Fully coupled finite element model for dynamics of partially saturated soils

Understanding the response of partially saturated earth structures under various static and dynamic loads is important for the design and construction of economical and safe geotechnical engineering structures. In this study, the numerical approach is used to understand the dynamics of partially saturated soils. The mathematical equations governing the dynamics of partially saturated soils are derived based on the theory of mixtures and implemented within a finite element framework. The stress–strain behavior of the soil is represented by an elasto-plastic constitutive model for unsaturated soil based on bounding surface concept and the moisture-suction behavior is modeled using van Genuchten model. Fully coupled finite element simulations are performed to study the response of partially saturated soil embankment under earthquake loading and validated with centrifuge test results available in the literature. The predicted displacement responses are in good agreement with the measured responses. The pore water pressure, pore air pressure, matric suction, the degree of saturation in various elements and the response of the embankment under different initial moisture content are also discussed.     

The force of oblique incident wave on the breakwater with a partially perforated wall

1 IntroductionRecently breakwaters with perforated front wallshave been widely used. The use of perforated break-waters mainly has two advantages. Firstly, wave forcesacting on the whole structure can be divided into twoparts on two different walls with a phase difference.To select the distance between the two plates suitably,the total wave force on the whole structure can bemaintained at a low level. Secondly, waves will dissi-pate when they transmit over a porous medium. Thus,the reflection…     

An elasto‐plastic three phase model for partially saturated soil for the finite element simulation of compressed air support in tunnelling

This paper presents a fully coupled finite element formulation for partially saturated soil as a triphasic porous material, which has been developed for the simulation of shield tunnelling with heading face support using compressed air. While for many numerical simulations in geotechnics use of a two‐phase soil model is sufficient, the simulation of compressed air support demands the use of a three‐phase model with the consideration of air as a separate phase. A multiphase model for soft soils is developed, in which the individual constituents of the soil—the soil skeleton, the fluid and the gaseous phase—and their interactions are considered. The triphasic model is formulated within the framework of the theory of porous media, based upon balance equations and constitutive relations for the soil constituents and their mixture. An elasto‐plastic, cam–clay type model is extended to partially saturated soil conditions by incorporating capillary pressure according to the Barcelona basic model. The hydraulic properties of the soil are described via DARCY 's law and the soil–water characteristic curve after VAN GENUCHTEN . Water is modelled as an incompressible and air as a compressible phase. The model is validated by means of selected benchmark problems. The applicability of the model to geotechnical problems is demonstrated by results from the simulation of a compressed air intervention in shield tunnelling. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Steady flow to a partially penetrating blind‐wall well in a confined aquifer

Wells in aquifers of loose collapsible sediment are cased so that they have a blind wall and gain water only from the bottom. The hydraulic gradient established at the bottom of these wells during pumping brings the aquifer materials in a quicksand state, which may cause abrasion of pipes and pumps and even the destruction of well structure. To examine the quicksand occurrence, an analytical solution for the steady flow to a partially penetrating blind‐wall well in a confined aquifer is developed. The validity of the proposed solution is evaluated numerically. The sensitivity of maximum vertical gradient along the well bottom in response to aquifer and well parameters is examined. The solution is presented in the form of dimensionless‐type curves and equations that can be easily used to design the safe pumping rate and optimum well geometry to protect the well against sand production. The solution incorporates the anisotropy of aquifer materials and can also be used to determine the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The reflection of regular and irregular waves by a partially perforated caisson breakwater on a step bed

This study examines the reflection of regular and irregular waves from a partially perforated caisson breakwater located on a step bed. The step bed is treated as an idealized rubble mound foundation. Based on the linear potential theory, an analytical solution is developed to calculate the reflection coefficient of the structure subjected to regular waves. The matched eigenfunction expansion method is used for the solution. The regular wave method is also extended to irregular waves using a linear transfer function. The calculated results obtained for limiting cases are exactly the same as corresponding results given by the previous researchers. The present predictions also agree well with experimental data in the published literatures. Numerical experiments are conducted to examine the variations of the reflection coefficient versus its main effect factors, and some interesting results are presented.     

