Cyclic Shearing Behavior and Dynamic Characteristics of a Fibrous Peat

Cyclic shearing behavior, dynamic characteristics, and post-cyclic volume change of a peat sublayer from the Port Lands area of Toronto (Ontario, Canada) are investigated in this study. Laboratory specimens are trimmed from block samples collected from a depth of about 4.0 to 4.5 m. Constant-volume cyclic direct simple shear tests indicate an initial reduction of effective stress with number of stress cycles. However, the corresponding excess pore pressure ratios do not exceed 60%, indicating a cyclic mobility behavior in the peat specimens. Maximum shear moduli of the peat samples are also determined from shear wave velocity measurements. Post-cyclic volumetric strain, as well as the variations of secant modulus, modulus reduction, and damping ratio of the peat are presented in terms of cyclic shear strain and compared with other studies. Empirical relationships are proposed for characterizing the shear modulus and damping ratio of Toronto peat.

Elaborated subloading surface model for accurate description of cyclic mobility in granular materials

The description of the cyclic mobility observed prior to the liquefaction in geomaterials requires the sophisticated constitutive formulation to describe the plastic deformation induced during the cyclic loading with the small stress amplitude inside the yield surface. This requirement is realized in the subloading surface model, in which the surface enclosing a purely elastic domain is not assumed, while a purely elastic domain is assumed in other elastoplasticity models. The subloading surface model has been applied widely to the monotonic/cyclic loading behaviors of metals, soils, rocks, concrete, etc., and the sufficient predictions have been attained to some extent. The subloading surface model will be elaborated so as to predict also the cyclic mobility accurately in this article. First, the rigorous translation rule of the similarity center of the normal yield and the subloading surfaces, i.e., elastic core, is formulated. Further, the mixed hardening rule in terms of volumetric and deviatoric plastic strain rates and the rotational hardening rule are formulated to describe the induced anisotropy of granular materials. In addition, the material functions for the elastic modulus, the yield function and the isotropic hardening/softening will be modified for the accurate description of the cyclic mobility. Then, the validity of the present formulation will be verified through comparisons with various test data of cyclic mobility.

Fractional-Order Elastoplastic Modeling of Sands Considering Cyclic Mobility

Seabed soil may experience a reduction in strength or even liquefaction when subjected to cyclic loadings exerted by offshore structures and environmental loadings such as ocean waves and earthquakes. A reasonable and robust constitutive soil model is indispensable for accurate assessment of such structure–seabed interactions in marine environments. In this paper, a new constitutive model is proposed by enriching subloading surface theory with a fractional-order plastic flow rule and multiple hardening rules. A detailed validation of both stress- and strain-controlled undrained cyclic test results of medium-dense Karlsruhe fine sand is provided to demonstrate the robustness of the present constitutive model to capture the non-associativity and cyclic mobility of sandy soils. The new fractional cyclic model is then implemented into a finite element code based on a two-phase field theory via a user subroutine, and a numerical case study on the response of seabed soils around a submarine pipeline under cyclic wave loadings is presented to highlight the practical applications of this model in structure–seabed interactions.

Monotonic and cyclic behaviour of root-reinforced sand

Plant roots are known to provide mechanical reinforcement to soils upon shearing and seismic loading. However, the effects of different stress paths on root reinforce-ment are unclear. Moreover, whether, and how, roots provide resistance to soil lique-faction upon cyclic loading have rarely been studied. The objective of this study is to conduct a series of undrained triaxial tests to investigate the monotonic and cyclic behaviour of rooted sand. Roots of vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L), which has been advocated for use in shallow slope stabilisation purposes, were used for testing. The root diameters ranged between 0.3 to 1.5 mm, while the root volume ra-tios were 0.23%, 0.45% and 0.67%. It was discovered that the root reinforcement ef-fect was anisotropic and path-dependent. Along the extension path when the major principal stress was perpendicular to the predominant root orientation, the root-induced increase in soil friction angle was approximately 10o. This increase was much greater than the case along the compression path where the change was min-imal. The presence of roots prevented the limited flow failure (which occurred in the unreinforced sand), and the failure mode of root-reinforced soil switched to cyclic mobility. The liquefaction resistance was improved with an increase in root volume, and this improvement was more remarkable at higher cyclic stress ratios.

