Cyclic strength of a natural liquefiable sand stabilized with colloidal silica grout

2008 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 1345-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Díaz-Rodríguez ◽  
V. M. Antonio-Izarraras ◽  
P. Bandini ◽  
J. A. López-Molina

This paper summarizes the experimental results of a series of cyclic simple shear tests on liquefiable silty sand with and without sample improvement with colloidal silica grout. The objective of the paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of colloidal silica grouting in reducing the liquefaction potential of natural silty sand. Colloidal silica was selected as a stabilizing material due to its low viscosity, wide range of gel times, nontoxicity, and low cost. The soil tested in this experimental program is a poorly graded sand with 11.5% of nonplastic silt from the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas, México. Colloidal silica treated and untreated sand specimens show different pore pressure response and deformation behavior under cyclic loading in simple shear tests. The results indicate that, for a given initial relative density and initial effective vertical stress, liquefiable silty sand specimens stabilized with colloidal silica grout generally exhibit significant gain in liquefaction resistance compared with untreated specimens. It was also found that the colloidal silica grout reduces considerably the rates of pore pressure generation and shear strain of the silty sand specimens subjected to cyclic loading.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 4502
Author(s):  
Zhenzhen Nong ◽  
Sung-Sik Park ◽  
Sueng-Won Jeong ◽  
Dong-Eun Lee

The frequency of ground motions during earthquakes is typically in the order of a few hertz. As the earthquake-induced liquefaction of soils is widely assessed by performing laboratory tests, it is necessary to consider various loading frequencies generated by real earthquakes. The effect of loading frequency has been studied by cyclic triaxial tests; however, it has rarely been investigated by cyclic direct simple shear tests, which are more similar to the cyclic loading conditions associated with earthquakes. In this study, a series of cyclic direct simple shear tests were performed on clean sand with a relative density (Dr) of 40% (loose sand) and 80% (dense sand), obtained from Nakdong River. The parameters considered are the initial vertical effective stresses (σv0′ = 50, 100, and 200 kPa) and the loading frequencies (f = 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, and 1 Hz) to evaluate the effect of the loading frequency on the liquefaction prediction of clean sand. The results showed that the liquefaction resistance of the sand increases with the increase in the loading frequency, regardless of the initial vertical effective stress and relative density. When the loading frequency increased from 0.1 to 0.5 or 1 Hz, the maximum increase in the cyclic resistances were 15%, and 19% for loose and dense sand, respectively. For a given loading frequency, the liquefaction resistance of the sand decreased when the initial vertical effective stress increased.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (23) ◽  
pp. 8433
Author(s):  
Hernán Patiño ◽  
Rubén Galindo ◽  
Claudio Olalla Marañón

This paper refers to cyclic shear strains (γc) and permanent shear strains (γp) of a soft cohesive soil, when both monotonic shear stresses (τo) and cyclic shear stresses (τc) are applied. The research is backed by an extensive experimental program with 139 cyclic simple shear tests that included identification and classification tests. These cyclic simple shear tests were conducted under different levels of stresses, τo, before the cyclic phase. Laboratory tests were carried out on undisturbed samples from the Port of Barcelona, located in Spain on the Mediterranean coast, and characterized by a monotonic strength (τmax) approximately equal to 30% of the initial effective vertical stress (σ′ov). The samples were taken at depths between 29 and 52 m and correspond to an initial effective vertical stress between 277 and 413 kPa, respectively. In general, the results indicate that: (a) the combination of τo and τc controls the generation of γc and γp, (b) it is not always true that when τo/σ′ov + τc/σ′ov ≈ τmax/σ′ov, the soil reaches failure cyclically, and (c) empirical relations useful for design can be established between γc, γp, and the number of cycles (N), for different relationships varying (τo/σ′ov) between 0% and 25%.


2019 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 08002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Mele ◽  
Stefania Lirer ◽  
Alessandro Flora

The cyclic simple shear tests can be used to reproduce in laboratory the complex behaviour of the soil during an earthquake, simulating the continuous rotation of the principal stress axes. In this research a comparison of results between cyclic simple shear tests carried out with confining pressure or confining rings is reported. A cyclic simple shear apparatus is used to carry out tests with confining rings (the conventional way to carry out cyclic simple shear tests) and with a confining pressure applied to the specimen through pressurized water, where the K0 condition during consolidation is guaranteed by a sophisticated control system. The apparatus, in both the configurations, is described in detail. All tests were carried out on reconstituted specimens of an Italian sand with similar initial conditions, such as low relative density and confining pressure. All experimental results are reported in the plane cyclic stress ratio (CSR) and number of cycles where liquefaction occurs (Nliq) in order to evaluate the effect of confinement on the liquefaction resistance of the studied sand.


