Analysis of infiltration processes into fractured and swelling soils as triggering factors of landslides

Rainfall infiltration can cause a dramatic decrease of suction in unsaturated soils and, consequently, of shear strength, triggering various instability phenomena, such as the slip of steep surface soil layers. Swelling of cracked soils and capillary barrier effects, induced by fine-grained soils overlying a more permeable material, can also affect water flow through this type of soil systems. In the past, few studies on infiltration and rainfall-induced landslides considered the simultaneous effects of surface cracks, swelling materials, and/or the capillary barrier phenomenon. To this purpose, this paper presents the results obtained by a dual-permeability model, which simulates water flow through a fractured swelling soil overlying a more permeable soil and focusing on the influence of these phenomena on triggering of landslides. Numerical results show that for high-intensity precipitations, flow through fractures quickly reaches significant depths and the capillary barrier is broken, while soil swelling leads to a uniform narrowing of cracks. On the other hand, for low-intensity precipitations, fracture flow and swelling are limited only to the first 30–50 cm of the topsoil, while cracks almost completely closed. Evaluations of the slope stability show that prolonged low-intensity rainfalls might be more dangerous than short high-intensity rains in triggering surface landslides.     

Electrokinetic geophysics — a review

Electrokinetic phenomena occur in porous rocks and include streaming potential, electro-osmotic and electrophoretic effects. Geophysical techniques can generate acoustic body waves that stimulate electrokinetic coupling at subsurface boundaries. The electromagnetic effects generated are observed using surface electric field sensors. Improved methodologies, aided by recent modelling of the coupled acoustic and electromagnetic wave equations, are re-exploring electrokinetic behaviour in the near surface. The methodologies are aimed at providing geophysical tools that may characterize environmentally sensitive parameters such as the fluid content, the fluid geochemistry and the microstructural fabric of the subsurface.     

Technical Challenges to In-situ Remediation of Polluted Sites

Throughout the world, subsurface contamination has become a widespread and pervasive problem. Toxic chemicals such as heavy metals and organic compounds are commonly used in a myriad of industries. However, largely through inadvertent or accidental release, these chemicals are presently polluting sites across the United States. In order to protect public health and the environment, further pollution must be prevented and sites with existing contamination urgently need remediation. Unfortunately, remediating subsurface contamination has proved to be a daunting task. Heavy metals and organic compounds often coexist and their distribution within the subsurface is highly dependent on particle and macro-scale heterogeneities. Vast resources have been invested to develop efficient remediation technologies, yet very few of these technologies have been successful. In-situ remediation is often preferred due to minimal site disturbance, safety, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness. The effectiveness of in-situ remediation technologies depends largely on the contaminant chemistry and subsurface heterogeneities (including particle-scale heterogeneities such as fine-grained soils, soils with reactive minerals, and/or soils rich in organic matter as well as macro-scale heterogeneities such as irregular soil layers and/or lenses). Under such heterogeneous conditions, integrated electrokinetic remediation technology has great potential. As a safe and economical remedial option for so many contaminated sites, the application of integrated electrokinetic remediation offers enormous public health, environmental, and financial benefits.     

非饱和黏性土的电阻率特性及其试验研究

在讨论黏性土导电特性的基础上,假定非饱和黏性土中存在3种电流流通路径,针对已有的非饱和土电阻率结构模型存在的缺陷,推导了适用于非饱和黏性土的电阻率结构模型,探讨了土电阻率的主要影响因素,并将其归纳为3类。最后,通过对合肥膨胀土相关试验研究,分析了含水率、孔隙水电阻率、温度以及孔隙率对膨胀土的电阻率的影响特征,探讨了非饱和膨胀土的电阻率基本特性。     

Electro-Osmotic Consolidation Experiments on an Organic Soil

A series of electro-osmotic consolidation experiments were carried out on an organic soil from the central Sarawak region of Malaysia. Commercially available EVD was used to induce electro-osmosis and drainage of pore water. The influence of the method of drainage and pumping interval of drained water on electro-osmotic consolidation was investigated. The combination of electro-osmotic consolidation and chemical stabilization techniques was investigated by installing lime or cement columns near the anode end of the test bed. The binder factor in the lime and cement columns was varied. The paper presents the experimental set-up, test procedures, experimental program, results and conclusions of the study. Electro-osmosis, using EVDs, was effective in the electrokinetic treatment of the organic soil. The two types of drainage, namely drainage at bottom and drainage tubes, were effective. Electro-osmotic consolidation improved with decrease in pumping interval. The lime and cement columns, used in combination with electro-osmosis, increased the undrained strength further.     

