Finite layer analysis of the behaviour of a raft on a consolidating soil

A numerical method is developed in this paper for the analysis of the behaviour of a raft resting on a consolidating soil. The response of the raft under an applied loading is determined using the finite layer method for the soil and the finite element method for the raft. By considering deflection compatibility on the contact surface, the distribution of contact pressure is computed at various time steps. The settlement and bending moment in the raft is then evaluated by applying the calculated contact pressure back to the raft. It is shown that, in some cases, the maximum moment in the raft occurs during consolidation and that checking the final moment in the raft by use of elastic theory may not be sufficient.     

THM analysis of a large‐scale heating test incorporating material fabric changes

Engineered barriers are basic elements in the design of repositories for the isolation of high‐level radioactive waste. This paper presents the thermo‐hydro‐mechanical (THM) analysis of a clay barrier subjected to heating and hydration. The study focuses on an ongoing large‐scale heating test, at almost full scale, which is being carried out at the CIEMAT laboratory under well‐controlled boundary conditions. The test is intensely instrumented and it has provided the opportunity to study in detail the evolution of the main THM variables over a long period of time. Comprehensive laboratory tests carried out in the context of the FEBEX and NF‐PRO projects have allowed the identification of the model parameters to describe the THM behaviour of the compacted expansive clay. A conventional THM approach that assumes the swelling clay as a single porosity medium has been initially adopted to analyse the evolution of the test. The model was able to predict correctly the global THM behaviour of the clay barrier in the short term (i.e. for times shorter than three years), but some model limitations were detected concerning the prediction of the long‐term hydration rate. An additional analysis of the test has been carried out using a double structure model to describe the actual behaviour of expansive clays. The double structure model explicitly considers the two dominant pore levels that actually exist in the FEBEX bentonite and it is able to account for the evolution of the material fabric. The simulation of the experiment using this enhanced model provides a more satisfactory reproduction of the long‐term experimental results. It also contributes to a better understanding of the observed test behaviour and it provides a physically based explanation for the very slow hydration of the barrier. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and identification of clay samples with controlled fabric

Techniques have been developed to prepare reasonably homogeneous, reproducible bulk samples of a kaolinite clay (Hydrite 10) with predetermined microfabrics and to reliably identify these microfabrics both quantitatively and qualitatively. Eight samples with quite diverse histories were produced in the laboratory by controlling the chemistry of the clay-water system, the consolidation stress path (either isotropic or anisotropic), and the magnitude of the consolidation stresses. The fabrics of these samples are identified and quantified by the combined use of scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, and X-ray diffractometry, and reasonably comprehensive appraisals of particle associations and orientation are obtained. Anisotropic consolidation was found to induce a preferred particle orientation, whereas isotropic consolidation tended to provide basically random samples. The anisotropically consolidated samples from dispersed slurries exhibited somewhat greater particle orientation than those from flocculated slurries, and, although considerable particle orientation occurred at low values of the consolidation stress, increases in the major principal consolidation stress did accentuate the particle orientation. The presence of domains or small groups of particles is suggested in certain samples, especially in those consolidated isotropically.     

Use of clay fabric to distinguish turbidites from hemipelagic siltstone

In a recent paper O'Brien, Nakazawa & Tokuhashi (1980) summarized observations of clay fabric in some Pliocene and Holocene siltstones and silts. They demonstrated that clay fabric could be used, in combination with other sedimentary features, to distinguish hemipelagic sediments and turbidites.     

不同pH环境下黏土类岩崩解过程分形演化规律

红砂岩广泛分布于我国南方地区,因强度低、胶结程度差,且含有一定的膨胀性黏土矿物,此类岩石受水影响易发生崩解,从而易诱发多种地质灾害。选取湖南株洲地区的微膨胀红砂岩进行静态与扰动崩解试验,采用耐崩解性指数、标准基础熵、崩解比和分形维数等作为评价红砂岩崩解特性指标,探讨了烘干温度、试块质量、外界扰动和干湿循环作用等因素对红砂岩崩解特性的影响。研究结果表明,静态崩解方式下,相比于105 ℃和30 ℃,60 ℃的烘干温度更利于岩样崩解。而扰动崩解下,烘干温度对红砂岩崩解的影响几乎可以忽略不计。在烘干温度、试块质量等因素不变的情况下,外界扰动对红砂岩崩解特性存在显著影响。试块质量对红砂岩崩解特性存在一定的影响,试块质量越大,红砂岩崩解速率越快。干湿循环作用对红砂岩崩解的影响十分显著,随着循环次数增加,红砂岩的崩解破碎程度逐渐加大。     

