Analysis of earth dams affected by the 2001 Bhuj Earthquake

An earthquake of magnitude of 7.6 (M_w 7.6) occurred in Bhuj, India on January 26, 2001. This event inflicted damages of varying extents to a large number of small to moderate size multi-zone earth dams in the vicinity of the epicenter. Some of the distress was due to the liquefaction of saturated alluvium in foundation. Liquefaction was relatively localized for the majority of these dams because the earthquake struck in the middle of a prolonged dry season when the reservoirs behind these dams were nearly empty and shallow alluvium soils underneath the downstream portions of the dams were partly dry. Otherwise, liquefaction of foundation soils would have been more extensive and damage to these dams more significant. Six such dams have been examined in this paper. Four of these facilities, Chang, Shivlakha, Suvi, and Tapar were within the 50 km of epicenter region. These dams underwent free-field ground motion with peak ground accelerations between 0.28g to 0.52g. Of these Chang Dam underwent severe slumping, whereas Shivlakha, Suvi, and Tapar Dams were affected severely especially over the upstream sections. Fatehgadh Dam and Kaswati Dam were affected relatively less severely. Foundation conditions underneath these dams were first examined for assessing liquefaction potential. A limited amount of subsurface information available from investigations undertaken prior to the earthquake indicates that, although the foundation soils within the top 2.0 to 2.5 m underneath these dams were susceptible to liquefaction, Bhuj Earthquake did not trigger liquefaction because of lack of saturation of these layers underneath the downstream portions of these dams. These dams were then analyzed using a simple sliding block procedure using appropriate estimates of undrained soil strength parameters. The results of this analysis for these structures were found to be in general agreement with the observed deformation patterns.     

Extended Finite Element Method for the Analysis of Discontinuities in Rock Masses

The strength and deformability of rock mass primarily depend on the condition of joints and their spacing and partially on the engineering properties of rock matrix. Till today, numerical analysis of discontinuities e.g. joint, fault, shear plane and others is conducted placing an interface element in between two adjacent rock matrix elements. However, the applicability of interface elements is limited in rock mechanics problems having multiple discontinuities due to its inherent numerical difficulties often leading to non-convergent solution. Recent developments in extended finite element method (XFEM) having strong discontinuity imbedded within a regular element provide an opportunity to analyze discrete discontinuities in rock masses without any numerical difficulties. This concept is based on partition of unity principle and can be used for cohesive rock joints. This paper summarizes the mathematical frameworks for the implementation of strong discontinuities in 3 and 6 nodded triangular elements and also provides numerical examples of the application of XFEM in one and two dimensional problems with single and multiple discontinuities.     

Enriched finite element procedures for analyzing decoupled bolts installed in rock mass

Numerical procedures are developed to analyze interaction between fully grouted bolts and rock mass using ‘enriched finite element method (EFEM)’. A solid element intersected by a rock bolt along any arbitrary direction is termed as ‘enriched’ element. The nodes of an enriched element have additional degrees of freedom for determining displacements, stresses developed in the bolt rod. The stiffness of the enriched element is formulated based on properties of rock mass, bolt rod and grout, orientation of the bolt and borehole diameter. Decoupling at grout–bolt interface and elasto‐plastic behavior of rock mass have also been incorporated into the EFEM procedures. The results of this method are compared with analytical pull‐out test results presented by Li and Stillborg (Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. 1999; 36 :1013–1029). In addition, a numerical example of a bolted tunnel is provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method for practical applications. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Collapse loads for rectangular foundations by three-dimensional upper bound limit analysis using radial point interpolation method

A three-dimensional kinematic limit analysis approach based on the radial point interpolation method (RPIM) has been used to compute collapse loads for rectangular foundations. The analysis is based on the Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion and the associated flow rule. It is understood that the internal plastic power dissipation function and flow rule constraints can be expressed entirely in terms of plastic strain rates without involving stresses. The optimization problem has been solved on basis of the semidefinite programming (SDP) by using highly efficient primal-dual interior point solver MOSEK in MATLAB. The results have been presented in terms of the variation of the shape factors with changes in the aspect ratio (L/B) of the footing for different values of soil internal friction angle (ϕ). Computations have revealed that the shape factors, s_c and s_q, due to effects of cohesion and surcharge increase continuously with (1) decrease in L/B and (2) increase in ϕ. On the other hand, the shape factor s_γ, due to the effect of soil unit weight, increases very marginally with an increase in L/B up to (1) ϕ = 25° for a rough footing and (2) ϕ = 35° for a smooth footing. Thereafter, for greater values of ϕ, the variation of s_γ with L/B has been found to be quite similar to that of the factors s_c and s_q. The variations of (1) nodal velocity patterns, (2) plastic power dissipation, and (3) maximum plastic shear strain rates have also been examined to interpret the associated failure mechanism.     

