Three-dimensional numerical simulations of the Downie Slide to test the influence of shear surface geometry and heterogeneous shear zone stiffness

Massive slow-moving landslides often exhibit deformation patterns which vary spatially across the landslide mass and temporally with changing boundary conditions. Understanding the parameters controlling this behaviour, such as heterogeneous material properties, complex landslide geometry and the distribution of groundwater, is fundamental when making informed design and hazard management decisions. This paper demonstrates that significant improvements to the geomechanical analysis of massive landslides can be achieved through rigorous, three-dimensional numerical modelling. Simulations of the Downie Slide incorporate complex shear zone geometries, multiple water tables and spatial variation of shear zone stiffness parameters to adequately reproduce real slope behaviour observed through an ongoing site monitoring program. These three-dimensional models are not hindered by shortfalls typically associated with two-dimensional analysis, for example the ability to accommodate lateral migration of material, and they out-perform more simplified three-dimensional models where bowl-shaped shear geometries are incapable of reasonably reproducing observed deformation patterns.     

考虑渗流和剪胀的圆形巷道围岩广义SMP准则解

本文基于广义SMP准则,综合考虑中间主应力、孔隙水压力和围岩的剪胀特性,建立了巷道围岩的理想弹塑性模型。根据弹塑性理论,推导了渗流作用下的围岩应力场、位移场和塑性区半径的统一解析解。结合具体算例对SMP准则计算得到的围岩应力分布和塑性区半径与Mohr-Coulomb（M-C）准则进行了对比,并对孔隙水压力和围岩剪胀角等影响因素进行了分析。研究结果表明:SMP准则计算得到的塑性区半径小于M-C准则,说明M-C准则相较于SMP准则更为保守;孔隙水压力对巷道围岩的位移场具有很大的影响,表现为孔隙水压力越大,巷道洞壁附近围岩位移量越大,且围岩塑性区半径和弹塑性交界面处的峰值切向应力与孔隙水压力成正比;采用相关联流动法则会低估围岩的强度,不考虑剪胀则会低估围岩的实际变形。      

基于ANSYS二次开发的水库围堤地基液化分析

基于ANSYS有限元软件二次开发,对某水库围堤地基进行液化分析.选取具有代表性的围堤断面建立二维有限元模型,计算得到场地建围堤前后孔隙水压力与有效应力比的分布情况以及建围堤后坝体的震陷分布情况.计算结果表明,地基中心部位的孔隙水压力比比两侧的孔隙水压力比小,围堤地基中心部位可以不进行地基液化处理,堤脚压重可以有效地降低液化程度.该成果可作为其他类似工程设计的参考.     

A reliability based approach for evaluating the slope stability of embankment dams

Embankment dams are important and costly civil engineering structures that provide an essential infrastructure for the management of water. One of the critical aspects of dam design is the analysis of stability and safety of the earth structure under various operating and environmental conditions. Traditionally, a deterministic approach is used for such analysis. However, the determination of variables such as soil strength parameters, pore pressure and other pertinent properties involves uncertainties, which cannot be handled in the traditional deterministic methods. It is, therefore, highly desirable to develop a reliability based analytical/numerical methodology for stability analysis of dams taking into account these uncertainties. Reliability and probability theories are developed in this paper for assessing the reliability index and the corresponding probability of failure of multi-layered embankment dams and slopes. Two definitions were used to calculate the reliability index (i.e. the normal distribution and the log–normal distribution). The computer program was developed and validated by the Congress Street open cut failure case. The developed approach was used to study the stability of the King Talal embankment dam. The results are discussed and conclusions drawn.     

Numerical analysis of an embankment on soft soils considering large displacements

The behaviour of an embankment built on a Portuguese soft soil is analysed considering the material and geometric non-linearity associated with a coupled soil–water formulation. The numerical predictions are compared with the field data in terms of settlements, horizontal displacements and excess pore water pressures. The repercussions of including the large displacements formulation are also studied. It is found that the analysis considering large displacements results in a decrease in settlements and an increase in the rate of excess pore pressure dissipation, both of which are related to the reduction of the thickness of a deformable layer.     