A comparison of the fabric and permeability anisotropy of consolidated and sheared silty clay

This paper reports the geotechnical aspects of an experimental programme investigating the permeability of shear zones in clay-rich sediments. Oedometric and ring shear permeameters were used to investigate and compare permeability anisotropy in consolidated and sheared silty clay, to simulate the behaviour of wall-rock sediments and shear zone sediments respectively. In line with other studies, consolidated silty clay was found to have no significant permeability anisotropy, although clay fabric anisotropy was well developed. However, sheared silty clay showed an increase in permeability anisotropy (r_k = 3−16) with decreasing void ratio (e = 0.8−0.4), corresponding to effective stresses of 100 kPa to 4 MPa. This level of anisotropy was retained during shearing along the unloading path, and no significant dilation or enhancement of permeability was observed.     

Use of clay fabric to distinguish turbiditic and hemipelagic siltstones and silts

Pliocene and Holocene siltstones and silts in outcrops from the Boso Peninsula, Japan and in cores from the East China were studied to determine distinctive characteristics of the turbiditic (Bouma E-Division) and hemipelagic siltstones and silts. Weathering characteristics, colour, grain size, and organic carbon-organic nitrogen ratio, plus clay fabric proved valuable in characterizing each unit. Clay and non-clay mineral content was uniform throughout. Clay fabric differences are pronounced. Random clay flake orientation prevails in the turbiditic interval while the hemipelagic unit has more preferred orientation. The fabric reflects different conditions of sedimentation. The turbiditic clay was deposited more rapidly in the flocculated state while the interturbidite hemipelagic clay may have formed from more slowly sedimented dominantly dispersed clay. Results suggest that clay fabric may be useful in combination with other sedimentary features in the study of mud-turbidite sedimentation.     

Behaviour of piles in consolidating soil

The development of negative skin friction on circular piles in a consolidating layered soil is investigated by an elasto-plastic load transfer theory which accounts for slippage of the soil. The elastic load transfer theory is premised on the compatibility condition that the vertical displacement of the ‘pile’ is equal to the summation of the vertical displacement of the layered soil due to the consolidation of the upper soil layer and the vertical displacement in the ‘soil layers’ along the pile’s centroidal axis caused by a system of pile-soil interactive forces. Slippage of the soil is accounted for by imposing the shear strength of the clay layer as the limit of the pile-soil interface shear stress. The saturated upper clay is consolidating under a uniform surcharge in accordance with Terzaghi’s one-dimensional consolidation theory. The validity of the proposed solution is confirmed by comparison with field measurements. Extensive parametric studies with regard to the effect of pile-soil slip on pile behaviour are presented.     

Stress and pore pressure changes in clay during and after the expansion of a cylindrical cavity

The disturbance of a clay mass, due to either the installation of a driven pile or the expansion of a pressuremeter membrane, is often modelled as a cylindrical cavity expansion. In addition, it is usual (and convenient) to assume that the expansion occurs under conditions of plane strain. For this problem a method of analysis is presented which considers the soil to be a saturated two-phase material with a pore fluid which flows according to Darcy's Law. Non-linearity in material behaviour is permitted as long as the effective stress–strain law can be written in an incremental or rate form. The use of a consolidation analysis allows the changes in effective stress and pore pressure to be determined at any stage during both the cavity expansion and the subsequent period of reconsolidation. Expansions may occur at any prescribed rate, including the very fast (undrained) and the very slow (fully drained) case. The technique is illustrated by considering the expansion of a cavity in two different types of elastoplastic soil. It is shown how these solutions may be used to model the disturbance of the soil due to pile driving.     