Interaction between different internal length scales in strain localization analysis of fully and partially saturated porous media—the 1‐D case

The paper analyses the interaction between two internal length scales during dynamic strain localization in multiphase porous materials. The first internal length is introduced in the mathematical model by the gradient‐dependent plasticity for the solid skeleton, while the second one is naturally contained in the multiphase model and is due to the seepage process of the water via Darcy's law, which induces a rate‐dependent behaviour of the solid skeleton. Numerical results of a one‐dimensional example of water saturated porous medium demonstrate the competing effect between these two length scales. The porous medium is here treated as a multiphase continuum, with the pores filled by water and air, the last one at constant atmospheric pressure. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chlorophyll distributions in the Delaware estuary: Regulation by light-limitation

Phytoplankton chlorophyll concentrations in the Delaware estuary range over two orders of magnitude and display several maxima over the seasonal cycle. These maxima were found to be regulated both spatially and temporally by light availability. Both the spring chlorophyll maximum, which reaches 50–60 μg chlorophyll l^?1 during a Skeletonema costatum dominated bloom, and transient fall blooms (15–20 μg l^?1) are focused in mid-estuary. These blooms are regulated spatially by settling out of suspended sediment below the turbidity maximum and both spatially and temporally by physical factors (e.g. river flow) that cause vertical stratification in mid-estuary. In freshwater regions, chlorophyll concentrations display seasonal periodicity correlated with solar irradiance; summer chlorophyll concentrations average 30 μg l^?1. These freshwater and mid-estuarine biomass maxima may be correctly predicted using a steady-state light-limitation model. In contrast, summer chlorophyll concentrations in the lower estuary remain below 10 μg l^?1 and are not correctly modeled, despite minimum turbidity, and non-nutrient limiting conditions. These chlorophyll concentrations appear to be regulated by a combination of light availability and grazing.Although extremely high anthropogenic nutrient inputs in the freshwater region of the Delaware River provide non-limiting nutrient concentrations throughout the estuary, regulation of phytoplankton growth by light-limitation restricts chlorophyll concentrations below the nuisance levels found in many eutrophic systems.     

Behavior of unbonded flexible risers subject to axial tension

Owing to nonlinear contact problems with slip and friction, a lot of limiting assumptions are made when developing analytical models to simulate the behavior of an unbonded flexible riser. Meanwhile, in order to avoid convergence problems and excessive calculating time associated with running the detailed finite element （FE） model of an unbonded flexible riser, interlocked carcass and zeta layers with complicated cross section shapes are replaced by simple geometrical shapes （e.g. hollow cylindrical shell） with equivalent orthotropic materials. But the simplified model does not imply the stresses equivalence of these two layers. To solve these problems, based on ABAQUS/Explicit, a numerical method that is suitable for the detailed FE model is proposed. In consideration of interaction among all component layers, the axial stiffness of an eight-layer unbonded flexible riser subjected to axial tension is predicted. Compared with analytical and experimental results, it is shown that the proposed numerical method not only has high accuracy but also can substantially reduce the calculating time. In addition, the impact of the lay angle of helical tendons on axial stiffness is discussed.     

Single precast concrete rocking walls as earthquake force‐resisting elements

Precast concrete walls with unbonded post‐tensioning provide a simple self‐centering system. Yet, its application in seismic regions is not permitted as it is assumed to have no energy dissipation through a hysteretic mechanism. These walls, however, dissipate energy imparted to them because of the wall impacting the foundation during rocking and limited hysteretic action resulting from concrete nonlinearity. The energy dissipated due to rocking was ignored in previous experimental studies because they were conducted primarily using quasi‐static loading. Relying only on limited energy dissipation, a shake table study was conducted on four single rocking walls (SRWs) using multiple‐level earthquake input motions. All walls generally performed satisfactorily up to the design‐level earthquakes when their performance was assessed in terms of the maximum transient drift, maximum absolute acceleration, and residual drift. However, for the maximum considered earthquakes, the walls experienced peak lateral drifts greater than the permissible limits. Combining the experimental results with an analytical investigation, it is shown that SRWs can be designed as earthquake force‐resisting elements to produce satisfactory performance under design‐level and higher‐intensity earthquake motions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.