Experimental investigation and constitutive modeling of the behaviour of highly plastic Lower Rhine Clay under monotonic and cyclic loading

A new experimental series on the highly plastic (I_P = 34 %) Lower Rhine Clay (LRC) is presented. The study comprises tests on normally as well as over consolidated samples under monotonic and cyclic loading. The loading velocity has been varied in order to evaluate the strain rate dependency of the LRC behaviour testifying i.a. the well-known reduction of undrained shear strength with decreasing displacement rate. Isotropic consolidation followed by a cyclic loading with constant deviatoric stress amplitude leads to a failure due to large strain amplitudes with eight-shaped effective stress paths in the final phase of the tests. The inherent anisotropy has been additionally evaluated using samples cut out in either the vertical or the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the behaviour of LRC is compared with the behaviour of low plastic Kaolin silt (I_P = 12:2 %). A new visco-hypoplastic-type constitutive model with a historiotropic yield surface has been used to simulate some of the experiments with cyclic loading. Even the eight-shaped stress loops at cyclic mobility are reproduced well with this model. The data of this paper can be also used by other researchers for the examination, calibration, improvement or development of constitutive models dedicated to fine-grained soils under monotonic and cyclic loading.

ANALISIS POTENSI CYCLIC MOBILITY PADA TANAH KOHESIF

Likuifaksi merupakan fenomena dimana kekuatan tahanan tanah berkurang karena meningkatnya tegangan air pori saat gempa bumi berlangsung. Likuifaksi dibagi menjadi dua tipe berdasarkan proses kejadiannya yaitu flow liquefaction dan cyclic mobility. Hal pertama dalam analisis potensi likuifaksi adalah pemeriksaan kerentanan likuifaksi dari karakteristik tanah. Pemeriksaan kerentanan menggunakan empat metode yaitu Chinese criteria, metode Seed et al. dan metode Bray dan Sancio. Jika tanah menunjukan rentan terhadap likuifaksi, perhitungan evaluasi dapat dilanjutkan jika tidak maka perhitungan tidak dilanjutkan. Setelah menentukan kerentanan, tanah yang rentan likuifaksi akan ditentukan tipe likuifaksi menggunakan state criteria. Penentuan tipe likuifaksi dapat dilihat dari grafik hubungan deviatoric stress (q), mean effective stress (p’) dan axial strain (εa). Evaluasi potensi likuifaksi menggunakan metode cyclic strain approach. Metode ini menggunakan dua variabel yaitu cyclic stress ratio (CSR) dan cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) yang dapat ditentukan dari data tes lapangan untuk menentukan potensi likuifaksi setiap lapisan tanah. Tes lapangan yang digunakan adalah standard penetration test (SPT) dan cone penetration test (CPT). Penelitian ini menganalisa potensi cyclic mobility pada tanah kohesif serta faktor keamanan. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa tipe likuifaksi yang terjadi adalah cyclic mobility dan adanya potensi likuifaksi pada tanah kohesif.

An Enhanced Interface Model for Friction Fatigue Problems of Axially Loaded Piles

The shaft bearing capacity often plays a dominant role for the overall structural behaviour of axially loaded piles in offshore deep foundations. Under cyclic loading, a narrow zone of soil at the pile-soil interface is subject to cyclic shearing solicitations. Thereby, the soil may densify and lead to a decrease of confining stress around the pile due to micro-phenomena such as particle crushing, migration and rearrangement. This reduction of radial stress has a direct impact on the shaft capacity, potentially leading in extreme cases to pile failure. An adequate interface model is needed in order to model this behaviour numerically. Different authors have proposed models that take typical interface phenomena in account such as densification, grain breakage, normal pressure effect and roughness. However, as the models become more complex, a great number of material parameters need to be defined and calibrated. This paper proposes the adoption and transformation of an existing soil bulk model (Pastor-Zienkiewicz) into an interface model. To calibrate the new interface model, the results of an experimental campaign with the ring shear device under cyclic loading conditions are here presented. The constitutive model shows a good capability to reproduce typical features of sand behaviour such as cyclic compaction and dilatancy, which in saturated partially-drained conditions may lead to liquefaction and cyclic mobility phenomena.