Fractal analysis of major faults in India on a regional scale

The seismicity of a region is implicit of the causal faulting mechanisms and geodynamic diversity of the subsurface regime nucleating earthquakes of different magnitudes, several of which may be as devastating as ones historically reported in global perspective of tectonic complexity as in the case of India. Fractal analysis using box-counting method for the major fault networks across the country estimates fractal dimension, D_f, values to be varying between 0.88 and 1.36. The fault segments in parts of northwest Himalayas, northeast India and Indo-Gangetic plains, are observed to be associated with higher D_f values implicating high seismicity rates. On the other hand, low D_f values in the peninsular India indicate isolated pattern of the underlying faults. The fractal dimension is observed to be indicative of predominant faulting types — higher values conforming to thrust faulting mechanism while lower to strike slip tectonism.     

Numerical modeling of moisture transport in sandstone: the influence of pore space, fabric and clay content

In the present study, a numerical modeling of moisture distribution under real climate conditions within sandstone monoliths is accomplished, based on detailed material-specific transport and storage functions. The impact of lithology and pore-radii distributions is modeled with consideration of (1) the single sandstone monolith; (2) the sandstone monolith with clay layers; and (3) the sandstone monolith with clay layers and hydrophobic treatment. The results reveal that the unimodal equal pore-radii distribution of the quartz arenite promotes quickly a (capillary) water uptake during driving rain (liquid stage), but due to its missing smaller capillaries a high drying velocity leads to an almost dry pore space, since moisture can only be absorbed via gaseous stage (e.g. during summer). On the contrary, the sublitharenite with a unimodal unequable pore-radii distribution is characterized by a distinctly higher water content, since in addition smaller pores also allow the absorption of moisture via sorption. Moreover, the high clay content promotes a retarded interaction with the environment, which is also reflected by the high vapor-diffusion resistance. The highest water content shows the feldspathic litharenite with highest clay content and bimodal pore size distribution. Here, over nine magnitudes of water transporting pores is involved at water transport and storage. Results also reveal that moisture accumulations during droughts trace the deterioration shape of rounding. For all sandstones highest annual fluctuations are observable within the rim zone of the monolith, while the center is characterized by more stable moisture content, which mainly depends on rising water content of the bedrock. The presence of clay layers has for each sandstone specific consequences. However, within the whole sandstone the stress index is increased and stress location is displaced to the boundaries of clay layers. Results of modeling the hydrophobic treatment reveal that this conservation strategy is only useful for sandstones where all moisture is absorbed in liquid stage, why then all water absorption is hindered. In case of sandstones with bimodal and unimodal unequal pore size distributions moisture uptake is possible also via sorption. Accordingly, moisture accumulates behind the zone of hydrophobic treatment. This finally will lead to stress transfer to the outer rim during salt- or ice crystallization and will be responsible for flaking.     

A coupled analysis of cavity and pore volume changes for pulse tests conducted in soft clay deposits

This paper presents a new interpretation method for pulse tests, a field permeability test that allows for rapid measurements of hydraulic conductivity k in aquitards. This new method applies to soft clay deposits. To initiate a pulse test, a known volume of water is injected into the sand filter of a monitoring well isolated by a packer. The resulting pressure increase yields an outward movement of the sand filter cavity wall. After presenting the usual interpretation methods and their limits, this paper proposes a new interpretation method based on a coupled analysis of the pressure and displacement fields in the soil using the Biot–Darcy formulation. A series of analytical and numerical non‐dimensional velocity graphs, normalized plots of the mean hydraulic head difference versus its rate of change, are given. For a linear elastic material, these type curves show relatively small variations with the sand filter aspect ratio and the Poisson ratio of the tested clay. The type curves are also found to be independent of the clay compressibility (m_v) and k, an important result. A series of pulse tests conducted in a soft marine clay deposit near Montreal, Canada, are interpreted with the proposed method. The hydraulic conductivity values calculated from these tests are closely correlated with independent estimates obtained using long‐duration variable‐head tests. Compared with previous interpretation methods, the proposed method allows soil volume changes to be reconciled with cavity expansion phenomena and the range of type curves available for the interpretation of test data to be constrained. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Deformation analysis of shallow penetration in clay

