Strain-Softening Characteristics of Hydrate-Bearing Sediments and Modified Duncan–Chang Model

Marine hydrate exploitation may trigger the seabed geological disaster, such as seafloor collapse and landslide. It is critically important to understand the mechanical properties of hydrate-bearing sediment. Strain-softening observation is a typical behavior of hydrate-bearing sediment (HBS) and exhibits more significant at higher hydrate saturation. This paper performed a series of triaxial compression tests on methane hydrate-bearing sand to analyze the influence rule and mechanism of hydrate saturation on the strain-softening characteristic, stiffness, and strength and introduced the strain-softening index to quantificationally characterize the strain-softening behaviors of HBS with different hydrate saturations. Based on the analyses on the mechanical behavior of HBS, the Duncan–Chang model is extended to address the stress-strain curves of HBS. Two empirical formulas with hydrate saturation embedded are used to characterize the enhanced initial modulus and strength for HBS, respectively. To address the strain-softening behavior of HBS, the modified Duncan–Chang model introduced a damage factor into the strength of HBS. To validate the modified Duncan–Chang model, four different triaxial compression tests are simulated. The good consistence between simulated result and experimental data demonstrates that the modified Duncan–Chang model is capable of reflecting the influence of hydrate saturation not only on the stiffness and strength but also on the strain-softening characteristics of HBS.

EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL-ROCK MIXED FILLERS WITH DIFFERENT ROCK CONTENTS ON A HIGH EMBANKMENT

The mechanical properties of soil-rock mixed filler are the key factors influencing the high rockfill embankment stability. However, they remain unclear, given the complexity of soil-rock mixed filler structure. To analyze the stability of high rockfill embankment in the construction and operation phases, under the engineering background of a high rockfill embankment with a filling height of 50.6 m in the national highway 316 project within the Qinba mountainous area in China, a series of large-scale triaxial consolidated drained shear tests were performed on two soil-rock mixed fillers with 40% and 70% rock contents. Their stress-strain relation, deformation, and strength characteristics were observed. The applicability of Duncan-Chang model was also determined on the basis of the above tests. Results demonstrate that the stress-strain curve and volumetric strain of the filler with 40% rock content are strain hardening type and shear shrinkage type. The filler with 70% rock content has a weak strain softening, and its volumetric strain is first shear shrinkage and then shear dilation. The filler with 70% rock content has larger peak and critical frictional angles than the filler with 40% rock content. The tangential Poisson's ratios of the E-B and E-? models are obtained. The former can approximately reflect the volumetric strain characteristics of the filler with 40% rock content. The latter can approximately reflect those of the filler with 70% rock content. Yet, both models fail to describe the influence of confining pressure on the volumetric strain. The study results provide a reference for the stability analysis of high rockfill embankment engineering and provide parameters for constructing the constitutive model of soil-rock mixed fillers. Keywords: high embankment; soil-rock mixed filler; large-scale triaxial shear test; deformation characteristics; Duncan-Chang model

An Improved Nonlinear Settlement Calculation Method for Soft Clay considering Structural Characteristics

The settlement calculation model for soft clay foundation is established based on Hooke’s law and the Duncan-Chang model. By introducing the concept of damage ratio, the method for determining the deformation modulus of soil before and after damage under load is presented, and a nonlinear settlement calculation method which considers the structural characteristics of soft clay is proposed. In the end, a practical engineering example is analyzed with the proposed method and some current methods for soft clay settlement calculation. The results indicated that the proposed method is feasible and applicable in practical engineering.

Mechanical Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Soil under Triaxial Compression and Parameter Determination Based on the Duncan-Chang Model

To study the mechanical properties of Y-shaped polypropylene fiber-reinforced subgrade fill, the strength characteristics of fiber-reinforced soil with different fiber contents, fiber lengths, and confining pressures were investigated through triaxial compression tests. The test results showed that fiber reinforcement significantly improved the strength and cohesion of the subgrade fill but had a limited impact on the internal friction angle. The fiber-reinforced soil specimens exhibited a failure pattern of bulging deformation, showing plastic failure characteristics. As the fiber content and length increased, the strength of the fiber-reinforced soil increased and then decreased. The optimal fiber content was 0.2%, and the optimal fiber length was between 12 and 18 mm in all test conditions. The strength of the fiber-reinforced soil increased with increasing confining pressure. An empirical model for predicting the failure strength of fiber-reinforced soil was established by analyzing the relationships between the failure strength of the fiber-reinforced soil and the fiber content, fiber length, and confining pressure. The stress-strain relationship of the fiber-reinforced soil exhibited strain-hardening characteristics and could be approximated by a hyperbolic curve. The Duncan-Chang model could be used to describe the stress-strain relationship of this fiber-reinforced soil. A calculation method to determine the model parameters (initial tangent modulus and ultimate deviator stress) was proposed.

DEPENDENT CHOICE, PROPERNESS, AND GENERIC ABSOLUTENESS

We show that Dependent Choice is a sufficient choice principle for developing the basic theory of proper forcing, and for deriving generic absoluteness for the Chang model in the presence of large cardinals, even with respect to $\mathsf {DC}$ -preserving symmetric submodels of forcing extensions. Hence, $\mathsf {ZF}+\mathsf {DC}$ not only provides the right framework for developing classical analysis, but is also the right base theory over which to safeguard truth in analysis from the independence phenomenon in the presence of large cardinals. We also investigate some basic consequences of the Proper Forcing Axiom in $\mathsf {ZF}$ , and formulate a natural question about the generic absoluteness of the Proper Forcing Axiom in $\mathsf {ZF}+\mathsf {DC}$ and $\mathsf {ZFC}$ . Our results confirm $\mathsf {ZF} + \mathsf {DC}$ as a natural foundation for a significant portion of “classical mathematics” and provide support to the idea of this theory being also a natural foundation for a large part of set theory.

The Influence of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on the Mechanical Properties and Parameters of the Duncan-Chang Constitutive Model of Remolded Saline Soil in Nong’an County, Jilin Province, Northeastern China

In seasonally frozen areas, physical and mechanical soil properties change dynamically under the effect of the freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs), which is a problem that cannot be ignored in geotechnical engineering. In order to study the effect of the FTC on the strength and the mechanism of deformation and failure of saline soil, this paper took Nong’an saline soil as the research object. In total, 105 groups of remolded samples with different salt contents (S) after FTCs were examined in unconsolidated-undrained tests. On the basis of the experiment results, the influence of FTCs on the mechanical properties of Nong’an saline soil was analyzed. The failure principal stress difference (σ1 − σ3)f and cohesion (c) were both decreased with FTC. This occurred especially rapidly after the first cycle and became stable between 30 and 60 cycles. The internal friction angle φ increased at first and then decreased. According to experimental data, a modified Duncan-Chang model was established. Compared with the experiment results, this model was reasonable to simulate the stress-strain relationship of Nong’an saline soil. Furthermore, the empirical formulas of Duncan-Chang model parameters were obtained by regression analysis. This provides a theoretical basis for saline–soil foundation and subgrade engineering in seasonal frozen areas.