Analysis of Necessity and Feasibility for Ground Improvement in Warm and Ice-Rich Permafrost Regions

Characterized by low bearing capacity and high compressibility, warm and ice-rich frozen soil is a kind of problematic soil, which makes the original frozen ground formed by of that unreliable to meet the stability requirements of engineering infrastructures and foundations in permafrost regions. With the design and construction of major projects along the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor (QTEC), such as expressway and airport runway, it is a great challenge to favor the stability of overlying structures by formulating the proper engineering design principles and developing the valid engineering supporting techniques. The investigations carried out in recent years indicated that warm and ice-rich permafrost foundations were widespread, climate warming was significant, and the stability of existing engineering structures was poor, along the QTEC. When the warm and ice-rich frozen ground is used as the foundation soil, the implementation of ground improvement is an alternative measure to enhance the bearing capacity of foundation soil and eliminate the settlement of structures during operation, in order to guarantee the long-term stability of the structures. Based on the key factors determining the physicomechanical properties of frozen soil, an innovative idea of stabilizing the warm and ice-rich frozen soil based on chemical stabilization is proposed in this study, and then, an in situ ground improvement technique is introduced. This study intends to explore the feasibility of ground improvement in warm and ice-rich permafrost regions along the QTEC based on in situ chemical stabilization and provide the technical support and scientific reference to prevent and mitigate the hazards in the construction of major projects in the future.

Stability of the Foundation of Buried Energy Pipeline in Permafrost Region

During operation, a buried pipeline is threatened by a variety of geological hazards, particularly in permafrost regions, where freezing-thawing disasters have a significant influence on the integrity and safety of the buried pipelines. The topographical environmental conditions along the pipeline, as well as the influence of frost heave and thaw settlement on the pipeline’s foundation soil, must be considered in the design and construction stage. Theoretical analysis, numerical modeling, field testing, and mitigation measures on vital energy pipelines in permafrost have been widely documented, but no attempt has been made to review the freezing-thawing disasters, current research methodologies, and mitigation strategies. This article reviews the formation mechanisms and mitigation measures for frost hazards (e.g., differential frost heave, thaw settlement, slope instability, frost mounds, icing, river ice scouring, and pipeline floating) along buried pipelines in permafrost regions and summarizes and prospects the major progress in the research on mechanisms, analysis methods, model test, and field monitoring based on publications of studies of key energy pipelines in permafrost regions. This review will provide scholars with a basic understanding of the challenging freezing-thawing hazards encountered by energy pipelines in permafrost regions, as well as research on the stability and mitigation of pipeline foundation soils plagued by freezing-thawing hazards in permafrost regions under a warming climate and degrading permafrost environment.

Effect of Tea Waste on Cracking of Foundation Soil

Desiccation cracks form on the surface of foundation soils due to matric suction and surface shrinkage with water loss. This paper investigates the effect of tea waste on the change of water content and cracking characteristics of foundation soil during drying. Digital image processing was carried out based on laboratory experiments. The characteristics are monitored with a variation in water content. The effects of different amounts of tea waste on soil drying and cracking were obtained, in order to provide an efficient and new green sustainable material for improving soil evaporation cracking under drought conditions. The results show that the development of cracks of soil samples with tea waste can be categorized into three stages in accordance with the fractal dimension of the desiccation cracks: Stages I, II, and III. The desiccation cracks in Stage III are wider and longer than those in Stages I and II, however, the maximum fractal dimension and stability are also obtained in Stage III. The residual water content of the sample without tea waste is 1.5%. The residual water content of the samples containing 4% and 8% tea waste is 4.6% and 5.4%, respectively, which shows that the tea waste can effectively improve the residual water content of the foundation soil and the water holding capacity of the soil. The fractal dimension of cracks on the soil samples increases gradually with drying. The total length of cracks increases and the development of cracks is more complex. The cracking time of soil samples with different tea waste contents is different. The soil samples with 8% tea waste content crack first. Combined with the variation characteristics of water content, tea waste has water absorption and improves the water holding capacity and stability of foundation soil.

