Experimental study on the electrical resistivity of soil–cement admixtures

Recently in China, soil–cement is widely used to improve the soft ground in the highway construction engineering. Literature studies are mainly investigating the mechanical properties of the soil–cement, while its properties of the electrical resistivity are not well addressed. In this paper, the properties of the electrical resistivity of the reconstituted soil-cement and the in situ soil–cement columns are investigated. The test results show that the electrical resistivity of the soil–cement increases with the increase in the cement-mixing ratio and curing time, whereas it decreases with the increase in the water content, degree of saturation and water–cement ratio. A simple equation is proposed to predict the electrical resistivity of soil–cement under the condition of the specified curing time and water–cement ratio. It is found that the electrical resistivity has a good relationship with the unconfined compression strength and blow count of SPT. It is expected that the electrical resistivity method can be widely used for checking/controlling the quality of soil–cement in practice.     

Consolidation behavior of soil–cement column improved ground

Columnar inclusion is one of the effective and widely used methods for improving the engineering properties of soft clay ground. This article investigates the consolidation behavior of composite soft clay ground using both physical model tests under an axial-symmetry condition and finite element simulations using the PLAXIS 2D program. It was determined that the final settlement and the rate of consolidation of the composite ground depended on the stress state. For an applied stress that is much lower than the failure stress, the final settlement of the composite ground was lower, and the consolidation was rapid. When the soil–cement column failed, the stress on the column suddenly decreased (due to strain-softening); meanwhile, the stress on the soil increased to maintain the force equilibrium. Consequently, the excess pore pressure in the surrounding clay increased immediately. The cracked soil–cement column acted as a drain, which accelerated the dissipation of the excess pore pressure. The consolidation of the composite ground was mainly observed in the vertical direction and was controlled by the area ratio, which is the ratio of the diameter of the soil–cement column to the diameter of the composite ground, a. The stress on the column was shown to be low for a composite ground with a high value of a, which resulted in less settlement and fast consolidation. For a long soil–cement column, the excess pore pressures in the surrounding clay and the column were essentially the same at a given consolidation time throughout the improvement depth. It is proposed that the soil–cement column and surrounding clay form a compressible ground, and the consolidation occurs in the vertical direction. The composite coefficient of consolidation (c_v(com₎) that was obtained from the physical model test on the composite ground can be used to approximate the rate of consolidation. This approximation was validated via a finite element simulation. The proposed method is highly useful to geotechnical engineers because of its simplicity and reliable prediction.     

Vertical bearing capacity behaviour of single T-shaped soil–cement column in soft ground: laboratory modelling,field test,and calculation

The T-shaped soil–cement column is a variable-diameter column, which has an enlarged column cap at the shallow depth, resulting in the column shape being analogous to the letter “T”. In this study, 1-g laboratory and full-scale field loading tests were employed to investigate the vertical bearing capacity behaviour of a single T-shaped column in soft ground. Pressure cells were set in a T-shaped column in the field to measure the vertical column stress above and below the column cap during the loading test. After the loading test, several columns were excavated to investigate their failure modes. The results indicated that, since the section area of the column cap was remarkably higher than that of the deep-depth column, the stress concentration occurred in the deep-depth column just under the cap, leading to column failure. Based on this failure mode, a simplified method was proposed to estimate the ultimate bearing capacity of a single T-shaped column; the comparison of estimated and measured results indicated the applicability of the proposed method.     

Study on soil–cement grout interface shear strength of soil nailing by direct shear box testing method

An important design parameter in cement-grouted soil nailed structures is the shear strength at the interface between the grouted nail and the surrounding soil. Both field and laboratory pull-out tests are normally used to investigate this interface shear strength. However, these tests have some limitations. In this study, direct shear box tests are adopted to investigate the interface shear strength behaviour between a completely decomposed granite (CDG) soil and a cement grout plate. Tests were carried out in a large direct shear test apparatus over a range of constant normal stress, soil moisture content, and soil–cement grout interface surface waviness. The laboratory test procedures are briefly described and the main test results are presented, followed by a discussion of the shear behaviour of the soil–cement grout interface. The interface shear behaviour is compared with the shear strength behaviour of the same soil tested under comparable conditions. It is shown that the shear stress–displacement behaviour of the soil–cement grout interface is similar to that of the soil alone. The test results indicate that the interface shear strength of the CDG and cement grout material depends on the normal stress level, the soil moisture content, and the interface surface waviness.     

