scholarly journals Laboratory measurements of the erodibility of gravelly soils

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie F. López-Soto ◽  
Bryant A. Robbins

The critical shear stress and erodibility of soil are fundamental parameters for modeling embankment breaching. Unfortunately, very few studies have examined the erosion characteristics of soils consisting predominantly of particles larger than sand. This report presents results of an experimental study in which the erosion characteristics of gravelly soils were measured. A flume apparatus was developed in which 0.45-m-square samples were extruded into confined flow. A mechanical laser system allowed the measurement of scour in real time, resulting in a continuous and automated erosion test. The critical shear stress of a uniform gravel was found to match the expected values based on the Shields diagram, while tests that were composed largely of gravel but contained other soils, such as sand, silt, and clay, varied significantly with the critical shear stress and erodibility, depending highly on the characteristics of the finer soils.

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaromír Říha ◽  
Jan Jandora

The hole erosion test (HET) is used in the study of soil erosion in the case of what is known as “piping” when concentrated leaks occur. The HET enables the determination of soil erosion characteristics such as the critical shear stress along the pre-formed hole (pipe) and the coefficient of soil erosion. Normally, in the HET, the hydraulic gradient is determined from the difference between the piezometric heads measured at the inflow and outflow chambers (upstream and downstream of the soil specimen). Hydraulic analysis shows that such measurements ignore losses at the entrance and exit of the hole, causing the overestimation of the hydraulic gradient along the length of the hole, and thus the calculated shear stress. In this technical note, the results of preliminary analysis using the Bernoulli principle and of numerical study of the pressure conditions in the HET apparatus are shown. The turbulent flow in the HET apparatus was calculated using ANSYS commercial CFD (computational fluid dynamics) software. The analysis was performed for various hole entrance shapes. The conclusion of this note details the differences between traditionally determined hydraulic gradients and those numerically derived along the length of a hole.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1123-1131
Author(s):  
Anish Khanal ◽  
Garey A. Fox ◽  
Lucie Guertault

HighlightsThe jet erosion test (JET) remains the most commonly used instrument for measuring in situ erodibility.This research investigated the impact of soil moisture content below saturation on erodibility parameters.Erodibility parameters were derived for both linear and nonlinear detachment models.Higher soil moisture increased initial resistance to erosion but also increased erosion rate.Abstract. The jet erosion test (JET) is a commonly employed technique to measure the erodibility of soils in situ by estimating the parameters of linear and nonlinear cohesive sediment detachment models. However, additional research is needed to understand the effect of soil moisture, a critical in situ test condition, on the derived erodibility parameters. This study compared the erodibility parameters, i.e., critical shear stress (tc) and the erodibility coefficient (kd) for the linear excess shear stress equation and two parameters (b0 and b1) for a nonlinear detachment model, from laboratory JETs across two soil types with contrasting texture and moisture contents. The general pattern was that higher soil moisture content increased the soil’s initial resistance to erosion (i.e., higher tc and b1), but once erosion was initiated the rate of erosion was greater (i.e., higher kd and b0). The magnitude of the changes in the erodibility parameters across the three soil moisture profiles investigated in this research were statistically significant, with kd and b0 varying by as much as a factor of 3. This research also confirmed the greater impact of soil moisture content on kd and b0 as compared to tc and b1. For the range of shear stress applied during these JETs, a linear detachment model was more appropriate for the sandy loam soil but less so for the more cohesive clay loam soil, but results were limited to a narrow range in applied shear stress. The results further support existing research conclusions that in situ erodibility measurements obtained under one set of soil moisture conditions may need to be adjusted to better predict soil detachment during storm events. Keywords: Cohesive soil, Critical shear stress, Detachment model, Erodibility, Jet erosion test, Shear stress, Soil moisture.


2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 785-799
Author(s):  
Tony L. Wahl

HighlightsFifty-two jet erosion tests performed on four cohesive soils were analyzed by nine different methods.Nonlinear methods performed well on some individual tests but fit inconsistently overall.Several alternate linear solution methods outperformed the widely used Blaisdell method.Simple linear regression of erosion rate versus applied shear stress provided the most consistent relationship between erosion rate and critical shear stress parameters.Abstract. The submerged jet erosion test (JET) is widely used in lab and field settings to quantify erodibility of cohesive soils and determine erosion rate coefficients and critical shear stress values. Test devices with different scales and configurations have been developed in recent years, along with several alternative methods for processing the collected data to determine parameters of linear and nonlinear soil erosion equations. To facilitate standardization, 52 JET experiments were conducted on four different cohesive soils compacted at optimum water content and 2% dry and wet of optimum. Each test was analyzed using nine different methods, four based on the linear excess stress equation (including the commonly used Blaisdell method) and five based on nonlinear erosion equations, including two using the recently popular Wilson model. Results were analyzed to determine the erosion equations and parameter-fitting methods that most effectively represent the observed erosion rates and are of greatest utility for soil erosion modeling and the ranking and classification of soils according to erodibility. Methods based on nonlinear erosion equations fit some data sets well, but they exhibited poor correlation between the erosion rate coefficient and the threshold shear stress parameter for initiating erosion, which is problematic for soil erodibility classification work. Linear methods that simultaneously optimized erosion equation parameters to best fit the total depth of scour or the elapsed time needed to reach specific depths of scour performed better than the Blaisdell method, which has been the informally accepted standard of practice since the late 1990s. However, they also exhibited weak correlation of the erosion rate and critical shear stress parameters. Simple linear regression of average scour rate versus average applied stress provided an effective method for representing the erosion rate versus applied stress curve and exhibited the strongest correlation of the erosion rate coefficient and critical shear stress parameters. Keywords: Cohesive soil, Critical shear stress, Erodibility, Erosion, Erosion laws, Erosion models, Jet erosion test, Shear strss, Soil moisture.