A new method of analysis is described for estimating the deformations and strains caused by shallow undrained penetration of piles and caissons in clay. The formulation combines previous analyses for steady, deep penetration, with methods used to compute soil deformations due to near-surface ground loss, and is referred to as the Shallow Strain Path Method (SSPM). Complete analytical solutions for the velocity and strain rates are given for a planar wall, an axisymmetric, closed-ended pile and unplugged, open-ended pile geometries. In these examples, the analyses consider a single source penetrating through the soil at a constant rate, generating a family of penetrometers with rounded tips, referred to as simple wall, pile and tube geometries. Soil deformations and strains are obtained by integrating the velocity and strain rates along the particle paths. The transition from shallow to deep penetration is analysed in detail. Shallow penetration causes heave at the ground surface, while settlements occur only in a thin veneer of material adjacent to the shaft and in a bulb-shaped region around the tip. The size of this region increases with the embedment depth. Deformations inside an open-ended pile/caisson are affected significantly by details of the simple tube wall geometry. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stereology-based fabric analysis of microcracks in damaged granite

Crack-related fabric analyses were carried out in terms of crack tensors using Inada granite deformed inelastically in a triaxial vessel up to post-failure, focusing on the fabric changes during brittle failure. Complementarily, numerical simulation tests were conducted to determine the representative volume element (RVE) required for crack surveying. Numerical simulation tests show that the window size for crack surveying should be at least six times the mean trace length in order to obtain a statistically meaningful crack tensor. A larger window is needed to estimate the distribution of crack radii. In quartz, cracks grow preferentially parallel to the major loading axis. Crack tensors in quartz can provide a measure of damage reflecting inelastic deformation under differential stress in past geological events. During the first stage of inelastic deformation, the number density of cracks decreases with a rather sharp increase in crack diameters. This happens because pre-existing cracks in intact rock join together to make longer cracks. However, the density remains almost constant during the second stage of loading from 90% to 100% of the peak stress. The crack diameter gradually increases due to the stable propagation of cracks. When granite is further deformed beyond the peak stress, the number density decreases again while sharp increases in crack diameters appear as a result of the forking and coalescence of cracks. It is also suggested that load-normal grain boundary cracks are generated as a result of the rolling and sliding of disintegrated blocks in the post-failure stage.     

Differentiation of clay resources on a limestone plain: The analysis of clay utilization during the Maya Formative at K'axob Belize

Differentiating clay resources in a uniform limestone plain, such as occurs in northern Belize, offers special challenges for the archaeologist. Combining data from soil mapping with petrographic and neutron activation analysis provides a mechanism for distinguishing possible resource areas. This study employed each of these differing avenues of analysis to determine possible clay resource areas used during the Maya Formative in northern Belize Central America. The results indicate that clay usage changed significantly from the Middle Formative period to the end of Late Formative period. These changes suggest a move to increased localized production and resource exploitation by the end of the period. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

膨胀土堑坡稳定性分析

提出膨胀土堑坡稳定性分析时应考虑自然营力、膨胀力、孔隙水压力等因素的综合作用，详细讨论了这些因素对堑坡稳定性的影响，提出了膨胀力的作用规律，将这种综合分析方法应用于成都市三环路工程时，得出了较合理的结果。     

Numerical analysis of sampling disturbances in clay soils

In this paper, an insight is provided into the quality of soil samples during the penetration of soil samplers. An updated Lagrangian finite element formulation with the second Piola–Kirchhoff stress rate (the Truesdell stress increment) to account for the large deformation behaviour near the sampling tube is used to determine the mechanical disturbances to a soft clay. The penetration of the sampler is simulated by splitting a group of nodes ahead of the penetration route up to a sufficient depth and applying incremental displacements to match the geometric configuration of the sampling tube. Consolidation effect is included to account for the rate of penetration. Thin-layer elements are added at the inside wall of the sampling tube to model the soil–sampler interface. The numerical results show that the central core of the sample is subjected to three distinct stages of vertical strain history, compression–extension–recompression, with the primary irrecoverable disturbances due to the compression stage ahead of the sampler. The degree of disturbance for a frictionless sampler was found to be constant after a penetration depth of 75 per cent of the sample tube diameter, while for a frictional sampler the degree of disturbances keeps increasing as the penetration proceeds. The results of a parametric study to determine the influence on sampling disturbances due to the rate of penetration, the thickness and the tip angle of the sample tube and sampler type are also presented.