3D bearing capacity probabilistic analyses of footings on spatially variable c–φ soil

Acta Geotechnica - The paper examines three-dimensional (3D) analyses of the load bearing capacity of square and strip footings on a spatially variable cohesive–frictional (c–φ)...     

Experimental investigations of the soil water retention curve under multiple drying–wetting cycles

Acta Geotechnica - Natural soils usually experience multiple drying and wetting cycles in geotechnical engineering. In this paper, the influences of history of drying and wetting upon the...     

Nonlinear analysis of footings on granular bed–stone column improved soft soil

In this paper, a model for the analysis of footings having finite flexural rigidity resting on a granular bed on top of stone columns improved saturated soft (clayey) soil has been proposed. Soft soil has been modeled as a Kelvin–Voigt body to represent its time dependent behavior. Pasternak shear layer has been used to represent the granular layer and the stone columns have been idealized by means of nonlinear Winkler springs. Nonlinear behavior of granular fill, soft soil and stone columns has been invoked by means of hyperbolic constitutive relationships. Governing differential equations for the soil–foundation system have been obtained and finite difference method has been adopted for solving these, using the Gauss-elimination iterative scheme. Detailed parametric study for a combined footing has been carried out to study the influence of parameters, like magnitude of applied load, flexural rigidity of footing, diameter of stone column, spacing of stone column, ultimate bearing capacity of granular fill, poor foundation soil and stone column, relative stiffness of stone columns and degree of consolidation, on flexural response of the footing.     

On the resonance effect by dynamic soil–structure interaction: a revelation study

The present study makes an attempt to investigate the soil–structure resonance effects on a structure based on dynamic soil–structure interaction (SSI) methodology by direct method configuration using 2D finite element method (FEM). The investigation has been focused on the numerical application for the four soil–structure models particularly adjusted to be in resonance. These models have been established by single homogenous soil layers with alternating thicknesses of 0, 25, 50, 75 m and shear wave velocities of 300, 600, 900 m/s-a midrise reinforced concrete structure with a six-story and a three-bay that rests on the ground surface with the corresponding width of 1,400 m. The substructure has been modeled by plane strain. A common strong ground motion record, 1940 El Centro Earthquake, has been used as the dynamic excitation of time history analysis, and the amplitudes, shear forces and moments affecting on the structure have been computed under resonance. The applicability and accuracy of the FEM modeling to the fundamental period of soils have been confirmed by the site response analysis of SHAKE. The results indicate that the resonance effect on the structure becomes prominent by soil amplification with the increased soil layer thickness. Even though the soil layer has good engineering characteristics, the ground story of the structure under resonance is found to suffer from the larger soil layer thicknesses. The rate of increment in shear forces is more pronounced on midstory of the structure, which may contribute to the explanation of the heavily damage on the midrise buildings subjected to earthquake. Presumably, the estimated moment ratios could represent the factor of safeties that are excessively high due to the resonance condition. The findings obtained in this study clearly demonstrate the importance of the resonance effect of SSI on the structure and can be beneficial for gaining an insight into code provisions against resonance.     

The effect of cemented soil strength on the frictional capacity of precast concrete pile–cemented soil interface

Acta Geotechnica - The pre-bored grouted planted (PGP) pile is a composite pile consisting of a precast concrete pile and the cemented soil around the pile. Thus, the PGP pile shaft capacity is...     

