Finite Element Modelling of a Series of Ground Displacement Episodes and Stress Relief Procedures

Author(s):  
Hamid Karimian ◽  
Pete Barlow ◽  
Chris Blackwell ◽  
Chris Campbell

Abstract The Wapiti River South Slope (the Slope) near Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada, is 500 m long and consists of a steep lower slope and a shallower upper slope. Both the upper and the lower slopes are located within a landslide complex with ground movements of varying magnitudes and depths. The Alliance Pipeline (Alliance) NPS 42 Mainline (the pipeline) was installed in the winter of 2000 using conventional trenching techniques at an angle of approximately 8° to the slope fall line. Evidence of slope instability was observed in the slope since 2007. The surficial geology of the slope comprises a colluvium layer draped over bedrock formation in the lower slope, and glacial deposits in the upper slope. Available data indicated two different slide mechanisms. In the lower slope, there is a shallow translational slide within a colluvium layer, and in the upper slope there is a deep-seated translational slide within the glacial deposits. Both the upper and lower slope landslides have been confirmed to be active in the past decade. Gradual ground displacements in the order of several centimeters per year were observed in both the upper and lower slopes between 2007 and 2012. Large ground displacements in the order of several meters were observed between 2012 and 2014 in the lower slope that led to the first stress relief and subsequent slope mitigation measures in the spring and summer of 2014. Monitoring of the slope after mitigations indicated significant reduction in the rate of ground movement in the lower slope. Surveying of the pipeline before and after stress relief indicated an increase in lateral pipeline deformation in the direction of ground movement, following the stress relief. This observation raised questions regarding the effectiveness of partial stress relief to reduce stresses and strains associated with ground movements. Finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted in 2016 to aid in assessing the condition of the pipeline after being subject to ground displacements prior to 2014, stress relief in 2014, and subsequent ground displacement from July 2014 to December 2016. The results and findings of the FEA reasonably matched the observed pipeline behaviour before and after stress relief in the lower slope. The FEA results demonstrated that while the lateral displacement of the pipeline, originally caused by ground movement, increased following the removal of the soil loading during the stress relief, the maximum pipeline strain was reduced within the excavated portion. The FEA was also employed to assess the pipeline response to potential ground displacement scenarios following December 2016. For this assessment, three ground displacement scenarios that comprise different lengths of the pipeline were analyzed. An increased rate of ground displacement, with a pattern that matched one of the analyzed scenarios, was observed in the upper slope in the spring of 2017. The results of FEA were used to assess the pipeline response to the increased rate of displacement in the upper slope. Subsequently a decision was made to stress-relieve the pipeline. The second stress-relief was conducted in the summer of 2017. This stress relief was conducted locally at the toe and head of the active slide in the upper slope, where the FEA showed the greatest stress concentrations in the pipeline.

Author(s):  
Hamid Karimian ◽  
Chris Campbell ◽  
Chris Blackwell ◽  
Colin Dooley ◽  
Pete Barlow

The Wapiti River South Slope is located 25 km southwest of Grande Prairie, AB. The slope is 500 m long and consists of a steep lower slope and a shallower upper slope, both of which are located within a landslide complex with ground movements of varying magnitudes and depths. The Alliance Pipelines Ltd. (Alliance) NPS 42 Mainline (the pipeline) was installed in the winter of 2000 using conventional trenching techniques at an angle of approximately 8° to the slope fall line. Evidence of slope instability was observed in the slope since the first ground inspection in 2007. Review of the available geotechnical data indicates two different slide mechanisms. In the lower slope, there is a shallow translational slide within a colluvium layer that is draped over a stable bedrock formation. In the upper slope, there is a deep-seated translational slide within glaciolacustrine and glacial till deposits that are underlain by pre-glacial fluvial deposits. Both the upper and lower slope landslide mechanisms have been confirmed to be active in the past decade. Large ground displacements in the order of several meters between 2012 and 2014 in the lower slope led to a partial stress relief and subsequent slope mitigation measures in the spring and summer of 2014, which significantly reduced the rate of ground movement in the lower slope. Surveying of the pipeline before and after stress relief indicated an increase in lateral pipeline deformation (in the direction of ground movement) following the stress relief. This observation was counter-intuitive and raised questions regarding the effectiveness of partial stress relief to reduce stresses and strains associated with ground movements. Finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted in 2017 to aid in assessing the condition of the pipeline after being subject to the aforementioned activities, and subsequent ground displacement from July 2014 to December 2016. This paper presents the assumptions and results of the FEA model and discusses the effect of large ground displacement, subsequent stress relief and continued ground displacement on pipeline behaviour. The results and findings of the FEA reasonably match the observed pipeline behaviour before and after stress relief. The FEA results showed that while the lateral displacement of the pipeline that was caused by ground movement actually increased following the removal of the soil loading, the maximum pipeline strain was reduced in the excavated portion. The results also indicated that ground displacement in the upper slope following the stress relief had minimal effect on pipe stresses and strains in the lower slope.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Lianwei Sun ◽  
Zhong-chao Li ◽  
Rong-zhu Liang

