The evolution of pore pressure fields around standard and ball penetrometers: influence of penetration rate

Rate effects are examined in the steady pore pressure distribution induced as a result of penetration of standard and ball penetrometers. The incompressible flow field, which develops around the penetrometer is used to define the approximate soil velocity field local to the penetrometer tip. This prescribes the Lagrangian framework for the migration of the fluid saturated porous medium, defining the advection of induced pore pressures relative to the pressure‐monitoring locations present on the probe face. In two separate approaches, different source functions are used to define the undrained pore fluid pressures developed either (i) on the face of the penetrometer or (ii) in the material comprising the failure zone surrounding the penetrometer tip. In the first, the sources applied at the tip face balance the volume of fluid mobilized by the piston displacement of the advancing penetrometer. Alternately, a fluid source distribution is evaluated from plasticity solutions and distributed throughout the tip process zone: for a standard penetrometer, the solution is for the expansion of a spherical cavity, and for the ball penetrometer, the solution is an elastic distribution of stresses conditioned by the limit load embedded within an infinite medium. For the standard penetrometer, the transition from drained to undrained behavior occurs over about two orders of magnitude in penetration rate for pore pressures recorded at the tip (U1) and about two‐and‐a‐half orders of magnitude for the shoulder (U2). This response is strongly influenced by the rigidity of the soil and slightly influenced by the model linking induced total stresses to pore pressures. For the ball penetrometer, the transition from drained to undrained behavior also transits two‐and‐a‐half orders of magnitude in penetration rate, although it is offset to higher dimensionless penetration rates than for standard penetration. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid delineation of subsurface petroleum contamination using the site characterization and analysis penetrometer system

 The Site Characterization and Analysis Penetrometer System (SCAPS) was used to investigate subsurface petroleum contamination at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The SCAPS is a rapid site-screening tool developed by the Tri-Services (U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force) to reduce the cost of installation restoration activities. The system, consisting of a geophysical cone penetrometer fitted with a laser-induced fluorescence petroleum sensor, is capable of simultaneous, real-time delineation of subsurface stratigraphy and petroleum contamination. Onsite processing of the SCAPS data allows three-dimensional visualization of both subsurface stratigraphy and petroleum contaminant distribution. The site investigation described herein successfully identified three distinct areas of subsurface petroleum contamination caused by leaking underground storage tanks containing No. 2 healing oil. The SCAPS petroleum sensor response was verified by obtaining 20 soil samples and performing onsite and conventional laboratory analyses for petroleum contaminants. Verification sample results indicate a strong correlation between the SCAPS fluorescence data and conventional measures of petroleum contamination. This investigation illustrates the capabilities of the SCAPS for rapid site characterization. Received: 27 November 1995 · Accepted: 11 December 1995     

Stratigraphic delineation by three-dimensional clustering of piezocone data

Piezocone soundings are a fast and economical approach for geotechnical site characterization, providing three separate and continuous channels of data with depth, including: tip resistance q _T, porewater pressure u ₂ and sleeve friction f _s. Literally hundreds to thousands of data points are collected by a single sounding. Since these readings are functions of both soil type and soil behaviour, they can be used for the delineation of soil stratigraphy.

One way to process large amounts of data involves clustering. Cluster analysis is an efficient statistical way to analyse the stratigraphic vertical profiling of geomaterials and means to detect the inherent similarity between data sets and group them together. Clustering in previous geotechnical research was based on only two channels of piezocone data (q _T and u₂). The method works well for soils that are under the groundwater table and was applied to soundings in clay deposits.

In the present paper, a new cluster analysis approach is developed based on all three channels of data, thus extending the method to soils above the water table and applicable to sands, silts, and clays. Example soil profiles derived by three-channel cluster analysis are presented herein and compared with conventional soil boring and sampling data.     

Application of a nondestructive method to evaluate the active layer in a cold region

To provide a safe transportation system in an extremely cold region,evaluation needs to be conducted of the thickness and the volumetric water content of the active layer,as they significantly affect frost heave.The objective of this study was to evaluate the dielectric constant(κ)of the active layer using ground-penetrating radar(GPR)and a dynamic cone penetrometer(DCP);this evaluation was then used to estimate the thickness and the volumetric water content of the active layer.A field located in midwest Alaska was selected as the study site.A GPR survey and two DCP tests were conducted on the surface of the ground,and the ground temperature was measured.From the GPR survey,travel times of the electromagnetic wave in the active layer were obtained.In addition,the thickness of the active layer was determined by using the dynamic cone penetration index(DCPI)and ground temperature.By using the travel time and travel distance of the electromagnetic wave in the active layer,dielectric constants were calculated as 26.3 and 26.4 for two DCP points.From the mean dielectric constant,the volumetric water content was estimated to be 40%~43%,and the thickness of the active layer was evaluated along the GPR survey line.The spatial-scaled GPR image showed that the thickness of the active layer varied from 520 mm to 700 mm due to the presence of a puddle,which accelerated the heat exchange.The results show that evaluation of the dielectric constant using the GPR survey and the DCP test can be effectively used to estimate the thickness and the volumetric water content of the active layer.     