2020 ◽  
Vol 130 ◽  
pp. 105991
Author(s):  
D.J. Robert ◽  
Yang Ao ◽  
M. Senthilkumar ◽  
Jayantha Kodikara ◽  
P. Rajeev

1988 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 401-407
Author(s):  
Guy Lefebvre ◽  
Serge Malenfant

The liquefaction potential of a loose glacial till is assessed by laboratory cyclic tests and by comparison with test results obtained on a clean sand, using the same testing procedures. The laboratory testing program of both soils included cyclic triaxial tests on saturated specimens and constant volume cyclic simple shear tests on dry specimens. The till and the sand exhibited very similar behaviour during cycling and mobilized nearly identical cyclic shear strengths in the triaxial as well as in the simple shear tests. The 28% fines content in the till did not make it more resistant to liquefaction than a clean sand. Key words: liquefaction, sand, silty sand, cyclic simple shear test, cyclic triaxial test.


2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 1475-1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.A. Siemens ◽  
W.A. Take ◽  
S.B. Peters

Infiltration is a vadose zone process of interest to a wide range of research communities including agriculture, soil physics, and geotechnical engineering. In geotechnical engineering, transient infiltration is important to moisture balance problems such as cover systems, capillary breaks, and landslide triggering. Design of cover systems, capillary breaks, and landslide analysis applications depend on accurate models for the transient pore pressure and moisture migration response under a wide range of environmental conditions. Infiltration is typically modeled using Richards’ equation, which assumes no impedance from the pore-air phase. However, if this assumption is invalid, the ground response during infiltration is significantly affected. An optically matched pore fluid – transparent soil, which allows for high temporal and resolution measurements of degree of saturation, was used to examine the effect of air entrapment on infiltration. Homogeneous and layered profiles were subjected to closed and open infiltration conditions. Following the completion of the experimental program, the results were simulated using a finite element program that allows for consideration of the air phase during infiltration. The results show the impact of ignoring the effect of air entrapment is to significantly underpredict the time to saturation and overpredict the pore pressure response.


Author(s):  
Nathalie Boukpeti ◽  
Barry Lehane ◽  
J. Antonio H. Carraro

Design of offshore foundation systems requires assessment of the effects of cyclic loading on the soil strength. This paper investigates the applicability of the strain accumulation procedure, which is used to assess the effects of wave loading on the soil strength. Staged undrained cyclic simple shear tests were conducted on a carbonate sediment from the North West shelf of Australia, with varying shear stress amplitude in each stage. The shear strain mobilised at the end of the staged tests is compared with the value predicted by the strain accumulation procedure, using shear strain contours constructed from the results of single amplitude undrained cyclic simple shear tests. It was found that the strain accumulation procedure gives adequate prediction for normalised cyclic shear stress less or equal to 0.3, but largely underestimates the cyclic shear strain for normalised cyclic shear stress greater than 0.3 (the cyclic shear stress being normalised by the effective vertical stress at the end of consolidation).


2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 1496-1508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gholamreza Saghaee ◽  
Ahmad A. Mousa ◽  
Mohamed A. Meguid

Earth levees are subject to a wide range of wildlife intrusion patterns that cause mass removal and subsequent serious deformations. Such invasive activities leave the body of an earth embankment with burrow systems too complex to map and model using conventional techniques. This study investigates the impact of different idealized configurations of animal burrows on the geotechnical performance of levees. For this purpose, centrifuge testing was conducted on homogenous scaled-down 1 horizontal : 1 vertical (1H:1V) levee models built from silty sand material. Modeling involved introducing horizontal cylinder-shaped waterside and landside burrows at different elevations within the levee section. The reference (intact) and deteriorated levee models were subject to a centrifugal acceleration of 35g, which was kept constant as the water level behind the levee model was gradually increased. The deformation profile of the model was tracked, and the crest displacements were concurrently measured. Miniature pore pressure transducers (PPTs) embedded within the levee body provided pore pressure measurements. A three-dimensional finite element model was developed to investigate the hydraulic performance and verify the failure patterns of the deteriorated levees. Compared with an intact levee, the presence of animal intrusions was found to increase the exit hydraulic gradient for both waterside and landside intrusions. Lower animal burrows appeared to cause larger exit gradients than higher ones. Similarly, waterside burrows exhibited a notably higher pore pressure and larger hydraulic gradient. Waterside damage resulted in a quicker and more violent failure than landside burrows. The failure mechanisms for both the waterside and landside burrows are dissimilar despite their similarly abrupt nature.


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