Stress–strain behaviour of a loosely compacted volcanic-derived soil and its significance to rainfall-induced fill slope failures

The stress–strain behaviour of a soil is crucial to the recognition of the mechanism of slope failure. Triaxial tests, composed of isotropically consolidated drained (ICD) and undrained compression (ICU) tests and anisotropically consolidated constant deviatoric stress path (CQD) tests, were carried out with the aim of investigating the stress–strain behaviour of loosely compacted volcanic-derived soils. The fact that the critical states are the same for ICU, ICD and CQD tests may show that the critical state is independent of the above three stress paths. The critical state line, as defined in critical state soil mechanics, is obtained from the e–log p′ and q–p′ plots based on the results of the above tests. The initial state of the consolidated specimens at initiation of failure may be classified as dilative or contractive in the light of the locations of the soil state relative to the critical state line. For contractional soils, the increased pore water pressure generated by rainfall infiltration leads to a contractive failure in a drained manner, giving rise to high excess pore water pressure. The excess pore water pressure caused by contraction cannot be dissipated instantly, resulting in a decrease in the shear resistance of the soil. The failure process is rapid. The failed soil mass is prone to flow after failure under the action of gravity due to its high moisture content and inflow of surface runoff and rainwater. For dilational soils, the increased pore water pressure resulting from infiltration leads to dilation, which reduces pore water pressure and thus increases the shear resistance of the soil. However, continued rainfall infiltration may be able to equilibrate the reduction in pore water pressure caused by dilation and, therefore, the dilation or displacement can continue. In Hong Kong, volcanic-derived soil is characterized by high permeability. Both the high permeability of volcanic-derived soil and a shallow failure surface make it possible for the reduction in pore pressure to equilibrate relatively quickly. Therefore, the failure is also rapid, at least for poorly compacted fill slopes.     

一种施工期间堤防稳定性分析方法

在Hilf分析法的基础上,对Hilf分析法进行了改进。将孔隙气压力和孔隙水压力作为独立变量,推导了孔隙气压和孔隙水压计算表达式。给出了考虑强度随孔隙气压和孔隙水压力变化的填土堤防强度随固结度增加而增长的饱和土堤防稳定性分析方法。计算结果表明随着基质吸力的增加,计算所得的稳定安全系数随之增加,忽略孔隙气压的作用所得的软土堤防的稳定安全系数偏大。当 等于 时,孔隙气压对抗剪力没有影响,此时计算所得的安全系数相同。因此施工期间软土地区堤防既要考虑孔隙气压和孔隙水压对堤防稳定性的影响,同时也要考虑地基固结提高对堤防稳定性的影响     

深厚淤泥地基中高路堤桥台基桩工作性状的现场实测与分析

针对位于深厚淤泥地基上的高路堤桥台的冲孔灌注桩,进行了1.5 a的现场实测,测试了修筑承台前、修筑桥台期间、邻近过渡段的路基填土期间、过渡段的路基填土期间及跨梁修筑后的桩身应变和桩侧土体孔隙水压力,也测试了基桩的挠曲变形和桥台的倾斜变形,基于实测结果对基桩的受力变形性状进行研究。结果表明,桥台基桩在承受上部结构荷载以前就产生了压缩变形;在上部桥台和台后填土的共同作用下,桩身前后侧的轴向应变虽都表现为压应变,但应变值相差较大;台后路基填土完成后,桩身最大负弯矩出现在淤泥层浅部,最大正弯矩出现在软硬土层交界处,桥台发生较小倾斜;跨梁的修筑使桥台台身又恢复到竖直状态。     