Garnet–orthopyroxene (GOPX) geothermometer: a comparative study

The garnet–orthopyroxene pairs are commonly found in the assemblages of basic granulites/charnockite and hence are suitable for estimating equilibrium temperature of these metamorphic rocks. At present, there are many calibrations of garnet–orthopyroxene thermometer that may confuse geologists in choosing a reliable thermometer. To test the accuracy of the garnet–orthopyroxene thermometers, we have applied 14 models formulated by a number of workers since 1980 to date. We have collated 51 samples from the literature all over the world, which has been processed through the “Gt-Opx.EXE” software. Based on the present study, we have identified a set of the best among all the 14 models which were considered under this comparative study. We have concluded that the five garnet–orthopyroxene (Gt-Opx) thermometers are the most valid and reliable of this kind of thermometer: Aranovich and Berman (Am Mineral 82:345–353, 1997), Raith et al. (Earth Sci 73:211–244, 1983), Harley (Contrib Mineral Petrol 86:359–373, 1984), Nimis and Grütter (Contrib Mineral Petrol 159:411–427, 2010), and Sen and Bhattacharya (Contrib Mineral Petrol 88:64–71, 1984).     

Experimental study on deformation of remolded sulfate saline soil under freeze-thaw cycles北大核心CSCD

季节冻土区特殊的温湿环境造成盐渍土累积变形是导致众多工程问题的主要原因,但其变形破坏机理尚不十分明确。通过配制不同含盐量的粉土开展冻融循环试验,研究试验过程中温度、未冻水含量、孔隙水压力、基质吸力和位移的变化规律。结果表明：孔隙水压力和基质吸力对土体温度敏感,对土体变形有重要影响。类比于非饱和土有效应力原理,给出了冻结盐渍土的有效应力方程,将土体变形分为温度应变、盐胀、冻胀、溶陷、融沉和残余应变,很好地解释了冻结盐渍土的变形机理。研究了含盐量对土体变形的影响程度,发现低含盐量时土体应变以冻胀和融沉为主;随着含盐量的增加,盐胀和溶陷的贡献越来越大;而含盐量为1%时土体变形最小,表明适当控制含盐量可有效抑制土体变形。     

Experimental study on mechanical properties of granite after freeze–thaw cycling

It is important to understand the effect of freeze–thaw cycles on the mechanical properties of rocks. In this paper, the variation of the uniaxial compressive strength, peak strain, elastic modulus and stress–strain curves of granite subjected to freeze–thaw cycles with different heating temperatures were studied experimentally and the relationships were derived. As the number of freeze–thaw cycles increases, the compressive strength and elastic modulus decrease, while the peak strain decreases. In addition, an increased temperature increases the peak strain while decreasing the compressive strength and elastic modulus. An expression for the initial damage for the adopted rock material due to freeze–thaw cycling was proposed based on the Loland model. The current research has established a solid foundation for further experimental studies on the fatigue behavior of granite after freeze–thaw cycling.     

Ultimate bearing capacity of strip footings lying on Hoek–Brown slopes subjected to eccentric load

Acta Geotechnica - A self-developed finite element limit analysis (FELA) code was employed in this study to investigate the stability of eccentrically loaded strip footings on rock slopes. The...     

Collapse of granular–cohesive soil mixtures on a horizontal plane

Acta Geotechnica - The collapse test with granular or cohesive materials known as ‘slump test’ is a simple, small-scale experiment. It can be used to study the rheology of soil masses...     

Microstructural weathering of sedimentary rocks by freeze–thaw cycles: Experimental study of state and transfer parameters

The frost sensitivity of a rock is resulting from the combined action of processes linked to porous network characteristics (state parameters) and to the way water flows into this porous network (transfer parameters), our study was thus about the influence of these parameters on frost weathering of rocks. Sedimentary rocks often found on buildings (limestone and sandstone) and consequently submitted to temperature variations have been selected. State and transfer parameters have been measured for sample characterization and the follow-up of weathering during freeze–thaw cycles. The coupled influence of a state parameter (dynamic modulus of elasticity) and a transfer parameter (water permeability), i.e. between rock skeletal strength and voids connection, has thus been discussed.     