Electrokinetic remediation of perchloroethylene-contaminated soil

One large group of persistent and toxic contaminants is the hydrophobic organic contaminants. Among them, perchloroethylene (PCE) has been recognized as a representative group of these pollutants with low solubility. This study reports on the effects of electrokinetic remediation with non-ionic surfactant on PCE-contaminated soil. The performance of electrokinetic process was investigated in the treatment of clay soil that artificially contaminated with two levels: 10,000 and 30,000 mg/kg PCE and 0.33 g/kg Triton X-100. A DC power supply with electric voltage (1 V/cm) was used for 8–16 days. A negatively charged soil surface resulted in a more negative zeta potential and greater electroosmotic flow toward the cathode. The PCE was measured after extraction using n-hexane and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy instrument. The water content of soil was kept 25 % (w/w). Results were shown that PCE removal efficiency achieved was 74 and 89 % for 10,000 and 30,000 mg/kg PCE, respectively, for 16 days. Therefore, in this study, the integration of electrokinetic with non-ionic surfactant as a hybrid method was most effective for the remediation of PCE-contaminated soils.     

Model for large strain consolidation with non-Darcian flow described by a flow exponent and threshold gradient

Many pieces of evidence have confirmed that the seepage in fine-grained soils can deviate from traditional Darcy's law that contributes to the consolidation theory. In this paper, a numerical model, referred to as consolidation with non-Darcian flow 2 (CNDF2), is developed for the 1D large strain consolidation of a saturated porous medium with the non-Darcian flow. The algorithm accounts for vertical strain, general constitutive relationships, the relative velocity of the fluid and solid phases, variable compressibility and permeability relation during consolidation, time-dependent loading, and unload/reload effects. Compared with the CS2 model proposed in previous studies, some parts of the CNDF2 model are modified in order to adapt to the non-Darcian flow, especially the equivalent series hydraulic conductivity and fluid flow. The verification examples of the CNDF2 model demonstrate excellent accuracy for both small strain and large strain consolidation. According to the applicable conditions of non-Darcian flow law, the CNDF2 model is most suitable for the fine-grained soil. The development of CNDF2 is first presented, followed by examples to analyze the influences of the non-Darcian flow on the consolidation behavior.     

Performances of two instrumented laboratory models for the study of rainfall infiltration into unsaturated soils

Rainfall infiltration and suction variation in unsaturated soils must be taken into consideration in the analysis of most slope stability problems, particularly in the tropical regions where the annual precipitation is high. The process of rainfall infiltration into unsaturated soils is an extremely complex problem attributed to the non-linearity of the hydraulic property functions of the unsaturated soils. This paper describes in detail two instrumented laboratory models, i.e. one-dimensional soil column, and two-dimensional slope model used to provide experimental evidences for the transient suction variations in the unsaturated soils under certain rainfall conditions. The performances of the laboratory models were tested on four typical types of residual soils, i.e. sand-gravel, silty gravel, sandy silt, and silt (kaolin), and a two-layered soil system, i.e. sandy silt underlain by silty gravel. The results showed that the suction distributions for the single-layered homogeneous soils obtained from the simpler one-dimensional soil column were almost identical to that of two-dimensional slope model. However, the two-dimensional slope model should be employed for the two-layered soil system because of the dominant effect of the lateral flow mechanism. The capillary barrier effect was observed when a less permeable soil layer was underlain by a more permeable soil layer. The minimum suction value in soil is governed by the rainfall intensity, rainfall duration, and the saturated permeability of soil. The infiltration rate of the fine-grained soils that subjected to shrink and crack was independent of the soil permeability, but was significantly governed by the preferential flows developed in the soils.     