水库围堤地基液化有效应力动力分析

利用基于Biot方程耦合场分割算法的ANSYS有限元软件二次开发形成的岩土工程有效应力分析模块,对某水库围堤坝基进行了液化震陷分析。计算中选取具有代表性的堤坝断面建立二维有限元模型,并采用上海50 a超越概率10％的人造地震波加速度-时程作为基底输入地震。计算得到围堤孔隙水压力与有效应力比的分布情况以及震陷分布情况。分析结果表明,坝基中心部位的孔隙水压力比要比坝脚两侧的孔隙水压力比小,坝基中心部位可以不进行地基处理。该方法可为今后其他类似工程的设计和施工提供参考。     

Field Test Research on Embankment Supported by Plastic Tube Cast-in-place Concrete Piles

The plastic tube cast-in-place concrete pile (TC pile) with a small diameter consists of pre-driven plastic tube filled with concrete. Based on the case of TC pile-reinforced embankment on soft ground, and according to the monitoring data of the TC pile-reinforced embankment system, the treatment effect and reinforcement characteristics for this system were analyzed. The field monitoring results indicates that the critical height of embankment is about 1.1 times the pile net spacing, and the small-spacing arranged TC piles can be applied to low embankment engineering; the load share rate can reflect the degree of soil arching more better and steadily and exceeds 70 % at the end of monitoring period; the settlements of pile cap and soil between piles mainly occurs in the embankment construction period; the different settlement between pile cap and soil approaches the maximum and then reduces gradually when the embankment height is about 2.2 times the pile net spacing. The variation of layered settlement and pore water pressure illustrates that the embankment settlement is mainly caused by the compression of soils within pile length, which is about 90 % of the total settlement; the influence depth of pore water pressure is about 1/3 pile length.     

Modeling uncertainty in stability analysis for design of embankment dams on difficult foundations

A probabilistic 3-D slope stability analysis model (PTDSSAM) is developed to evaluate the stability of embankment dams and their foundations under conditions of staged construction taking into consideration uncertainty, spatial variabilities and correlations of shear strength parameters, as well as the uncertainties in pore water pressure. The model has the following capabilities: (1) conducting undrained shear strength analysis (USA) and effective stress analysis (ESA) slope stability analysis of staged construction, (2) incorporation of field monitored data of pore water pressure, and (3) incorporation of increase of undrained shear strength with depth, effective stress, and pore water pressure dissipation. The PTDSSAM model is incorporated in a computer program that can analyze slopes located in multilayered deposits, considering the total slope width.

The main outputs of the program are the geometric parameters of the most critical sliding surface (i.e., center of rotation/radius of rotation and critical width of failure), mean 2-D safety factor, mean 3-D safety factor, squared coefficient of variation of resisting moment, and the probability of slope failure. The program is applied to a case study, Karameh dam in Jordan. Monitored data of induced pore water pressure in the dam embankment and soft foundation were gathered during dam construction.

The stability of Karameh dam embankment and foundation was evaluated during staged construction using deterministic and probabilistic analysis. Foundation stability was evaluated based on the monitored data of pore water pressure.

The study showed that the mean values of the corrective factors which account for the discrepancies between the in situ and laboratory-measured values of soil properties and for the modeling errors have significant influence on the 2-D safety factor, 3-D safety factor, slope probability of failure, and on the expected failure width.

The degree of spatial correlation associated with shear strength parameters within a soil deposit also influences the probability of slope failure and the expected failure width. This correlation is quantified by scale of fluctuation. It is found that a larger scale of fluctuation gives an increase in the probability of slope failure and a reduction in the critical failure width.     

