Evaluation of Dynamic Behavior of Pile Foundations for Interim Storage Facilities Through Geotechnical Centrifuge Tests

Author(s):  
Shizuo Tsurumaki ◽  
Hiroyuki Watanabe ◽  
Akira Tateishi ◽  
Kenichi Horikoshi ◽  
Shunichi Suzuki

In Japan, there is a possibility that interim storage facilities for recycled nuclear fuel resources may be constructed on quaternary layers, rather than on hard rock. In such a case, the storage facilities need to be supported by pile foundations or spread foundations to meet the required safety level. The authors have conducted a series of experimental studies on the dynamic behavior of storage facilities supported by pile foundations. A centrifuge modeling technique was used to satisfy the required similitude between the reduced size model and the prototype. The centrifuge allows a high confining stress level equivalent to prototype deep soils to be generated (which is considered necessary for examining complex pile-soil interactions) as the soil strength and the deformation are highly dependent on the confining stress. The soil conditions were set at as experimental variables, and the results are compared. Since 2000, the Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (NUPEC) has been conducting these research tests under the auspices on the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan.

2004 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M Byrne ◽  
Sung-Sik Park ◽  
Michael Beaty ◽  
Michael Sharp ◽  
Lenart Gonzalez ◽  
...  

The prediction of liquefaction and resulting displacements is a major concern for earth structures located in regions of moderate to high seismicity. Conventional procedures used to assess liquefaction commonly predict the triggering of liquefaction to depths of 50 m or more. Remediation to prevent or curtail liquefaction at these depths can be very expensive. Field experience during past earthquakes indicates that liquefaction has mainly occurred at depths less than about 15 m, and some recent dynamic centrifuge model testing initially appeared to confirm a depth or confining-stress limitation on the occurrence of liquefaction. Such a limitation on liquefaction could greatly reduce remediation costs. In this paper an effective stress numerical modeling procedure is used to assess these centrifuge tests. The results indicate that a lack of complete saturation and densification at depth arising from the application of the high-acceleration field are largely responsible for the apparent limitation on liquefaction at depth observed in some centrifuge tests.Key words: liquefaction, dynamic centrifuge modeling, numerical modeling, depth limitation.


Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuchen Li ◽  
Jie Li ◽  
Zhaohui Zheng ◽  
Jinni Deng ◽  
Yi Pan ◽  
...  

The time delay existing between the chemical oscillation and mechanical oscillation (C-M delay) in a self-oscillating gel (SOG) system is observable in previous experimental studies. However, how the C-M delay...


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 5-15
Author(s):  
M. L Nuzhdin

Often in construction practice there is a need to strengthen the pile foundation of buildings and structures. The traditional methods include the implementation of additional, as a rule, bored piles with the subsequent erection of a grillage incorporating them into operation. Often, this work has to be done in the conditions of dense urban development, in cramped rooms of the basement, etc., which leads to significant technological difficulties. One of the alternative ways to strengthen pile foundations is the method of high-pressure group injection, which consists in injecting a movable cement-sand mortar into the soil under pressure that exceeds its structural strength. As a result, after its hardening, solid injection bodies are formed at the base, reinforcing the soil base. The article describes the results of experiments to assess the impact of the layout of hard inclusions on the deformability of the soil foundation of the pile foundation model. The experiments were carried out in a small soil tray, which was filled with medium-grained loose sand. The piles were modeled with metal rods, the pile grillage with a metal square stamp. The pile foundation model included 9 piles arranged in a square grid. As injection bodies, gravel grains of various sizes and shapes were used. The studies included 10 series of experiments (each experiment was repeated at least 3 times): the volume of the inclusions used, their sizes, the positioning step in the plan and in depth varied. As a result of the analysis of the performed experiments, conclusions were formulated regarding the purpose of the optimal layout of hard inclusions when strengthening the soil foundation of pile foundations by high-pressure injection of mobile cement-sand mixtures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 234-240
Author(s):  
Vadim Chernyshev ◽  
Vladimir Arykantsev ◽  
Anton Goncharov ◽  
Nikolay Sharonov