电渗排水固结中电极材料的对比试验

采用辽宁沿海地区淤泥质软土对铁、铜、铝和新型复合电极等不同电极材料进行室内电渗排水固结试验,从有效电势、电流、排水量与排水速率、能耗、电渗后土体含水率和承载力等对电渗效果进行分析。新型复合电极材料是由碳纤维、塑料排水板与铁片组成,其充分利用各种材料的优点,既解决了铁与碳纤维直接相连通电后易断的问题,又解决了电极腐蚀严重的问题。多组试验结果表明：新型复合电极材料的电渗排水固结使土体的加固强度提升较高,且相对均匀,加固强度达到160 kPa以上的土体面积占加固总面积的75%,说明新型复合电极材料的优越性。金属电极的腐蚀较为严重,且主要发生在阳极。根据电渗后阳极的腐蚀比,新型复合电极的腐蚀量明显低于金属电极,且新型复合电极可提高加固效果,节约电极材料成本。     

Numerical study of partially drained penetration and pore pressure dissipation in piezocone test

The piezocone penetration test (CPTU) is commonly used as a fast and economical tool to identify soil profile and to estimate relevant material properties in soils ranging from fine to coarse-grained. Moreover, in the case of fine-grained soils (clays and silts), the consolidation coefficient and the permeability can be estimated through the dissipation test. Undrained conditions are commonly assumed for the interpretation of CPTU in fine-grained soils, but in soils such as silts, penetration may occur in partially drained conditions. This aspect is often neglected in data interpretation thus leading to an inaccurate estimate of soil properties. This paper investigates numerically the effect of partial drainage during penetration on the measured tip resistance and the subsequent pore pressure dissipation response contributing to a more accurate interpretation of field data. A realistic simulation of the cone penetration is achieved with the two-phase Material Point Method, modelling the soil response with the modified Cam-Clay model. The approach takes into account large soil deformations induced by the advancing cone, soil–water, and soil–structure interactions, as well as nonlinear soil behavior.     

Electro-Osmotic Consolidation Studies on Peat and Clayey Silt Using Electric Vertical Drain

Peat and soft soil deposits are abundant in Malaysia. Studies using electrokinetic geosynthetics (EKG) such as prefabricated electric vertical drains (EVD or ePVD) have shown the potential for the application of these materials in electrokinetic strengthening of soft clays and increasing solids content in mining tailings and sludges. There are no studies reported on the effectiveness of electro-osmosis using EVD in peat. Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the effectiveness of electro-osmotic stabilization of two peat samples and a slightly organic clayey silt sample, from the North Sarawak region. Commercially available EVD was used to induce electro-osmosis and drainage of pore water. The influence of voltage gradient, organic content, initial water content, anode–cathode configuration and presence of roots on electro-osmotic consolidation was investigated. Electro-osmotic consolidation using EVDs was effective in the improvement of peat, over a large range of initial water contents. An increase in the voltage gradient generally improved consolidation. The maximum voltage gradient for optimum results appeared to be in the region 120 V/m. The 2anodes-1cathode configuration performed better than the 1anode-1cathode configuration. The presence of roots reduced the electro-osmosis effect.     

A novel technique for studying diffusion of contaminants in fine-grained soils

Diffusion is one of the predominant contaminant transport mechanisms in fine-grained soils. Usually, conventional methods such as half-cell and column tests are adopted for establishing diffusion characteristics of such soils. However, these techniques are destructive in nature, quite time-consuming, and require cumbersome chemical analysis of the soil and its pore-solution. Hence, development of a technique that would overcome these limitations and would yield precise results, in extremely short duration, becomes essential. With this in view, a modified Perspex diffusion cell with provision for inserting a series of stainless steel electrodes has been fabricated to monitor the diffusive contaminant transport, indirectly, based on the variation of electrical impedance of the soil. An LCR meter is employed to measure the electrical impedance of the soil across each electrode over a period. Further, the electrical impedance variation is indirectly correlated to the diffusion of contaminants that occurs in the soil. Details of the study and the test setup developed for this purpose are presented in this paper. It has been demonstrated that the technique based on electrical impedance measurement is quite useful and efficient for establishing diffusion characteristics of the fine-grained soil.     

