scholarly journals Experimental and Numerical Investigations of a River Embankment Model under Transient Seepage Conditions

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Roberta Ventini ◽  
Elena Dodaro ◽  
Carmine Gerardo Gragnano ◽  
Daniela Giretti ◽  
Marianna Pirone
Keyword(s):  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Partially Saturated ◽  
Pressure Distributions ◽  
Main River ◽  
Transient Seepage ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
River Po

The evaluation of riverbank stability often represents an underrated problem in engineering practice, but is also a topical geotechnical research issue. In fact, it is certainly true that soil water content and pore water pressure distributions in the riverbank materials vary with time, due to the changeable effects of hydrometric and climatic boundary conditions, strongly influencing the bank stability conditions. Nonetheless, the assessment of hydraulic and mechanical behavior of embankments are currently performed under the simplified hypothesis of steady-state seepage, generally neglecting the unsaturated soil related issues. In this paper, a comprehensive procedure for properly defining the key aspects of the problem is presented and, in particular, the soil characterization in partially saturated conditions of a suitably compacted mixture of sand and finer material, typical of flood embankments of the main river Po tributaries (Italy), is reported. The laboratory results have then been considered for modelling the embankment performance under transient seepage and following a set of possible hydrometric peaks. The outcome of the present contribution may provide meaningful geotechnical insights, for practitioners and researchers, in the flood risk assessment of river embankments.

Analyses of groundwater flow and plant evapotranspiration in a vegetated soil slope

2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 1204-1218 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.K. Leung ◽  
C.W.W. Ng
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Root Water Uptake ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Soil Slopes ◽  
Transient Seepage

Understanding seasonal hydrogeological responses of vegetated soil slopes is vital to slope stability because pore-water pressure (PWP) varies from positive values upon rainfall in wet seasons to negative values upon plant evapotranspiration (ET) in dry seasons. There are, however, few case histories that report seasonal performance of vegetated soil slopes. In this study, a vegetated slope situated in Hong Kong was instrumented to analyse (i) groundwater flow during rainfall in the wet season and (ii) effects of plant ET on PWP in the dry season. Two- and three-dimensional anisotropic transient seepage analyses are conducted to identify groundwater flow mechanism(s) during a heavy rainstorm. Through water and energy balance calculations, measured plant-induced suction is interpreted with plant characteristic and climatic data. During the rainstorm, substantial recharge of the groundwater table was recorded, likely due to preferential water flow along relict joints and three-dimensional cross-slope groundwater flow. During the dry season, the peak suction induced by plant ET is up to 200 kPa and the depth of influence is shallower than 200% of the root depth. For the range of suctions monitored, root-water uptake is revealed to have been restricted by suction not very significantly and was driven mainly by the climatic variation.

Unsaturated Seepage and Fluid-Solid Coupling Analysis of Rainfall Infiltration of Slope

2011 ◽  
Vol 255-260 ◽  
pp. 3488-3492
Author(s):  
Bao Lin Xiong ◽  
Jing Song Tang ◽  
Chun Jiao Lu
Keyword(s):  
Pore Water ◽  
Unsaturated Flow ◽  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Rainfall Infiltration ◽  
Medium Permeability ◽  
Stability Of Slope ◽  
Transient Seepage ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Unsaturated Seepage

Rainfall is one of the main factors that influence the stability of slope. Rainfall infiltration will cause soil saturation changing and further influence pore water pressure and medium permeability coefficient. Based on porous media saturation-unsaturated flow theory, the slope transient seepage field is simulated under the conditions of rainfall infiltration. It is shown that change of pore water pressure in slope soil lag behind relative changes in rainfall conditions. As the rainfall infiltrate, unsaturated zone in top half of slope become diminution, the soil suction and shear strength reduce, so stabilization of soil slope is reduced.

Second Canadian Geotechnical Colloquium: Appropriate concepts and technology for unsaturated soils

1979 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Fredlund
Keyword(s):  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Unsaturated Soils ◽  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Earth Pressure ◽  
Saturated Soil ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Matrix Suction

A practical science has not been fully developed for unsaturated soils for two main reasons. First, there has been the lack of an appropriate science with a theoretical base. Second, there has been the lack of an appropriate technology to render engineering practice financially viable.This paper presents concepts that can be used to develop an appropriate engineering practice for unsaturated soils. The nature of an unsaturated soil is first described along with the accompanying stress conditions. The basic equations related to mechanical properties are then proposed. These are applied to practical problems such as earth pressure, limiting equilibrium, and volume change.An attempt is made to demonstrate the manner in which saturated soil mechanics must be extended when a soil is unsaturated. Two variables are required to describe the stress state of an unsaturated soil (e.g., (σ – ua) and (ua – uW). There is a smooth transition from the unsaturated case to the saturated case since the pore-air pressure becomes equal to the pore-water pressure as the degree of saturation approaches 100%. Therefore, the matrix suction (i.e., (ua – uW) goes to 0 and the pore-water pressure can be substituted for the pore-air pressure (i.e., (σ – uW)).The complete volumetric deformation of an unsaturated soil requires two three-dimensional constitutive surfaces. These converge to one two-dimensional relationship for a saturated soil. The shear strength for an unsaturated soil is a three-dimensional surface that reduces to the conventional Mohr–Coulomb envelope for a saturated soil.The manner of applying the volumetric deformation equations and the shear strength equation to practical problems is demonstrated. For earth pressure and limiting equilibrium problems, the unsaturated soil can be viewed as a saturated soil with an increased cohesion. The increase in cohesion is proportional to the matrix suction of the soil. For volume change problems it is necessary to have an indication of the relationship between the various soil moduli.There is a need for further experimental studies and case histories to substantiate the proposed concepts and theories.