For mobile robots designed to work in extreme conditions, an important characteristic is the value of the overcoming slope. For wheeled and tracked vehicles, the angle of the overcoming slope is limited by the adhesion properties of the soil. The walking device can provide overcoming of higher slopes, since the analogue of the adhesion coefficient for walking machines, with a large footprint track depth, can be significantly greater than 1. The paper discusses the results of experimental studies of the features of overcoming slopes by a walking device in weak soil conditions. When mobile robots overcoming inclines, they may overturn or slide downhill. It is shown that on soft soils the sliding of walking machines downhill is unlikely because of significant deformations of the soil under the support elements. On the other hand, the deformation of the soil worsens the resistance of the walking vehicle to overturning. A method of increasing resistance to overturning by controlling the position of the robot body by separately regulating the conditional clearance of walking mechanisms is considered. The possibility of adjusting the clearance in the propulsion unit on the basis of Umnov-Chebyshev cyclic walking mechanisms is shown. Climbing slopes requires a certain amount of traction. The values of the additional power and the force characteristics of the walking device’s drive necessary for successful overcoming of slopes have been determined. The results of the work can be demand in the development of walking machines and mobile robots. Key words Mobile robots, walking machines, interaction with the ground, traction and coupling properties, overcoming slopes, tipping resistance, mathematical modeling, field tests. Acknowledgements Research was partially supported by RFBR and the Administration of the Volgograd region, research projects no. 19-08-01180 a, 19-48-340007 p_a.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ragini Gogoi ◽  
Charles P. Aubeny ◽  
Phillip Watson ◽  
Fraser Bransby

Abstract Suction caissons have emerged as a viable solution for the foundations of offshore wind turbines, which are gaining momentum worldwide as an alternate energy source. When used in a multi-bucket jacket system, the system capacity is often governed by the uplift capacity of the windward bucket foundation. Seabed conditions at offshore windfarm sites often comprise dense sand where the soil response may be drained, partially drained or undrained depending on the loading regime, the foundation dimensions and the soil conditions. Given the large difference in uplift capacity of caissons for these different drainage conditions, predicting the behavior of a suction caisson under a range of drainage conditions becomes a paramount concern. Consequently, this paper presents the findings of a coupled finite element investigation of the monotonic uplift response of the windward caisson of a multi-bucket jacket system in a typical dense silica sand for a range of drainage conditions. The study adopts a Hypoplastic soil constitutive model capable of simulating the stress-strain-strength behavior of dense sand. This choice is justified by conducting a comparative study with other soil models — namely the Mohr Coulomb and bounding surface sand models — to determine the most efficient soil failure model to capture the complex undrained behavior of dense sand. The numerical predictions made in this study are verified by recreating the test conditions adopted in centrifuge tests previously conducted at the University of Western Australia, and demonstrating that the capacity from numerical analysis is consistent with the test results. The Hypoplastic soil constitutive model also provides an efficient method to produce accurate load capacity transition curves from an undrained to a drained soil state.


Author(s):  
Pablo Cesar Trejo ◽  
Jose Renato M.S. Oliveira ◽  
Márcio S.S. Almeida ◽  
Maria C.F. Almeida ◽  
Mario A. Vignoles

The development of new offshore oil and gas fields is continuously expanding to ultra-deep waters. This tendency and the necessity of reducing project costs have been stimulating the development of new technologies as well as the enhancement of floating production systems. In this regard, pipelines and flexible riser systems have been getting more attention due to its low cost of installation and operation. In order to project a pipeline system, it is important to understand the pipe-soil interaction mechanisms and quantify the influence of soil behaviour on pipe response caused by lateral movement such as thermal buckling. The loads that a pipeline is subjected have been a topic of many experimental studies that aim to reproduce those loads in a realistic manner. This present study concerns the analysis of lateral clay-pipe interaction associated with large deformations and berm formation process at the leading edge of the pipe during movement at given burial depths. A series of centrifuge tests was conducted to assess the relationship between horizontal force and lateral pipe displacement. The breakout force experimental results were compared with different literature proposals, showing a good agreement. A procedure was also proposed to evaluate the normalized lateral force through the combination of two different approaches. The results showed a good comparison with the centrifuge experimental data.


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