Effects of soil-engineering properties on the failure mode of shallow landslides

Some landslides mobilize into flows, while others slide and deposit material immediately down slope. An index based on initial dry density and fine-grained content of soil predicted failure mode of 96 landslide initiation sites in Oregon and Colorado with 79% accuracy. These material properties can be used to identify potential sources for debris flows and for slides. Field data suggest that loose soils can evolve from dense soils that dilate upon shearing. The method presented herein to predict failure mode is most applicable for shallow (depth <5?m), well-graded soils (coefficient of uniformity >8), with few to moderate fines (fine-grained content <18%), and with liquid limits <40.     

大尺寸三维电动-水力渗透协同固结淤泥能耗特性

为解决目前电渗应用的高能耗困境及大尺寸模拟困难等问题,提出针对低渗透性、高含水率土体的电动-水力渗流协同作用的三维固结方法。自行研制了一套阴极-集水-排水协同作用的多功能集排水系统,采用间歇式抽水代替连续抽水。采用三维电动-水力渗流固结系统对取自贡湖湾湿地和白旄堆场的2种不同太湖底泥进行了电渗试验研究,同时对白旄堆场太湖底泥进行了传统一维电渗固结试验,并对2种试验条件下的单位体积排水能耗和单位体积单位排水量能耗等关键指标进行了对比。结果表明：三维集水井设计可大大降低土体阴极附近电阻,间断性提高系统电流,提高排水效率,降低电渗总能耗;间歇式抽水可间歇性降低系统内总电流,利用电动-水力协同作用,保持系统渗流的连续性;三维电动-水力渗流固结系统的电流呈周期性减小—增大模式,并且降低速率较慢,尤其对于有机质含量较高的土体,电渗过程电流始终保持在一个较高的水平,提高了排水固结效率。三维电动-水力渗流固结系统的单位体积排水能耗和单位体积单位排水量能耗分别约为一维电渗系统的2/3和1/30。在高含水量软土固结排水中具有显著的节能效果。三维电动-水力渗流固结系统可以提高排水固结效率、大幅度降低能耗,为...     

Laboratory measurement of fine-grained soil fluid conductivity

Advective fluid flow, which depends directly on hydraulic conductivity, controls contaminant migration through soils in many cases. The state of practice in laboratory measurements of hydraulic conductivity of soils was reviewed and found to be extremely variable, with the result that measurements on a given soil material often give variations of several orders of magnitude. An experimental program was completed using compacted clay soils to study several facets of laboratory testing practice, and a suitable test procedure for consistent results was developed. Recommendations on several important aspects of procedure are presented.     

Ultrasonically enhanced electrokinetic remediation for removal of Pb and phenanthrene in contaminated soils

Electrokinetic and ultrasonic remediation technologies were studied for the removal of heavy metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in contaminated soils. The study emphasized the coupled effects of electrokinetic and ultrasonic techniques on migration as well as clean-up of contaminants in soils. The laboratory soil flushing tests combined electrokinetic and ultrasonic technique were conducted using specially designed and fabricated devices to determine the effect of both techniques. The electrokinetic technique was applied to remove mainly the heavy metal and the ultrasonic technique was applied to remove mainly organic substance in contaminated soil. A series of laboratory experiments involving electrokinetic and electrokinetic and ultrasonic flushing tests were carried out. Natural clay was used as a test specimen and Pb and phenanthrene were used as contaminants. An increase in out flow, permeability and contaminant removal rate was observed in electrokinetic and ultrasonic tests. Some practical implications of these results are discussed in terms of technical feasibility of in situ implementation of electrokinetic ultrasonic remediation technique.     