Earth pressure balance or slurry shield tunnelling will squeeze the subsoils and lead to lateral outward ground displacement. However, current methods to estimate the shield tunnelling-induced ground displacements generally use the methods based on the face unsupported tunnelling (e.g., New Austrian tunnelling and open shield excavation), which cannot predict the lateral ground movement due to shield tunnelling. In this paper, a novel simplified analytical method is proposed to predict the ground lateral displacement during the shield advancing process. The key shield tunnelling operation factors, including the additional pressure of cutter head, the friction forces around shield body, the back-fill grouting pressure, and the soil volume loss are all considered. The lateral ground displacements induced by the four former factors are calculated by using Mindlin’s solutions. The soil volume loss-induced lateral ground displacement is calculated by employing the expression introduced by Pinto and Whittle. Combining with the displacement obtained from all the factors, the analytical method for lateral ground displacement induced by shield tunnelling is obtained. The applicability of the proposed analytical approach is verified with three well-documented case histories involving slurry shield and EPB shield machines.


2011 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 221-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong Hwan Jang ◽  
Byeong Don Joo ◽  
Sung Min Mun ◽  
Young Hoon Moon

Studies on the forming characteristics by a rotary swaging process using the sub-scale specimens have been carried out to obtain a shell body nose of desirable quality. To analyze the changes of the nose thickness and length at the respective reduction of inside diameter, the finite element simulations were carried out. As a result, the desired target dimension is satisfied with the diameter reduction of more than 64 % for the given preform. The thickness of nose area increased up to 56.1 % from initial thickness of 2.62 mm to 4.09 mm after swaging. The values of the hardness before and after swaging were 208 HV and 325 HV, respectively. To analyze the dimensional changes (length and thickness) of nose area with decreasing inside diameter, the rotary swaging test was carried out for two different diameter reductions such as 65 % and 67 %. The lengths of nose area for the diameter reductions are 11.79 mm in 65 % and 12.53 mm in 67 %, respectively. At the diameter reduction of more than 67%, the crack occurs when the localized strain hardening reduces ductility in internal area. Therefore, the nose area should be formed from 64% to 67% reduction in target inner diameter.


2012 ◽  
Vol 490-495 ◽  
pp. 2785-2789
Author(s):  
Dong Sun ◽  
Xu Dong Yang

The milling planer bed is one of the most important foundational parts for the entire machine, sufficient stiffness is required. The posterior segment of a certain milling planer bed is regarded as the optimization object in this paper. Three-dimensional modeling method is used to calculate the exact weight of the bed and then finite element analysis is used to research the static and dynamic characteristics before and after weight-reduction. The weak link of the bed is found out and a improvement scheme is put forward ensuring lower production costs under the premise of sufficient rigidity.


2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 923-931 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. J. Beckie ◽  
S. Shirriff

Beckie, H. J. and Shirriff, S. 2012. Site-specific wild oat ( Avena fatua L.) management. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 923–931. Variation in soil properties, such as soil moisture, across a hummocky landscape may influence wild oat emergence and growth. To evaluate wild oat emergence, growth, and management according to landscape position, a study was conducted from 2006 to 2010 in a hummocky field in the semiarid Moist Mixed Grassland ecoregion of Saskatchewan. The hypothesis tested was that wild oat emergence and growth would be greater in lower than upper slope positions under normal or dry early growing season conditions. Three herbicide treatments were imposed on the same plots each year of a 2-yr canola (Brassica napus L.) – wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) sequence: (1) nontreated (weedy) control; (2) herbicide application to upper and lower slope positions (i.e., full or blanket application); and (3) herbicide application to lower slope position only. Slope position affected crop and weed densities before in-crop herbicide application in years with dry spring growing conditions. Site-specific wild oat herbicide application in hummocky fields in semiarid regions may be justified based on results of wild oat control averaged across slope position. In year 2 of the crop sequence (wheat), overall (i.e., lower and upper slope) wild oat control based on density, biomass, and dockage (i.e., seed return) was similar between site-specific and full herbicide treatment in 2 of 3 yr. Because economic thresholds have not been widely adopted by growers in managing wild oat, site-specific treatment in years when conditions warrant may be an appropriate compromise between no application and blanket herbicide application.