考虑饱和-非饱和渗流作用的土质边坡稳定性分析

饱和-非饱和土的研究一直是岩土工程界的一个热点问题。土体中孔隙水压力的存在使得对岩土体的力学性状的分析变得更加复杂化。基于土体渗透系数与基质吸力之间的相互联系,对理想的各向同性土的水库堤坝进行了非稳定渗流场的数值模拟,得出不同水位、同一水位因不同骤升速率而产生的渗流场的变化规律,并对土体固-液耦合研究进行了初步探讨。把堤坝渗流场的动态变化在时间和空间上进行离散,分别引入到坝坡稳定性的分析中,以极限平衡原理和Morgenstern-Price条分法为基础对坝坡产生滑移的最小安全系数变化规律进行了分析,从而得出渗流-滑坡的内在联系。     

Mass physical properties, sliding and erodibility of experimentally deposited and differently consolidated clayey muds (Approach, equipment, and first results)

On experimentally deposited kaolinite, illite, and Ca-bentonite consolidated under their own load or by additional vertical pressure, the progress of compaction in relation to excess pore water pressure, mass physical properties, gravitational mass movements in a tilted tank, and erodibility under running water in a flume were studied. The very low consolidated sediments near the mud/water interface do not obey the generally used theory in soil mechanics. They show a different, non-linear relationship between void ratio or water content and depth below the sedimentary surface on the one hand, or effective overburden pressure and shear strength on the other. The same is true of other physical properties such as permeability, which changes considerably with depth and time of consolidation. High sedimentation rates on slopes induce shallow sediment flow, whereas at low rates and critical slope angles different types of slope failures including the breaking up of water-rich sediment into sharp boundered blocks are observed. Flume studies on soft clay muds show three different types of erosion: continuously suspending, discontinuous erosion of crumbs or shreds, and wavy deformation of the clay surface with disintegration of particles from the crests. The critical tractive stress depends not only on clay type, void ratio, and shear strength, but significantly also on the ‘geologic history’of the clay (i.e. deposition from thin suspension or dense slurry, fabric, consolidation and swelling generating minute inhomogeneities etc.). The experiments may lead to a better understanding of all mechanical processe's including pore-water flow taking place near or not far below the sediment/ water interface.     

冻融循环过程中土体的孔隙水压力测试研究

冻融循环对土的结构以及物理力学性质有着重要影响,其变化与冻融过程中的孔隙水压力变化有密切关系。但土体冻结过程中的孔隙水压力测试一直是冻土土工测试试验的技术难题。针对这一难题,研发了一种适用于冻结土体孔隙水压力测试的探头,并对砂土和粉质黏土在冻融循环过程中的孔隙水压力发展变化进行了实时监测,获得了圆柱试样冻融循环过程中不同深度处的孔隙水压力变化过程。在冻结过程中,粉质黏土形成冻结缘区及可视的分凝冰,而砂土则无冻结缘及分凝冰的形成。冻融循环过程中土体内部的孔隙水压力变化受温度、冻结速率、冻融循环以及土质等因素的影响。孔隙水压力随温度的循环变化而经历周期性变化：冻结过程中,孔隙水压力不断下降,吸力不断增加;融化过程中,孔隙水压力增大。而冻结速率、冻融循环及土质主要对孔隙水压力降的幅值变化产生影响。此外,冻结锋面位置附近孔隙水压力的下降、吸力的增加,正是水分由未冻区向冻结区迁移的主要驱动力。根据以上试验结果及其理论分析发现,所研制的孔隙水压力探头具有一定的实用性。     

Seismic stability analysis of piled embankments: A multiphase approach

The seismic stability analysis of an embankment lying over a soft foundation soil reinforced by a group of vertical piles is performed within the framework of the upper bound kinematic approach of yield design. The analysis is based on a previously developed ‘multiphase’ model of the reinforced ground, which explicitly accounts for the shear and bending resistances of the piles. Making use of appropriate failure mechanisms involving shear zones across which the reinforcements are continuously deforming, along with ‘plastic hinge’ surfaces, upper bound estimates to the critical seismic coefficient of the structure are derived. The results, which are confirmed by the simulations obtained from a finite element elastoplastic code, give clear evidence of the key role played by the bending strength capacities of the piles in ensuring the stability of the pile reinforced embankment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geosynthetic-reinforced and jet grout column-supported embankments on soft soils: Numerical analysis and parametric study

