Design of shallow foundations under tensile loading for transmission line towers: An overview

Tensioned foundations are common in civil engineering applications such as transmission towers, harbors, offshore structures, basement slabs under pressure, industrial equipment, etc. Procedures for the design of tensioned foundations are discussed in this paper, including specific recommendations for more common transmission tower foundations. Starting from a distinction between shallow and deep modes of failure, the paper presents the most common failure mechanisms for shallow failure in tension, including procedures for calculation of foundation tensile capacity under vertical and inclined loading. Emphasis is given to the influence of the strength of the compacted backfill compared to the strength of the natural soil, including presentation of results of full-scale loading tests.     

Interference of Multiple Strip Footings on Sand Using Small Scale Model Tests

By using small scale model tests, the interference effect on the vertical load-deformation behavior of a number of equally spaced strip footings, placed on the surface of dry sand, was investigated. At any stage, all the footings were assumed to (i) carry exactly equal magnitude of load, and (ii) settle to the same extent. No tilt of the footing was permitted. The effect of clear spacing (s) among footings on the results was explored. A new experimental setup was proposed in which only one footing needs to be employed rather than a number of footings. The bearing capacity increases continuously with decrease in spacing among the footings. The interference effect becomes further prominent with increase in soil friction angle. In contrast to an increase in the bearing capacity, with decrease in spacing of footings, an increase in the footing settlement associated with the ultimate state of shear failure was observed. The present experimental observations were similar to those predicted by the available theory, based on the method of characteristics. As compared to the theory, the present experimental data, however, indicates much greater effect of interference especially for larger spacing among footings.     

Evaluation of the Risk of Marine Slope Instability: A Pseudo-3D Approach for Application to Large Areas

This article presents a methodology developed to evaluate the instability of submarine slopes that extend over a large area. Special attention was paid to (1) the complex geometry (bathymetry) and the expanse of the slope, (2) the heterogeneity of the sediment, and (3) the distribution of the pore pressure. The safety factor was considered as a spatially varying quantity. The General Formulation (GLE, Fredlund and Krahn 1977), which fully satisfies equilibrium conditions, was used for evaluating the stability of the marine slope. The submarine slope failure, which occurred on 16 October 1979 during the construction of the new Nice airport, was studied in order to test the developed model. Geotechnical parameters were taken from experimental tests carried out by IFREMER on 19 cores extracted at different depths (from 27 m to 1300 m) (Cochonat, Bourillet, and Savoye, 1993; Mulder et al., 1994). Many scenarios were proposed in order to explain the cause of the Nice slope failure (Habib, 1994). In this article, two of those scenarios were tested. Simulation results are presented and discussed.     

Slope inclinometers for landslides

Slope inclinometers/indicators are used to determine the magnitude, rate, direction, depth, and type of landslide movement. This information is usually vitally important for understanding the cause, behavior, and remediation of a landslide. However, many inclinometer measurements fail to achieve these intended aims because of lack of appreciation of the many factors that need to be correctly implemented during installation, monitoring, and data reduction to yield useful data. This paper presents some guidelines for understanding, installing, and interpreting slope inclinometers and presents three case histories that illustrate some of the pitfalls that can develop if these guidelines are not followed.     

Strain softening of K0-consolidated Changi sand under plane-strain conditions

Experimental results are presented in this paper to study the strain softening behaviour of a marine dredged sand under plane-strain conditions. K₀ consolidated drained and undrained tests were conducted using a new plane-strain apparatus to characterize the strain softening behaviour of the sand under plane-strain conditions. For medium dense specimens, strain softening and shear bands were observed to occur under both drained and undrained conditions. For very loose specimens, no shear bands were observed and critical states were reached within the homogeneous deformation region in both drained and undrained tests. Strain softening was observed to occur at small strain for very loose specimens under undrained conditions. Two types of strain softening, the homogenous softening and banding softening, were identified and the conditions for strain softening were established. The results obtained from this study were compared with the studies by Han and Vardoulakis (Géotechnique 41(1):49–78, 1991), Finno et al. (J Geotech Eng ASCE 122(6):462–473, 1996, Géotechnique 47(1):149–165, 1997) and Mokni and Desrues (Mech Cohes-Frict Mat 4:419–441, 1998).     

