水中吸尘器,在破碎转换阶段达到最强,甚至会触发一系列地质活动,引发地质灾害。为界定此过程中沉积物的动力响应特征和影响因素,在大型重力式分层流水槽中模拟不同振幅内孤立波和不同类型沉积物斜坡连续作用过程,利用孔隙水压力采集系统实时记录孔隙水压力变化,对比分析不同水动力、坡度、沉积物类型情况下沉积物中超孔压变化特征。分析结果表明,内孤立波破碎过程,破波位置海床表层波压力和不同深度超孔隙水压力都存在相似的"U"型负压力变化过程;破碎波经过位置沉积物表现为和表面波压力正相关的孔压响应特征。破碎点沉积物中超孔压幅值随深度减小,约在6%波长深度位置减少到坡面压力的50%。超孔压幅值和内孤立波振幅、沉积物类型和斜坡度密切相关,坡度由0.071变化到0.160时,波压力幅值可增大至1.6倍。内孤立波振幅变化不影响不同类型海床土动力响应规律,只与超孔隙水压力值大小有关,内孤立波对海床的动力作用可认为弹性作用。     

粉质土底床桩基压力对波浪响应相位差试验研究

近年来,在各种近海建筑物的建设中,桩基础被越来越广泛地应用。关于海床内桩基各层位对波浪动力响应相位差的研究,国内外学者研究的重点主要集中在海床内各层位孔隙水压力的相位变化。而关于波浪作用下海床各层位土体总压力相位的研究则很少。本研究采用波浪水槽实验,在土床未扰动和土床扰动液化两种工况下,分别施加不同波高的波浪,对底床各层位土体总压力的相位进行对比研究。实验结果表明,当土体未运动时,在渗透性和饱和度均匀的土体中,各层位土体之间不存在相位差。当底床液化后,土体出现显著分层现象,在液化土层和不动土层间存在显著的相位差。此时,总压力振幅呈现先增大后减小的现象,且在床面下-10cm处出现最大值。     

黄河水下三角洲沉积物在循环荷载作用下土体中孔压变化实验研究

利用室内周期循环加载试验 ,对黄河水下三角洲土体中孔隙水压力的变化加以测定 ,通过对波浪水槽试验和动三轴试验 2种方案所获数据分析认为黄河水下三角洲土体 (粉土、粘质粉土、粉质粘土 )存在一破坏的循环极限荷载。在小于此极限循环荷载作用情况下 ,土体中孔隙水压力总体呈现下降趋势 ,没有积累升高的过程 ,不同于砂土在循环荷载作用下孔隙水压力升高导致液化的情况。这一现象对判别黄河水下三角洲土体破坏机制的研究有重要意义。     

疲劳模型评价海底粉土不稳定性的应用

该文探讨疲劳模型在评价海底粉土不稳定性中的应用。研究表明以超孔压为疲劳参数 ,以 Ψ 作为孔压产生率的疲劳模型可用于预测海底粉土中超孔压的产生和累积。基于已有的疲劳模型 ,借鉴以孔压作为疲劳参数 ,运用包含有周期循环数的公式来预测超孔压的累积的思路 ,将粉土的动三轴孔压累积曲线用一条渐进线来代表 ,从而用一种新的且较简单的疲劳模型可预测超孔压的均值。     

低围压下埕北海域重塑粉土振动孔压模型试验研究

开展了低围压条件下固结不排水振动三轴实验,对埕北海域重塑粉土振动孔压发展模型进行研究。低围压条件下粉土孔压随振次的发展曲线呈现两种形态,具体呈现何种形态与粉土轴向动应力和临界循环应力有关。对孔压数据进行了归一化处理,发现低围压条件下粉土孔压模型可以用指数函数进行拟合,且黏土含量并不影响孔压模型形式,只会影响a、b两个实验参数。孔压影响因素分析表明,少量黏粒含量的加入可以使粉土的孔压发展速度增大;振动频率对粉土孔压发展的影响也存在一个临界值,约0.2 Hz,当振动频率小于该值时,粉土孔压增长速度随频率的增加而减缓;当振动频率大于该值时,粉土孔压增长的速度随频率的增加而增大。     

Evaluation of liquefaction potential of marine sandy soil with piles considering nonlinear seismic soil–pile interaction; A simple predictive model

Abstract

An elastoplastic, dynamic, finite-difference method was applied to study the effects of nonlinear seismic soil–pile interaction on the liquefaction potential of marine sand with piles. The developed model was well validated using the centrifuge test. The results showed that acceleration, bending moment, and excess pore water pressure complied well with centrifuge test results. The effect of different affecting parameters on liquefaction potential was investigated using parametric study. Using a sensitivity analysis, the pile embedment parameter was shown to be the most influential parameter. Finally, applying the evolutionary polynomial regression technique, a new model for predicting the liquefaction potential was presented.     

Anchors in sand bed: delineation of rupture surface

Anchors of very large uplift capacities are required to support offshore structures at great water depths. The capacities of plate and mushroom type anchors are generally estimated based on the shape of rupture surface. An attempt has been made in the present investigation to delineate the rupture surfaces of anchors embedded in submerged and dry sand beds at various depths. The results exhibited two different modes of failure depending on the embedment ratio, namely, shallow and deep anchor behaviour. The load–displacement curves exhibited three- and two-phase behaviours for shallow and deep anchors, respectively. Negative pore water pressures recorded in submerged sand also exhibited variation similar to that of pullout load versus anchor displacement.