Estimation of flow stresses in mylonitic quartzites of parts of Singhbhum shear zone,Bihar, eastern India

Recrystallized grain size was measured from quartzite mylonite specimens collected from parts of Singhbhum shear zone in eastern India. The specimens were collected along five traverses (Mushabani, Pathargora, Surda, Rakha and Jadugoda) across the elongation of the shear zone. The sheared quartzites range from protomylonite through mylonite to ultramylonite. The microstructural studies of the specimens reflect that dynamic recrystallization was the main deformation process. Estimation of flow stresses were derived from these specimens using empirical equations relating to flow stress and recrystallized grain size. The calculated stresses range from 12–28 MPa (Mercieret al 1977), 23–49 MPa (Twiss 1977), 20–68 MPa (Christie and Ord 1980), considering all the traverses. The results show that these values can only be used semiquantitatively.     

Analysis of sinkhole occurrences over abandoned mines using fuzzy reasoning: a case study

In Korea most of the old mine workings were worked with room and pillar method or sublevel caving method and today they possess great possibility of surface subsidence especially for shallow depth mines. In most of the cases, mine roadways, rooms and pillars are irregular in shape and information about the local geology is uncertain. For these reasons, it is difficult to standardize the estimating method of subsidence especially sinkhole type over abandoned mine area. This paper describes the application procedure for the fuzzy reasoning techniques to analyze the possibility of sinkhole occurrences over abandoned mines. This technique is implemented in software which can simplify the analysis procedure and present the possibility of sinkhole subsidence without having precise information about local geological/mining conditions. This technique has been applied to forecast sinkhole possibilities at Bonghwa site where a massive sinkhole has already been occurred.     

Surface settlements at a soft soil site due to bedrock dewatering

Construction of a 16-m deep, 55-m wide, almost square, underground structure through 8-m of soft soils and 8-m of sandstone and siltstone led to the development of widespread settlements. The affected area extended to distances of over 200 m from the perimeter of the structure. The floor slab of the underground structure was not designed for water pressure. Thus, operation of the structure requires continuous pumping of seepage water collected at a sump located at the lowermost elevation within the structure. Subsurface investigation and monitoring data obtained over 5.75-year period following the construction of the structure indicated that the settlement resulted from consolidation of soft soils due to depressurization of an aquifer within the underlying bedrock caused by continuous dewatering needed for the operation of the structure. An analytical study was undertaken to project the long term settlement. A simple analytical model could be used to simulate the complex hydrogeological problem reasonably. The details of hydrogeologic setting, subsurface investigation and monitoring activities, and the analytical model for projecting long-term settlements are presented in this paper.     

Delineation of structural features over a part of the Bay of Bengal using total and balanced horizontal derivative techniques

The present study deals with classical problem of edge detection in potential field data over complex tectonic regime for both shallower and deeper sources, simultaneously. Balanced horizontal derivative (BHD) technique is a latest edge detection concept which delineates edges using balancing of amplitude responses for both shallower and deeper sources. The BHD technique has been validated by comparing with total horizontal derivative (THD) technique. Initially, three different synthetic models have been generated with spherical, cylindrical and vertical prismatic objects at different depths and corresponding gravity responses have been enhanced using BHD and THD techniques. Structural features have been delineated from EIGEN6C4 free-air gravity data using THD and BHD techniques over a part of the Bay of Bengal. Major lineaments have been identified in N–S direction followed by those identified along the NE–SW, NW–SE and E–W directions. Both studies of synthetic models and real gravity data reveal that BHD is an advanced technique than THD.     

A Loose Coupling Technique for Integrating GIS and Multi-Criteria Decision Making

Spatial decision making is characterized by problems associated with multiple and conflicting alternatives relating to geographical features and their attributes. As such, the search for the best possible alternative from a large set of such alternatives can be a daunting task. The aim of integrating GIS with Multi‐Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) is to develop a well‐defined process that can scan through such extensive fields of choice to arrive at the best possible solution. Goal Programming is one tool (developed in conjunction with MCDM) that can handle a problem with multiple, conflicting and incommensurable alternatives, and this article explains how the loose coupling technique can integrate MCDM with GIS to assist decision making among competing alternatives. As an example, this methodology has been applied for community development purposes in the Hooghly District of West Bengal, India.