Computational simulation of time-dependent behavior of soil–structure interaction by using a novel creep model: Application to a geosynthetic-reinforced soil physical model

In this paper, a model geosynthetic-reinforced soil retaining walls (GRS-RW) is tested by vertically loading it through a rough footing on the top near the retaining wall and the results are simulated by a sophisticated nonlinear Finite Element Method (FEM) having a novel rate dependent constitutive model for both the backfill material and the geosynthetic reinforcement. Usually, polymer geosynthetic reinforcement is known to exhibit more-or-less rate-dependent stress–strain or load–strain behavior due to their viscous properties. The geomaterials (i.e., clay, sand, gravel and soft rock) also exhibit viscous properties. The viscous behavior of geometrials are quite different from that of the polymer based geosynthetic-reinforcements. It has been revealed recently that viscous behavior of sand is a kind of temporary effect, which vanishes with time. So the rate-dependent deformation of backfill reinforced with polymer geosynthetic reinforcement becomes highly complicated due to interactions between the elasto-viscoplastic properties of backfill and reinforcement. In the present study, a scaled model geosynthetic-reinforced soil retaining wall is tested with a vertically loaded rough rigid footing. The results of the model test are simulated by using an appropriate elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model of both sand and geogrid embedded in a nonlinear plane strain FEM.     

Temporal–spatial variability of soil fertility in karst region: a case study of Xiaojiang watershed Yunnan

By sampling in the field and analyzing the soil samples in the laboratory in 1982 and 2005 the soil fertility data were obtained. Through application of geo-statistics combined with GIS, the temporal–spatial variability of the pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total potassium in soil of Xiaojiang watershed from 1982 to 2005 were analyzed. Results showed that: (1) the pH value and total potassium in soil showed an increasing trend, but the organic matter, total nitrogen and the total phosphorus in soil declined in the past 20 years in Xiaojiang watershed, (2) the parameters fitted by semivariogram models for fertility indices changed significantly in the past 20 years and (3) the result estimated by ordinary Kriging indicated the spatial pattern of the soil fertility indices changed significantly in the past 20 years. The soil pH increased in the east and southeast, but decreased in the middle of the watershed. The organic content of the soil matter decreased in the east, southeast and southwest, but increased in the northeast and middle of the watershed. The total nitrogen content of the soil decreased in the east, but increased in the middle of watershed. The total phosphorus content of the soil decreased in the whole watershed. The total potassium content of the soil increased in the southwest and southeast, but decreased in the middle of the watershed and (4) the change of land use and soil management measures was the main driving force of variability of soil properties.     

Experimental investigations on the elastic parameters and uniaxial compressive strength of slate under freeze–thaw cycles

ABSTRACT

In this study, uniaxial compression experiments with seven different bedding angles and six numbers of freeze–thaw cycles were conducted to investigate the influences of freeze–thaw cycles on the elastic parameters and the uniaxial compressive strength of slate. The laws of the elastic parameters, uniaxial compressive strength and failure characteristics were analysed, and a new uniaxial compressive strength prediction model that considers the bedding angle and the number of freeze–thaw cycles as control variables was established and verified using the experimental data. The results showed that the uniaxial compressive strength, elastic modulus and shear modulus decreased exponentially with an increasing number of freeze–thaw cycles. However, the Poisson’s ratio increased linearly with an increasing number of freeze–thaw cycles. The uniaxial compressive strength initially decreased and then increased with increasing bedding angle. There are three forms of failure occurred during the tests: when the bedding angle was 0°≤β ≤ 26.6°, the splitting failure and shear failure occurred at the same time; when the bedding angle was 26.6°≤β ≤ 83.0°, sliding failure occurred along the bedding plane; and when the bedding angle was 83.0°≤β ≤ 90°, splitting failure occurred along the axial direction of sample.