Numerical Simulation of Pile-Soil Interaction Considering Sand Liquefaction under Earthquake

2012 ◽  
Vol 226-228 ◽  
pp. 1019-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei Zhen Li ◽  
Dong Ya Ma ◽  
Da Ming Zeng ◽  
Xi Lin Lu
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Soft Clay ◽  
Soil Liquefaction ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Saturated Sand ◽  
Acceleration Response ◽  
Sand Liquefaction ◽  
Vibration Time

Liquefaction is one of the most important damages in pile foundation under earthquake. However, it is very difficult to analyze. Numerical simulation of pile-soil interaction considering saturated sand liquefaction under earthquake is conducted using OpenSees program. In this model, the soil is divided into soft clay soil and saturated sand, and the single pile is embedded in the soil. The results show that the pore water pressure rises and the soil liquefied as vibration time increases. With the nonlinear of the soil develop, the stiffness, bearing capacity and the acceleration response of the soil and the pile decrease, while the displacement response of the soil increases. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the soil liquefaction in the design and analysis in the engineering practice.

scholarly journals Analysis of shallow failures triggered by the 14-16 November 2002 event in the Albaredo valley, Valtellina (Northern Italy)

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 305-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Dapporto ◽  
P. Aleotti ◽  
N. Casagli ◽  
G. Polloni
Keyword(s):  
Pore Water ◽  
Slope Failure ◽  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Limit Equilibrium ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Coupled Analysis ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Seepage Analysis ◽  
The North ◽  
Pressure Distributions

Abstract. On 14-16 November 2002 the North Italy was affected by an intense rainfall event: in the Albaredo valley (Valtellina) more than 200 mm of rain fell triggering about 50 shallow landslides, mainly soil slips and soil slip-debris flows. Landslides occurred above the critical rainfall thresholds computed by Cancelli and Nova (1985) and Ceriani et al. (1994) for the Italian Central Alps: in fact the cumulative precipitation at the soil slips initiation time was 230 mm (in two days) with a peak intensity of 15 mm/h. A coupled analysis of seepage and instability mechanisms is performed in order to evaluate the potential for slope failure during the event. Changes in positive and negative pore water pressures during the event are modelled by a finite element analysis of water flow in transient conditions, using as boundary condition for the nodes along the slope surface the recorded rainfall rate. The slope stability analysis is conducted applying the limit equilibrium method, using pore water pressure distributions obtained in the different time steps by the seepage analysis as input data for the calculation of the factor of safety.

The importance of accounting vegetation on unsaturated slopes prone to rainfall-induced instabilities – a case study in Norway

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Piciullo ◽  
Vittoria Capobianco ◽  
Håkon Heyerdahl
Keyword(s):  
Slope Stability ◽  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Railway Track ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Birch Trees ◽  
Transient Seepage ◽  
Pressure Regime ◽  
Steep Slopes

<p>In unsaturated steep slopes, the upper unsaturated zone may have a crucial role in the slope stability. In this work we studied a natural slope located adjacent to a railway track in Eastern Norway. Due to its steep inclination, the factor of safety should be always kept under observation. In addition, the climate in Norway is expected to become wetter and warmer, with increased snow melting. Thus the rainfall/snowmelt infiltration play an important role and needs to be monitored properly to avoid any failure. The slope is instrumented since 2016 and both volumetric water content (VWC) and the pore water pressure regime are monitored.</p><p>The modulus SEEP/W of the commercial software GeoStudio (GEO-SLOPE International, Ltd.) was used to model the transient seepage conditions of the slope for a 7-month monitoring period (from June 2019 to December 2019). Several analyses were carried out by changing the initial conditions and the boundary climate conditions of the slope. Regarding the initial conditions, two series of simulations were carried out, one with an initial calibration of the VWC distribution, another one without calibration, hence, by only locating the ground water table at a specific depth and by indicating the maximum negative head (as required by the model). The calibration, instead, consisted in starting the simulation considering a VWC distribution as closer as possible to the in-situ value.</p><p>For each series, a total of three simulations were carried out with different boundary climate conditions, respectively considering only rainfall/snowmelt (R), considering both rainfall/snowmelt and evaporation (Cl), and considering rainfall/snowmelt and evapotranspiration due to vegetation (V). Indeed, the slope is all covered by relatively dense vegetation, with shrubs and birch trees. For the simulations including evaporation and vegetation (Cl and V), the land-climate interaction boundary condition was adopted. Climate functions, such as the pairs temperature-time, relative humidity-time, wind speed-time, were obtained from a close meteorological station. The evaporation was determined by using the Penman-Monteith equation, including vegetation features in the case of vegetated slope. Preliminary results show that the initial calibration is important for the correct back-analyses of the measured data, and that the model is more accurate when accounting for climate boundary conditions and vegetation, which influence also the slope stability conditions.</p><div>The work has been part of the working package "Landslide triggered by hydro-meteorological processes" within the Center for Research-based Innovation (CRI) programme KLIMA2050 (), financed by the Research Council of Norway.</div>