Dependence of concentration of radon on environmental parameters

Radon (222Ra) is a colourless and odourless natural radioactive element in gaseous state. The concentration of radon in the air is usually low, but it can be very high inside of a living space, because of its possibility to penetrate from a foundation soil over a basement into a building itself. People are daily exposed to a certain concentration of radon that is found in soil, water, air and food. This paper shows a correlation analysis of environmental parameters by using the model of multiple regressions. It defines certain statistical relations between environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure with measured values of radon concentrations. Measurements were carried out at several locations in various residential buildings in north-western Croatia. The results indicated that individual environmental parameters and radon concentration at individual locations were connected. For example, at one location the concentration of radon was decreasing if atmospheric pressure was increasing. Measurements at another location indicated that the concentration of radon was increasing if air humidity was increasing. Due to large number of different parameters affecting the concentration of radon in residential buildings, a satisfactory statistical model to predict the concentration of radon with environmental parameters is not easy to achieve since it was observed variability of radon concentrations with environmental parameters within different local sites. It is necessary to consider a longer period to determine with certainty a mathematical model that would give the most accurate prediction of radon concentration dependence on environmental parameters which can affect human health and quality of life.

Evaluation of dynamic behaviour of an experimentally tested model on a shaking table

The usual structural analysis assumes that buildings are fixed to the ground. This is not always the case, especially for structures with shallow foundations on soft soils. It was learned from the literature review that neglecting soil compliance in the structural analysis may result in significant structural damage during an earthquake event. The seismic performance can greatly differ between buildings rigidly fixed to the ground and buildings for which soil compliance is considered. Therefore, the main goal of the experiment conducted in the laboratory of the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka was to observe the dynamic behaviour of a structure on soft soil. The model was experimentally tested using a shaking table. The foundation soil was modelled using local river sand. For parametric analysis, a numerical model was done using the computer software SAP2000. The model was calibrated using experimentally obtained results. A comparison between the experimental and numerical models is presented in the paper.

Evaluation of the Static Design Procedure in the Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual for Piles in Cohesionless Soil

Piles provide a convenient solution for heavy structures, where the foundation soil bearing capacity, or the tolerable settlement may be exceeded due to the applied loads. In cohesionless soils, the two frequently used pile installation methods are driving and drilling (or boring). This paper reviews the results of a large database of pile load tests of driven and drilled piles in cohesionless soils at various locations worldwide. The load test results are compared with the static analysis design method for single piles recommended in the Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual (CFEM) and other codes and standards such as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Federal Highway Administration, American Petroleum Institute, Eurocode, and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command. An improved pile design procedure is proposed linking the pile design coefficients and to the friction angle of the soil, rather than employing the generalized soil type grouping scheme previously used in the CFEM. This improvement included in the new version of the CFEM 2021 produces a more unified value of the pile capacity calculated by different designers, reducing the obtained design capacity discrepancies.

Roll-over stability as a problem of high-rise buildings’ designing

Roll-over stability of tall buildings under wind loads is considered. The nonlinear nature of the problem is taken into account, including geometric, physical, and structural non-linearity. The problem is solved on the base of a system of linearized incremental equations of structural mechanics that describes the behavior of a system tall building - foundation soil. Several methods are examined for solving nonlinear problems of roll-over stability, specifically: 1) deformation method of systems equilibrium states tracing; 2) method of linearization of nonlinear equations and systems equilibrium states tracing; 3) method of linearization of nonlinear physical relations of a systems with constructive, static, geometric nonlinearity; 4) method of linearization of nonlinear physical relations of a system with constructive nonlinearity based on nonlinear incremental structural mechanics; 5) method of the deformation process tracing for a physically nonlinear soil base, given the increase of discharge zones and constructive nonlinearity. Each of these methods is used to solve a model task. These tasks take into account roll-over stability of high structures under action of wind loads. In general, the problem of roll-over stability of a high object can be represented as repeatedly nonlinear one with various types of non-linearity. In this regard, in the practice of high-rise buildings designing, it is necessary to develop scientifically and methodically substantiated methods of assessing roll-over stability, considering non-linear factors. Taking these factors into account will make it possible to assess the roll-over stability of a high-rise object more accurate.

