Study on Soil Displacement Fields around the Expanded Body of Drill-Expanded Concrete Piles Based on DIC Technique

The soil displacement field around a drill-expanded concrete pile is noticeably different from that of an equivalent section pile placed under axial load due to the mutual embedment between the expanded body and the soil. It is important to study the soil displacement field around drill-expanded concrete piles in order to understand the mechanisms of interaction between the pile and the soil. First, the model test of the half-face pile installed in undisturbed soil and the model test of the half-face pile installed in sand were used to study the soil displacement field around the pile. Then, the entire process of the soil displacement field’s formation and development under the load was observed by using digital image correlation (DIC) techniques. Finally, numerical simulation was used to verify the results of the model tests. The results show that the displacement characteristics of the soil around the pile in the undisturbed soil and sand are basically the same. There is a clear soil compression zone under the expanded body, and the magnitude and density of the displaced soil in the compression zone are much higher than in other areas. Both the vertical displacement and the horizontal displacement gradually decrease as the distance from the expanded body and the burial depth increase. The horizontal displacement of the soil under the expanded body follows a trend of first moving toward the pile body and then moving away from it. The results of the numerical simulation are basically consistent with the results of the model test, indicating that the results of the model test are relatively reliable.

Application of particle image velocimetry (PIV) to measure the displacement of sandy soil in laboratory

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) has been heavily used to measure the displacement and flow velocity in fluid mechanics. However, applications of this method to determining soil displacement in geotechnical laboratory tests are rare. This paper aims to verify the applicability of this method in determining the displacement of sandy soil under different saturation conditions and soil grain sizes. The results showed that this method could effectively determine soil displacement with an accuracy of 0.13 mm. Furthermore, the degree of saturation of soil did not influence the PIV results whereas the homogeneity of soil, as indicated by grain size distribution, reduced the precision of the PIV method.

Investigating the Effect of the Tractor Drive System Type on Soil Behavior under Tractor Tires

To determine the effect of the tractor driving system type on the soil compaction and soil behavior a series of tests was conducted using Goldoni 240 tractor with a power rate of 30.8 kW and included four similar tires at three different driving systems (4WD, rear-wheel drive (RWD) and front-wheel drive (FWD)). To evaluate these systems’ effects on soil compaction, tests were conducted at three soil moisture contents (10, 15 and 20% d.b.), three tire inflation pressures (170, 200 and 230 kPa), and three tractor speeds (1.26, 3.96 and 6.78 km/h). Soil bulk density was measured at three average depths of 20, 30 and 40 cm. To evaluate soil compaction, cylindrical cores were used and to assess soil behavior during this process, the soil displacement in a three coordinate system was measured using three displacement transducers. It was found that the 4WD system created the least bulk density of 1155 kg/m3, while the FWD system led to the highest density of 1241 kg/m3. Maximum vertical soil compression of 55 mm occurred for the FWD system and it declined to 43 and 36 mm in RWD and 4WD systems, respectively. Soil displacement in the horizontal and lateral directions was larger for the FWD system in comparison to the other systems. With increment of speed and depth soil compaction decreased. Minimum bulk density of 1109 kg/m3 was occurred at velocity of 6.78 Km/h using the 4WD system, also with this system at the depth 40 cm density was 1127 kg/m3. While at velocity of 1.26 Km/h and depth of 20 cm soil density was 1190 kg/m3.

Analytical Study of Soil Displacement Induced by Twin Shield Tunneling in Semi-Infinite Viscoelastic Ground

Effective measures are needed to strictly control soil displacement caused during the process of shield construction excavation for urban subway tunnels. When calculating the displacement of soil caused by loading or unloading, many previous analytical studies have assumed that the soil was a linear elastic body and ignored the viscosity of the soil. In this study, the Boltzmann viscoelastic model and the Mindlin basic solution were combined to consider the effects of the additional support pressures, the shield shell frictions, the grouting pressures, and the ground loss, and a three-dimensional viscoelastic solution for soil displacement caused by shield tunneling was derived. According to the calculation results of an example, the analytical solution was able to consider the asynchronous construction of the left and right tunnels and the mutual influence of the double shield tunnel. The rationality of the approach proposed in this study was verified by comparing the theoretical solution with the measured settlement values. In addition, the influence of differences in the viscoelastic parameters (the viscosity coefficient, the shear modulus of the elastic element, and the shear modulus of the viscous element) and the geometric parameters (the distance from the excavation surface, the calculated depth, and tunnel spacing) on soil displacement is discussed. The calculation method in this study provides a theoretical basis for predicting the three-dimensional soil deformation caused by shield tunneling, especially in soft clays.

A review of Sensors, Sensor-Platforms and Methods Used in 3D Modelling of Soil Displacement after Timber Harvesting

Proximal sensing technologies are becoming widely used across a range of applications in environmental sciences. One of these applications is in the measurement of the ground surface in describing soil displacement impacts from wheeled and tracked machinery in the forest. Within a period of 2–3 years, the use photogrammetry, LiDAR, ultrasound and time-of-flight imaging based methods have been demonstrated in both experimental and operational settings. This review provides insight into the aims, sampling design, data capture and processing, and outcomes of papers dealing specifically with proximal sensing of soil displacement resulting from timber harvesting. The work reviewed includes examples of sensors mounted on tripods and rigs, on personal platforms including handheld and backpack mounted, on mobile platforms constituted by forwarders and skidders, as well as on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The review further highlights and discusses the benefits, challenges, and some of the shortcomings of the various technologies and their application as interpreted by the authors.The majority of the work reviewed reflects pioneering approaches and innovative applications of the technologies. The studies have been carried out almost simultaneously, building on little or no common experience, and the evolution of standardized methods is not yet fully apparent. Some of the issues that will likely need to be addressed in developing this field are (i) the tendency toward generating apparently excessively high resolution micro-topography models without demonstrating the need for or contribution of such resolutions on accuracy, (ii) the inadequacy of conventional manual measurements in verifying the accuracy of these methods at such high resolutions, and (iii) the lack of a common protocol for planning, carrying out, and reporting this type of study.

Features of background microseisms at seismic stations of Kamchatka as a reflection of spectral characteristics of soils

The main goal of the work is to obtain the spectral characteristics of soils for 23 seismic stations in Kamchatka by studying the spectra of background microseisms. The spectra were calculated based on the recordings of digital cycle meters. The final estimates are obtained by averaging the spectra for each hour during the week. For some stations, the ratio of the spectrum of the horizontal component of the soil displacement to the spectrum of the vertical component (H/V) was interpreted.