2001 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 796-808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celestina Adu-Wusu ◽  
Ernest K Yanful ◽  
Mohammed H Mian

Flooding of tailings under shallow water covers is an effective method of decommissioning potentially acid generating mine tailings. The low diffusivity and solubility of oxygen in water are attractive features of this technology. However, wind-induced waves can resuspend flooded tailings and expose them to greater contact with dissolved oxygen, thereby increasing the potential for oxidation and acid generation. Field measurements of wind activity and waves under different water cover depths and associated resuspension for a mine tailings pond in Ontario are presented and discussed. The results show that wind speeds greater than 8 m/s above water covers that are shallower than 1 m create waves of height greater than 10 cm and bottom shear stresses greater than 0.2 Pa. Under these conditions the critical shear stress of the mine tailings was exceeded, resulting in erosion and subsequent resuspension.Key words: mine tailings, water cover, wind-induced waves, resuspension, wind speed, shear stress.


Author(s):  
Shinya NAKASHITA ◽  
Kyeongmin KIM ◽  
Yuki IMAMURA ◽  
Tadashi HIBINO

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 587-600
Author(s):  
Xiaojing Gao ◽  
Qiusheng Wang ◽  
Chongbang Xu ◽  
Ruilin Su

HighlightsErosion tests were performed to study the critical shear stress of cohesive soils and soil mixtures.Linear relationships were observed between critical shear stress and cohesion of cohesive soils.Mixture critical shear stress relates to noncohesive particle size and cohesive soil erodibility.A formula for calculating the critical shear stress of soil mixtures is proposed and verified.Abstract. The incipient motion of soil is an important engineering property that impacts reservoir sedimentation, stable channel design, river bed degradation, and dam breach. Due to numerous factors influencing the erodibility parameters, the study of critical shear stress (tc) of cohesive soils and soil mixtures is still far from mature. In this study, erosion experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of soil properties on the tc of remolded cohesive soils and cohesive and noncohesive soil mixtures with mud contents varying from 0% to 100% using an erosion function apparatus (EFA). For cohesive soils, direct linear relationships were observed between tc and cohesion (c). The critical shear stress for soil mixture (tcm) erosion increased monotonically with an increase in mud content (pm). The median diameter of noncohesive soil (Ds), the void ratio (e), and the organic content of cohesive soil also influenced tcm. A formula for calculating tcm considering the effect of pm and the tc of noncohesive soil and pure mud was developed. The proposed formula was validated using experimental data from the present and previous research, and it can reproduce the variation of tcm for reconstituted soil mixtures. To use the proposed formula to predict the tcm for artificial engineering problems, experimental erosion tests should be performed. Future research should further test the proposed formula based on additional experimental data. Keywords: Cohesive and noncohesive soil mixture, Critical shear stress, Erodibility, Mud content, Soil property.


2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1187-1208 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Stark ◽  
A. E. Hay ◽  
R. Cheel ◽  
C. B. Lake

Abstract. The impact of particle shape on the friction angle, and the resulting critical shear stress on sediment dynamics, is still poorly understood. In areas characterized by sediments of specific shape, particularly non-rounded particles, this can lead to large departures from the expected sediment dynamics. The steep slope (1:10) of the mixed sand-gravel beach at Advocate Harbour was found stable in large-scale morphology over decades, despite a high tidal range of ten meters or more, and strong shorebreak action during storms. The Advocate sand (d < 2 mm) was found to have an elliptic, plate-like shape. Exceptionally high friction angles of the material were determined using direct shear, ranging from φ &amp;approx; 41–46°, while the round to angular gravel was characterized by φ = 33°. The addition of 25% of the elliptic sand to the gravel led to an immediate increase of the friction angle to φ = 38°. Furthermore, re-organization of the particles occurred during shearing, being characterized by a short phase of settling and compaction, followed by a pronounced strong dilatory behavior and an accompanying strong increase of shear stress. Long-term shearing (24 h) using a ring shear apparatus led to destruction of the particles without re-compaction. Finally, submerged particle mobilization was simulated using a tilted tray in a tank. Despite a smooth tray surface, particle motion was not initiated until reaching tray tilt angles of 31° and more, being 7° steeper than the latest gravel motion initiation. In conclusion, geotechnical laboratory experiments quantified the important impact of the elliptic, plate-like shape of Advocate Beach sand on the friction angles of both pure sand and sand-gravel mixtures. The resulting effect on initiation of particle motion was confirmed in tilting tray experiments. This makes it a vivid example of how particle shape can contribute to the stabilization of the beachface.


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