How to obtain alert velocity thresholds for large rockslides

A reliable forecast of the failure stage of large rockslides is difficult, because of non-linear time dependency of displacements and seasonal effects. Aim of this paper is to suggest a practical method to prepare alert thresholds for large rockslides, assessing critical values of velocity for carrying out civil protection actions using monitoring data. Adopted data concern the 20 Mm³ Ruinon rockslide (Valfurva, Central Alps, Italy), still evolving and suitable to originate a fast moving rock avalanche. Multitemporal analysis of aerial photos, LIDAR-ALTM laser topography, field survey and geomechanical analyses allowed to infer the rockslide kinematics and better understand data provided by a monitoring network including distometers, extensometers, GPS benchmarks and inclinometers. The analysis of displacement and rainfall data over five years (1997–2001) allowed to recognise three different evolutionary patterns of displacements, showing a continuously increasing rate since 1997. Data representing large-scale behaviour of the rock mass were fitted by power-law curves, according to the “accelerating creep” model by Voight, in order to evaluate a suitable failure time. This was hampered by the large seasonal deviations, which can significantly delay the occurrence of failure. Data were fitted using the Voight’s equation, expressed in terms of displacement, through non-linear estimation techniques, in order to find values of the controlling parameters (A, α and t_f) suitable to represent the mechanical behaviour of the rock mass approaching the failure. This allowed to compute velocity–time theoretical curves and to define different velocity threshold values (pre-alert, alert and emergency) to be used for emergency management.     

The use of inclined hemisphere projections for analyzing failure mechanisms in discontinuous rocks

This paper demonstrates the advantages of using inclined stereographic projections in kinematic analysis of rock blocks in discontinuous rock masses. Some examples of limiting cases are presented. The application of inclined projections is illustrated by its use in a mine slope in Brazil. It is clear from the discussion of these examples that inclined hemisphere projections provide better results than horizontal projections. It is also demonstrated that horizontal projections can lead to incorrect results in limiting cases.     

东北输油管道锦县,盖县,海城段地基土抗液化强度研究

对东北输油管道锦县，盖县，海城段的粉土细砂，中砂，粉砂进行了振动液化试验，取得了和类土的τｄ－ｌｏｇＮｆ曲线，τｄ／σ′－ｌｏｇＮｆ曲线，为在以上地区进行液化判别提供了重要的基础资料，同时也为研究其它的地区相同土质的振动性能提供借鉴。     

Prediction of tension crack location and riverbank erosion hazards along destabilized channels

Riverbank erosion, associated sedimentation and land loss hazards are a land management problem of global significance and many attempts to predict the onset of riverbank instability have been made. Recently, Osman and Thorne (1988) have presented a Culmann-type analysis of the stability of steep, cohesive riverbanks; this has the potential to be a considerable improvement over previous bank stability theories, which do not account for bank geometry changes due to toe scour and lateral erosion. However, in this paper it is shown that the existing Osman-Thorne model does not properly incorporate the influence of tension cracking on bank stability since the location of the tension crack on the floodplain is indirectly determined via calculation or arbitrary specification of the tension crack depth. Furthermore, accurate determination of tension crack location is essential to the calculation of the geometry of riverbank failure blocks and hence prediction of land loss and bank sediment yield associated with riverbank instability and channel widening. In this paper, a rational, physically based method to predict the location of tension cracks on the floodplain behind the eroding bank face is presented and tested. A case study is used to illustrate the computational procedure required to apply the model. Improved estimates of failure block geometry using the new method may potentially be applied to improve predictions of bank retreat and floodplain land loss along river channels destabilized as a result of environmental change.     

2010年7·27四川汉源二蛮山滑坡-碎屑流特征与成因机理研究

2010年7月27日凌晨4时许,四川省汉源县万工乡二蛮山发生大规模滑坡,约48×104m3的强风化玄武岩体,在前期降雨的影响下高位高速滑出,随即解体转化为碎屑流,沿沟谷高速运动,沿途不断携卷和铲刮堆积于沟床及两侧斜坡的表层松散物质,使滑体的体积和含水量不断增大。当运动到沟谷中段时,因沟道在此向右偏转,在强大的惯性力作用下,部分碎屑流体冲向左岸斜坡,将居住于此的双合村一组5户村民房屋掩埋,造成20人失踪;另一部分碎屑流体继续沿沟谷高速运动近1.4km才最终停止。约30m in后,堆积于沟谷中段深切沟道内的滑坡堆积物,在重力作用下再次启动,形成二次滑坡。二次滑坡缓慢蠕滑流动数小时,最终到达万工新集镇,将部分房屋推倒掩埋,造成92户房屋受损、1500人被迫紧急转移。本文在对灾害现场进行详细地质调查的基础上,结合现场测绘、颗分试验、航拍等手段,对二蛮山滑坡体的基本特征进行了较深入的调查研究,对滑坡发生及成灾原因进行了初步分析。结果表明,滑源区相对突出的地形条件、风化破碎的玄武岩体和有利的结构面组合是滑坡发生的基本条件;前期降雨期间爆发的泥石流对滑源区坡脚的掏蚀、强降雨的饱水加载作用以及雨水沿陡倾张裂结构面的下渗软化作用,是诱发滑坡发生的直接原因。二蛮山沟谷原为一高频泥石流沟,滑坡发生前并无明显的滑坡迹象,滑坡的发生表现出极强的隐蔽性和突发性以及高位高速远程运动和危害巨大的特点,同时,主滑坡发生后在短时间内滑坡区再次启动发生二次滑坡,这些现象和特点具有特殊性,也具有典型性,值得深入研究。