Numerical analysis of penetrometers free-falling into soil with shear strength increasing linearly with depth

Dynamic penetrometers have been used for offshore oil and gas industry applications such as pipeline feasibility studies and anchoring systems, and military applications including naval mine countermeasures and terminal ballistic studies. The main challenge of using dynamic penetrometers is the interpretation of their test results in order to deduce the mechanical properties of the penetrated soil via empirical or theoretical relations. Recently, a robust numerical method based on the Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) technique has been developed for analysing dynamic penetration problems and used to investigate a smooth penetrometer free falling into a uniform layer of clayey soil. Numerical as well as experimental results indicate that the penetration characteristics, including the impact energy, total time, and total depth of penetration, depend on the mechanical properties of the soil including its stiffness and strength parameters as well as the geometry of the penetrometer and its initial impact energy. In this study, the ALE method is employed to study the effect of shear strength increasing with depth (a common condition of seabed deposits) on the penetration characteristics of a free falling penetrometer. Conducting more than two thousand numerical simulations has shown that there is an approximate quadratic relation between the final embedment depth of a FFP penetrating into a non-uniform clay soil and the combined kinetic energy on contact with the soil and subsequent loss in potential energy of the penetrometer.     

半滑舌鳎苗种体外挂牌标志技术研究

研制了4种不同规格的T型标志牌(T-A,T-B,TC,T-D),对不同规格的半滑舌鳎苗种进行了标记试验,记录了标记后的脱牌率、成活率、行为特征和生长情况,筛选了适宜于半滑舌鳎苗种标志放流的T型标志牌.结果表明:T-A标志牌适宜于标记全长8 cm以上的苗种,标记后的实验鱼生长与对照组无显著差异,标志后暂养成活率92％～100％;T-B标志牌适宜标记全长16 cm的苗种,标记后实验鱼成活率达到100％,脱牌率为0.T-C和T-D标志牌不适宜于标记全长16 cm以下的半滑舌鳎苗种.2011年,利用本研究开发的T-A标志牌标记半滑舌鳎苗种,并在莱州开展大规模标志放流试验,标记效果良好.     

超声波钻探设备的研究进展及建议

传统钻探技术受限于高轴向力和扭矩的需求,高功率的消耗和沉重的设备。超声波钻探作为一种新型钻探方法,弥补了传统钻探技术的诸多不足,有着广阔的应用前景。尤其在低重力、设备质量限制严格的外星探测领域体现出巨大的优势。首先介绍了超声波钻探设备的发展,然后通过分析现有的超声波钻探设备,重点分析一种外星探测方案的超声波钻探设备,总结出超声波钻探技术方法在外星探测的可行性及应用发展方向。     

Physical-hydraulic properties of tropical sandy-loam soil in response to rice-husk dust and cattle dung amendments and surface mulching

ABSTRACT

The effects of topsoil addition of rice-husk dust (RHD) and cattle dung (CD), alongside surface mulching with dry grasses/legume, on the infiltration characteristics and intrinsic structural properties of a deep, well-drained soil in southeastern Nigeria are assessed. Treatments are RHD-amended, CD-amended and “unamended”, each plot being either surface-mulched or left bare, with the unamended-bare plots as control. Amendments and mulch were applied at 20 t/ha equivalents. Their effects on the soil’s infiltration characteristics 7 months later were not evident; however, there was a tendency for differences: CD-amended ≥ RHD-amended ≥ unamended and surface-mulched ≥ bare-surface. By contrast, saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s ) differed thus: CD-mulched ≥ unamended-mulched > the rest. Similar values were recorded for K_s (50.89 cm/h) and final infiltration rate (50.74 cm/h) only under CD-amended plots, which also showed the highest values (43.50 cm/h) for transmissivity of the soil. Soil penetrometer resistance was lowest in CD-amended plots (113.44 kPa) and highest in unamended plots (166.78 kPa). Topsoil addition of cattle dung and surface mulching could increase infiltration, though marginally, and permeability of coarse-textured tropical soils beyond the season of their application when their effects on soil structure have almost waned.     

针贯入仪在软岩强度测试中的应用

软岩强度较低,结构松散,难以加工成标准试件测其单轴抗压强度,为解决这一工程实践难题,引入了日本的一种通过测试软岩针贯入指标间接推算其抗压强度的试验仪器——针贯入仪。首先简要地介绍了针贯入试验的仪器装置、操作过程、注意事项以及数据处理方法,然后运用该仪器在现场和室内分别对不同软岩进行强度测试。统计分析测试结果表明,测试数据离散性大小与岩性均一程度、结构面分布情况密切相关。最后,选取了一组软岩岩样进行针贯入和点荷载对比试验,计算得出两种试验结果相差不大。因此,采用针贯入仪测试软岩强度是合理可行的,可在软岩工程中推广使用。