Analytical solutions for calculating pore-water pressure in an infinite unsaturated slope with different root architectures

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 1981-1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.W.W. Ng ◽  
H.W. Liu ◽  
S. Feng
Keyword(s):  
Pore Water ◽  
Water Uptake ◽  
Analytical Solutions ◽  
Root Architecture ◽  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Root Water Uptake ◽  
Silty Sand ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Pressure Distributions

Vegetation can reduce pore-water pressure in soil by root water uptake. The reduction of pore-water pressure results in higher shear strength, but lower soil water permeability, affecting slope stability and rainfall infiltration, respectively. Effects of different root architectures on root water uptake and hence pore-water pressure distributions are not well understood. In this study, new analytical solutions for calculating pore-water pressure in an infinite unsaturated vegetated slope are derived for different root architectures, namely, uniform, triangular, exponential, and parabolic root architectures. Using the newly developed solutions, four series of analytical parametric analyses are carried out to improve understanding of the factors affecting root water uptake and hence influencing pore-water pressure distributions. In the dry season, different root architectures can lead to large variations in pore-water pressure distributions. It is found that the exponential root architecture induces the highest negative pore-water pressure in the soil, followed by the triangular, uniform, and parabolic root architectures. The maximum negative pore-water pressure induced by the parabolic root architecture is about 77% of that induced by the exponential root architecture in the steady state. For a given root architecture, vegetation in completely decomposed granite (CDG, classified as silty sand) induces higher negative pore-water pressure than in either fine sand or silt. The zone influenced by vegetation can be about three to six times the root depth. In the wet season, after a 10 year return period rainfall with a duration of 24 h, different root architectures show similar pore-water pressure distributions.

Use of thermal conductivity sensors to measure matric suction in the laboratory

1989 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 491-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Sattler ◽  
D. G. Fredlund
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Unsaturated Soils ◽  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Test Procedure ◽  
Matric Suction ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Equilibration Time ◽  
Overburden Pressure ◽  
Conductivity Sensor

The measurement of soil suction is pivotal to the application of soil mechanics principles in geotechnical engineering practice related to unsaturated soils. Volume change, shear strength, and seepage analyses all require an understanding of the matric suction in the soil. This note summarizes the use of thermal conductivity sensors to measure matric suction in the laboratory. The thermal conductivity sensor is described along with its mode of operation. A brief description is given of the procedure for calibrating thermal conductivity sensors using a pressure plate apparatus. The measurement of matric suction can be performed in the laboratory on Shelby tube samples. The laboratory measurements of matric suction can be adjusted for the effect of overburden pressure in the field. The required equilibration time for suction measurements is discussed along with details of the test procedure. The applications of the measured suction values to design are briefly discussed.Key words: matric suction, negative pore-water pressure, thermal conductivity sensor, laboratory, undisturbed samples.

Experimental Research of Soft Soil Ground Treatment in Yangpu Port by Static-Dynamic Drainage Consolidation

2013 ◽  
Vol 353-356 ◽  
pp. 203-207
Author(s):  
Yong Kang Yang ◽  
Wu Yang ◽  
Chun Yan Feng
Keyword(s):  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Soft Soil ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Physical And Mechanical Properties ◽  
High Water ◽  
Surface Settlement ◽  
High Water Content ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Ground Treatment

Yangpu Port has inhomogeneous soft soil with the properties of high water content, high void ratio, high compressibility and low shear strength. Based on soft soil ground treatment engineering practice, the geological characteristics are summarized, the ground treatment methods are comparatively analyzed, static-dynamic drainage consolidation method is chosen to treat the soft soil ground, the reinforcing mechanism of vertical and horizontal drainage system are discussed, the design of drainage system, preloading and dynamic consolidation are researched and the surface settlement monitoring, pore water pressure monitoring, side piling displacement monitoring, laboratory soil test and plate loading tests are carried out. The results show that average surface settlement is 1170.8 mm, the physical and mechanical properties of soft soil are improved and the characteristic value of foundation bearing capacity is greater than 120kPa.

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