DYNAMIC CALCULATION OF THE PLANE ELASTIC "DAM-FOUNDATION" SYSTEM

design, construction, and reliable and safe operation of earth dams (more than 60 of them are in operation in the Republic of Uzbekistan located in seismic region) put forward requirements for the continuous improvement of the calculation methods for loads; as required by regulatory methods for fundamental (static) and special (dynamic) load combinations. These regulatory methods do not take into account the nonhomogeneous nature of the behavior and piecewise heterogeneity of the characteristics of foundation, and the stress-strain state (SSS) of an earth dam under constant or temporary loads, which is necessary for reliable and safe operation, especially in seismic regions. A general mathematical formulation of problems for earth dams in a plane elastic formulation is given. Dynamic calculations were conducted to determine the stress-strain state of an earth dam, taking into account the design features and real piecewise-nonhomogeneous physical and mechanical characteristics of soil of the structure body and base (these characteristics were provided by the design organization). The problem was solved by the numerical finite element method. The eigenfrequencies and modes of vibrations of the plane "structure-foundation" system are determined, considering the homogeneous and piecewise-nonhomogeneous characteristics of the foundation soil; the corresponding analysis of the behavior of the system was made. The stress-strain state of the “dam-foundation” system was investigated using calculated frequencies. The calculation results were lines of equal displacements (horizontal, vertical), normal and shear stresses in the “dam-foundation” system.

Influence of Clay Fraction and Mineral Composition on Unsaturated Characteristics of Cohesive Foundation Soil in Airports

Taking unsaturated clay foundation soil of an airport project in Hefei as the research object, the effects of particle gradation and mineral composition on the unsaturated soil properties were analyzed through two kinds of tests. The results show that there is a good correlation between the residual water content and the clay fraction or silt fraction content in the grading, and the residual water content has a significant positive linear correlation with the clay fraction content, but a negative linear correlation with the silt fraction content. Residual matric suction has a nonlinear correlation with clay fraction or silt fraction content in gradation, which has a significant nonlinear negative correlation with clay fraction content and a positive nonlinear correlation with silt fraction content. The residual water content and the residual matric suction have obvious linear relationship with the content of montmorillonite but have no obvious correlation with the content of illite. The water-storage coefficient of unsaturated airfield foundation soil decreases exponentially with the increase of clay content and montmorillonite content.

Experimental Study of the Engineering Mechanical Properties of the Foundation Soil for Offshore Wind Power Platforms

Most of the coastal beach zone in the world is rich in wind energy reserves and has great potential for offshore wind power development. However, the sedimentary environment in the coastal area is complex and changeable, and the nature of the foundation soil of offshore wind power platforms is weak and complex, which is quite different from that in the land areas. In order to systematically study the mechanical properties of marine foundation soils, a series of geotechnical tests are carried out on representative undisturbed seabed soils, such as basic laboratory geotechnical tests, bender element tests, undrained triaxial shear tests, and resonance column tests. The test results show that shear wave velocity (Vs) of marine silt and silty clay increases linearly with the buried depth; the stress-strain relationship curves of silty clay and silt present two different modes of development: strain hardening and strain softening, the undrained shear strength (Sd) of the two types of marine soils decreases with the increase of the void ratio (e), and both present a good single correlation. Based on the relationship between Sd and Vs from the laboratory test of disturbed seabed soils, an undrained strength evaluation method of undisturbed seabed soils under the current stratum conditions incorporating in situ shear wave velocity is established. The dynamic shear modulus (G) in the various strain ranges of undisturbed silty clay and silt increases regularly with the buried depth (H). Meanwhile, the maximum dynamic shear modulus (Gmax) linearly increases with the increase of H, whereas the attenuation relationship of G decreases with the increase of H. The prediction method of G based on buried depth is established with high accuracy.