Author(s):  
Yong-Yi Wang ◽  
Don West ◽  
Douglas Dewar ◽  
Alex McKenzie-Johnson ◽  
Millan Sen

Ground movements, such as landslides and subsidence/settlement, can pose serious threats to pipeline integrity. The consequence of these incidents can be severe. In the absence of systematic integrity management, preventing and predicting incidents related to ground movements can be difficult. A ground movement management program can reduce the potential of those incidents. Some basic concepts and terms relevant to the management of ground movement hazards are introduced first. A ground movement management program may involve a long segment of a pipeline that may have a threat of failure in unknown locations. Identifying such locations and understanding the potential magnitude of the ground movement is often the starting point of a management program. In other cases, management activities may start after an event is known to have occurred. A sample response process is shown to illustrate key considerations and decision points after the evidence of an event is discovered. Such a process can involve fitness-for-service (FFS) assessment when appropriate information is available. The framework and key elements of FFS assessment are explained, including safety factors on strain capacity. The use of FFS assessment is illustrated through the assessment of tensile failure mode. Assessment models are introduced, including key factors affecting the outcome of an assessment. The unique features of girth welds in vintage pipelines are highlighted because the management of such pipelines is a high priority in North America and perhaps in other parts of the worlds. Common practice and appropriate considerations in a pipeline replacement program in areas of potential ground movement are highlighted. It is advisable to replace pipes with pipes of similar strength and stiffness so the strains can be distributed as broadly as possible. The chemical composition of pipe steels and the mechanical properties of the pipes should be such that the possibility of HAZ softening and weld strength undermatching is minimized. In addition, the benefits and cost of using the workmanship flaw acceptance criteria of API 1104 or equivalent standards in making repair and cutout decisions of vintage pipelines should be evaluated against the possible use of FFS assessment procedures. FFS assessment provides a quantifiable performance target which is not available through the workmanship criteria. However, necessary inputs to perform FFS assessment may not be readily available. Ongoing work intended to address some of the gaps is briefly described.


2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 665-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Nazmi ◽  
Hossein Asadi ◽  
Ruzanna Manukyan ◽  
Hamdollah Naderi

Nazmi, L., Asadi, H., Manukyan, R. and Naderi, H. 2012. Influence of tillage displaced soil on the productivity and yield components of barley in northwest Iran. Can. J. Soil Sci. 92: 665–672. In hilly landforms subject to long-term cultivation, erosion has denuded the upper slope positions of topsoil, and accumulated topsoil in the lower slope positions. Slope gradient and position effects aggregation processes, which in turn impact soil productivity. A field experiment was conducted to assess the tillage-induced soil displacement and its effects on the soil properties and barley (Hordeum vulgare var. Sahand) biomass production for three different landscapes. The study was conducted on a hill slope seeded with barley (1.4–10.1° slope) located in the Mollaahmad watershed of the Ardabil province in northwestern Iran. For this purpose, soil samples were collected from four slope positions in a grassland as well as an agricultural field (dryland). A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of slope gradient and position on barley growth and soil quality. Soil generally had lower organic carbon, available phosphorus, calcium carbonate equivalent, soil water content and mean weight diameter of soil aggregates in the farmland than the grassland, and in the upper slope positions than in the lower slopes. Significantly higher barley growth indices were associated with lower slope positions. Agronomic productivity of the soil was lowest for landscapes with the highest slope gradient. The relationships between tillage erosion and yield components were found to be significant. Spike weight and slope position had the largest contribution for the explanatory capacity of canonical variables (tillage erosion and yield components) estimated when compared with other parameters (slope gradient, dry matter, spike number, grain yield and 1000-grain weight). The findings in this study can be used as a tool to assist farmers, soil and water conservationists, and other policymakers in decision making regarding the use of lands.


2021 ◽  
Vol 930 (1) ◽  
pp. 012079
Author(s):  
S Nurdin ◽  
A Arsyad ◽  
F A Marhum ◽  
H Setiawan

Abstract This study conducted an extensive soil investigation in the Sibalaya liquefaction area to identify the Gumbasa main canal’s damage triggered by flow liquefaction. Several field tests and trenches with approximately 4 m were excavated to observe liquefied soil layers directly near the canal. A borehole, standard penetration test, and multichannel analysis surface waves (MASW) were performed beside the trench to obtain each layer’s penetration resistance. This research aims to understand the landslide’s whole aspect. The ground movements were analyzed by using satellite photos before and after the earthquake. The displacement of the main canal, the typical damage inventory, and the proposed reconstruction of the main canal are the focus of this study. As a result of the forensic investigation, the liquefied layers and debris flow contributing to the massive landslide were identified to impact the primary canal. The typical damage of the canal was due to surface rupture that occurred both horizontally and vertically. A solution for reconstructing the main canal is to use a flexible pipe canal structure. That will be resilient to future earthquake and ground movements, stabilize the ground downslope of the existing canal to limit the risk of future lateral movement in future earth tremors.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document