Performance of cement-stabilized weak subgrade for highway embankment construction in Southeast Nigeria

Soils with poor shear strength and high compressibility underlie the wetlands of southern Nigeria. They are susceptible to intolerable settlements and account for greater than 60% of the soils in the region. While requiring embankments for any infrastructure construction, these weak soils pose significant threat to the construction and service life of highway pavements in southeastern Nigeria. Therefore, this research investigates shear strength improvement of a highway embankment’s weak subgrade soil after mass stabilization of soil with 6 and 10% Portland cement. The factor of safety against shear failure of the embankment was analyzed for un-stabilized subgrade and then cement-stabilized subgrade. The analysis was carried out for embankment heights of 4, 5, 6 and 7 m using the limit equilibrium method. Thick soft clayey silt with Cu range of 9 to 15 kPa underlay the embankment, upon improvement, the Cu of 154 and 208 kPa was obtained for 6 and 10% stabilization respectively. The FoS for the embankment on Un-stabilized soil ranged from 0.88 for a 7 m embankment to 1.2 for a 4 m embankment. The FoS after mass stabilization of 1 to 5 m soil ranged between 1.77 and 5.22 for the different embankment heights. Stability was better improved as depth of mass stabilization and cement content increased. A linear relationship was observed to exist between the cement content, strength of the improved soils, stabilization depth and the factor of safety.

Experimental investigation and modeling on the dissociation conditions of methane hydrate in clayey silt cores

The dissociation conditions of hydrate in clayey silts are of great significance for its efficient production. In this work, the dissociation conditions of methane hydrate in clayey silt cores were experimentally measured by step-heating method. Various cores including quartz powder, montmorillonite and South China Sea sediments were used for investigation. The results showed that the dissociation temperatures of methane hydrate in clayey silt cores depressed compared to bulk hydrate. In comparison to grain size, salinity and lithology had a more significant influence on the equilibrium temperature depression. A water activity meter was used to measure the water activity in clayey silt cores. The influence of salt and minerals on water activity was investigated. By combining the measured water activity data with the Chen-Guo model, a novel water activity measurement method (WAM) for the hydrate dissociation conditions prediction was proposed. The predicted results are in good agreement with the experimental data.

Shear strength and yield surface of a partially saturated sandy silt under generalized stress states

This paper studies the hydromechanical behavior of a slightly compacted mixture of sand and clayey silt (30%/70%) under a generalized stress state. The experimental study focused on analyzing the yielding response and shear strength behavior at different stress states (characterized by the intermediate principal stress parameter b, or Lode angle) and at different initial total suctions (as-compacted state). For the investigation, a hollow cylinder apparatus was used. The shear strength results allowed defining the variation of the critical state line with the Lode angle and the suction. Different models were proposed for isotropic and anisotropic yield surfaces, and their shape and rotation were calibrated with experimental results. The modeled yield surfaces fitted reasonably well the experimental results, considering their inclination and dependence on the suction, mean and deviatoric stresses and Lode angle. In addition, some relationships between the stresses and the model parameters were proposed to normalize the yield surface equation.

Geomorphological sedimentary characteristics in the coastal area of Ma river delta, Thanh Hoa province

The coastal area of the Ma river delta is formed by the interaction of continental and marine processes, between neo-tectonic activities and exogenous processes, between natural factors and human activities during the Late Holocene. Using remote sensing and geoscience research methods (granulometry, paleontology, geochemistry, clay mineralogy) and geomorphological studies (geneses, morphology, dynamics) combined with field survey, this coastal area, except the denuded mountainous remnants, could be distinguished into 12 morpho-sedimentary units formed and developed by the dynamic interactions of the river, waves and tides. The units formed by fluvial dynamics include: 1) Point bar is composed of clayey silt and sandy silt, 2) Channel bar composed of silty sand, 3) Levee with the composition of silty sand and 4) The flood plain of silty clay. The Late Holocene evolution of the Ma river delta was dominated by wave dynamics, reflected by a wave-formed association of dunes, interdune swamps and current sand beaches. The wave-formed units include 5) Dune’s sand and silty sand, 6) Back-dune depressions composed of sand silt clay, 7) Beach composed of sand, 8) Lagoon plain of silty clay and 9) Strand plain composed of silty sand. The tide-influenced units include 10) Supratidal flat with the composition of silty clay, 11) Intertidal flat characterized by clay or silty clay interbedded with thin fine sand or silty sand layers, 12) Subtidal flat of sand and silty sand.

The Effect of Oil Contamination on some Geotechnical Properties of West Qurna Oilfield Soils at Basrah, Southern Iraq

Oil contamination in soils causes several geotechnical problems that must be considered during construction. The contamination occurs due to oil seepage which could happen during oil explorations and production processes or oil transportation. The site of West Qurna oilfield in Basrah was selected for this study because it has witnessed oil seepages many times. In order to study the significant impact on geotechnical properties of soils in the West Qurna site, as uncontaminated bulk soil sample was taken at a depth of 1 m, and crude oil was added at weight ratios of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 %. Laboratory tests were performed on all samples; these tests included particle size distribution, moisture content, Atterberg’s limits, consolidation, unconfined compressive strength, and water absorption. The results show that soil at the West Qurna site is clayey silt with little sand and the moisture content is 29.21%. The values of liquid limit and plasticity index were gradually decreased, while the plastic limit was increased with increasing of crude oil in the soil of study. There was an increase in consolidation coefficients [compressive index, swelling index, pre-consolidation pressure, and coefficient of consolidation] with an increase in the percentages of crude oil in the soil. The results also show that there was a decrease in the values of unconfined compressive strength and absorption of water as the crude oil was increased in the soil.

The Utilization of Remote Sensing Imagery and Inverse Distance Weighted Scheme to Simulate the White Oil Effects on Soil Geotechnical Properties

This research aims to utilize a complementarity of field excavations and laboratory works with spatial analyses techniques for a highly accurate modeling of soil geotechniques properties (i.e. having lower root mean square error value for the spatial interpolation). This was conducted, for a specified area of interest, firstly by adopting spatially sufficient and well distributed samples (cores). Then, in the second step, a simulation is performed for the variations in properties when soil is contaminated with commonly used industrial material, which is white oil in our case. Cohesive (disturbed and undisturbed) soil samples were obtained from three various locations inside Baghdad University campus in AL-Jadiriya section of Baghdad, Iraq. The unified soil categorization system (USCS) was adopted and soil was categorized as clayey silt of low plasticity (CL). The cores were contaminated in a synthetically manner using two specified values of white oil (5 and 10 % of its dry weight). Then, the samples were left for three days to certify homogeneity. The results of laboratory tests were enhanced by spatial interpolation mapping, using Inverse Distance Weighted scheme for normal soil samples and those with synthetic pollution. The liquid limit rates were raised slightly as contamination rates raised, while particle size was reduced; in contrary, shear strength parameter values were decreased.