Using a computer code based on the finite element method, a study is conducted to analyse the time-dependent behaviour of a geosynthetic-reinforced and jet grout column-supported embankment on soft soils, as well as the influence of three factors: the embankment height, the elastic modulus of column and the column spacing. The cylindrical unit cell formulation is used. The numerical model incorporates the Biot consolidation theory with soil constitutive relations simulated by the p–q–θ critical state model. Special emphasis is given to the analysis of several parameters: settlement, excess pore pressure, effective stress, stress level, tension in the geosynthetic, soil arching effect and overall efficiency coefficient.     

土工织物加固软土路堤的有限元分析

采用有限元方法对土工织物加固软弱地基路堤的力学机理进行了研究.通过比较路基加筋和未加筋两种情况研究了土工织物的加固机理,结果表明土工织物对于提高路堤填筑高度、减少路堤侧向位移、均化路堤沉降以及加速超孔隙水压力消散有显著的效果.加筋路堤中土工织物的轴力受填筑高度、超孔压消散速度和接触面系数等因素的影响,路堤填筑高度和施工进度的控制有利于土工织物抗拉强度的发挥.对路堤安全系数的研究分析表明传统的极限平衡法验算路堤稳定性偏于保守,采用有限元方法能较好地反映土工织物的加筋作用,可以优化工程设计.     

Non-linear seismic response and liquefaction

The essential cause of the growth of pore pressure during cyclic loading is identified as an ‘autogenous’ shrinkage or densification of the solid phase of the soil and this is related to a strain path parameter. Introduction of this ‘shrinkage’ coupled with an elasto-plastic behaviour of the soil skeleton allows a full non-linear dynamic analysis to be conducted up to the point of structural failure for any earthquake input. Explicit time marching procedures are used. The procedure outlined is applicable to all problems of complex geometry and for conditions of undrained or partially drained behaviour at a moderate computational cost.     

土工织物加固软土路基的机理分析

采用非线性有限元方法对土工织物加固软土路基的效果和机理进行了探讨。对比计算表明，土工织物对软土路基的加固有明显的效果，可使路堤的安全性提高20％以上，使侧向位移减小15％～25％；土工织物对竖向沉降影响的大小则取决于路堤的宽度及土性参数；固结阶段的侧向位移会由于竖向沉降的大幅度发展而发生回缩，工程中需要采用较精密的仪器来探测这种回缩现象；仅铺设土工织物对路基体内孔隙水压力的发展影响不大，若要加快孔压的消散，可与塑料排水板联合使用；为了更好地发挥土工织物的加固效果，土工织物应尽量布置在高应力区域。分析后认为，传统的极限平衡分析方法很难合理地反映土工织物与土之间的变形协调关系，也较难正确地反映土工织物的受力状态及作用机理。     

Urban and rural groundwater use in Zhengzhou, China: challenges in joint management

Groundwater plays an important role in the total water supply of much of China, particularly in the north. It has contributed substantially to both agricultural growth and urban and industrial expansion. However, overexploitation and poor management have contributed to infamous groundwater depletion problems and less publicized groundwater quality deterioration. One of the key challenges for China will be how to make groundwater use sustainable while still meeting increased food needs as well as the industrial and domestic demands of a rapidly urbanizing society. Zhengzhou City, one of China’s test cities for building a “water saving society” highlights both the difficulties and potential solutions to northern China’s joint rural and urban groundwater challenges. Based on secondary data and a primary survey of groundwater management in the region, this report provides an overview of Zhengzhou’s groundwater development and use as well as the ongoing institutional and policy reform processes within the water sector. The results highlight how a deepening of ongoing reforms, which simultaneously consider groundwater as an integral rural and urban issue and a fundamental economic and social asset, may improve groundwater outcomes, not only in Zhengzhou but in China, as the country’s economy and demography continue to change.