Review of self-potential methods in hydrogeophysics

The self-potential (SP) method is a passive geophysical method based on the natural occurrence of electrical fields on the Earth's surface. Combined with other geophysical methods, SP surveys are especially useful for localizing and quantifying groundwater flows and pollutant plume spreading, and estimating pertinent hydraulic properties of aquifers (water table, hydraulic conductivity). Laboratory experiments have shown that the involved coupling coefficients mainly depend on the fluid chemistry, conductivity and pH, and on the soil or rock properties. The interpretation of SP observations can be done qualitatively, for instance, by correlation of SP gradients with water fluxes (through electrokinetics) or salt fluxes (through electro-diffusion). In recent years, the interpretation has been improved with the help of modelling or/and inversion of the Poisson equation and endeavours to estimate hydraulic parameters by means of the intensity of electric current sources caused by underground flows.     

水化学作用对滑坡滑带土的物理力学特性影响试验研究

滑带是影响滑坡稳定的最关键内在因素之一。对原状土进行X射线衍射、压汞试验,获得了滑带土体的成分及其含量和孔隙结构参数,结果表明,滑带土成分以石英、拉长石、伊利石等为主,孔隙孔径以小孔和过渡孔居多;依据工程实例滑坡滑带土所处的水化学环境,模拟不同水化条件,通过剪切试验、渗透试验和扫描电镜试验,获得不同化学条件的强度和渗透性参数及微细观结构特征,分析了滑带土在不同水化学条件下力学特性和渗透性变化规律。试验结果表明：相同pH条件下,较之蒸馏水,土样经化学溶液浸泡后峰值强度和残余强度变大,且残余强度的变化更明显;不同pH条件下,酸碱性溶液使得土的强度参数显著降低。该研究结果为水化学条件下滑坡滑带土力学特性变化、多场耦合理论模型分析提供了重要的基础数据。     

Oxygen isotopic variations in soil quartz developed on rhyolite residuum from Kiso,central Japan

Positive identification of the origin of fine-grained quartz in highly weathered soils is not proven by routine microscopic examination. The oxygen isotope composition (δ¹⁸O vs _SMOW) of quartz was determined in the albic horizon of three soils developed on the Cretaceous Nohhi rhyolite from Kiso, central Japan. Differences in the isotopic composition of quartz as a function of particle size were observed and attributed to the degree of hydrothermal alteration. One soil sample developed nearby hornblende porphyrite intrusion showed systematic increases in the δ¹⁸O values with increasing particle size, from +3.6‰ (1–10 μm) to +9.5‰ (500–2000 μm). Such a trend is indicative of the higher contribution of secondary quartz precipitated from hydrothermal meteoric fluids in fine size fractions in contrast to primary magmatic quartz in coarse size fractions. Hydrothermal activity was inferred for another soil where no lateral intrusion is mapped. The variation in the oxygen isotopic composition of quartz in different particle sizes precludes both eolian and authigenic origins for the soils. The stable isotope technology provides the only rationale for positive identification of the origin of fine-grained quartz in soils.     

Numerical simulation of two-phase flow in conceptualized fractures

Two-phase flow in fractured rock is an important phenomenon related to a range of practical problems, including non-aqueous phase liquid contamination of groundwater. Although fractured rocks consist of fracture networks, the study of two-phase flow in a single fracture is a pre-requisite. This paper presents a conceptual and numerical model of two-phase flow in a variable fracture. The void space of the fracture is conceptualized as a system of independent channels with position-dependent apertures. Fundamental equations, governing two-phase displacement in each channel, are derived to represent the interface positions and fractional flows in the fracture. For lognormal aperture distributions, simple approximations to fractional flows are obtained in analytical form by assuming void occupancy based on a local capillary allowability criterion. The model is verified by analytical solutions including two-phase flow in a parallel-plate fracture, and used to study the impacts of aperture variation, mobility ratio and fracture orientation on properties of two-phase flow. Illustrative examples indicate that aperture variation may control the distribution of wetting and non-wetting fluids within the fracture plane and hence the ability of the fracture to transmit these fluids. The presence of wetting fluid does little to hinder non-wetting fluid flow in fractures with large aperture variations, whereas a small volume of non-wetting fluid present in the fracture can significantly reduce wetting fluid flow. Large mobility ratios and high fracture slope angles facilitates the migration of non-wetting fluid through fractures.