Fine-grained Soils (fine-grained + soil)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Directional response of a reconstituted fine-grained soil,Part I: experimental investigation

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 13 2006
Daniele Costanzo
Abstract This paper discusses the results of a large experimental program designed to investigate in a systematic manner the main features of the incremental response of fine-grained soils. The results are obtained from triaxial stress probing experiments carried out on a French silty clay (Beaucaire Marl). All the tests have been performed on reconstituted specimens, normally consolidated to an initial state which is either isotropic or anisotropic. In the interpretation of the experimental results, extensive use is made of the concept of strain response envelope. The response envelopes obtained for different stress increment magnitudes are remarkably consistent with each other and indicate an inelastic and irreversible material response, i.e. a strong dependence on the stress increment direction, also at relatively small strain levels. A companion paper (Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech., this issue, 2006) assesses the performance of some advanced constitutive models in reproducing the behaviour of reconstituted Beaucaire Marl as observed in this experimental program. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Directional response of a reconstituted fine-grained soil,Part II: performance of different constitutive models

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 13 2006
David Ma
Abstract In this paper, the performance of different advanced constitutive models for soils is evaluated with respect to the experimentally observed behaviour of a soft reconstituted clay subject to a wide range of loading directions, see (presented in the companion paper). The models considered include a three-surface kinematic hardening elastoplastic model; the CLoE hypoplastic model; a recently proposed K-hypoplastic model for clays, and an enhanced version of the same model incorporating the concept of intergranular strain. A clear qualitative picture of the relative performance of the different models as a function of the loading direction is obtained by means of the incremental strain response envelopes. The definition of suitable error measures allows to obtain further quantitative information in this respect. For the particular initial conditions and loading programme considered in this study, the kinematic hardening and the enhanced K-hypoplastic models appear to provide the best performance overall. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Analysis of Transient Data from Infiltrometer Tests in Fine-Grained Soils

GROUND WATER, Issue 3 2000
Dominique Guyonnet
Data collected during ring infiltrometer tests are often analyzed while assuming either that the effect of gravity is negligible (early-time, transient data) or that it is dominant (late-time, steady-state data). In this paper, an equation is proposed for inter-preting both early-time and late-time data measured during infiltration tests under falling head conditions. It is shown that the method used by previous authors for interpreting both early-time data is a special case of the proposed equation. The equation is applied to data collected during tests performed in fine-grained soils, and results are discussed. The analysis suggests that to assume a priori values of the soil sorptive number, as indicated in the literature for various soils, may in some cases lead to severely underes-timated values of the saturated hydraulic conductivity. Conversely, in low permeability soils, to assume steady-state gravity drainage may lead to order of magnitude overestimates of the saturated hydraulic conductivity. A dimensionless analysis provides characteristic times that correspond either to the duration of the log-log half slope displayed by early-time data or to the log-log unit slope characteristic of late-time data. [source]


Macro- and Micro-Purge Soil-Gas Sampling Methods for the Collection of Contaminant Vapors

GROUND WATER MONITORING & REMEDIATION, Issue 1 2009
Brian A. Schumacher
Purging influence on soil-gas concentrations for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as affected by sampling tube inner diameter and sampling depth (i.e., system volume) for temporary probes in fine-grained soils, was evaluated at three different field sites. A macro-purge sampling system consisted of a standard, hollow, 3.2-cm outer diameter (OD) drive probe with a retractable sampling point attached to an appropriate length of 0.48-cm inner diameter (ID) Teflon® tubing. The macro-purge sampling system had a purge system volume of 24.5 mL at a 1-m depth. In contrast, the micro-purge sampling systems were slightly different between the field sites and consisted of a 1.27-cm OD drive rod with a 0.10-cm ID stainless steel tube or a 3.2-cm OD drive rod with a 0.0254-cm inner diameter stainless steel tubing resulting in purge system volumes of 1.2 and 7.05 mL at 1-m depths, respectively. At each site and location within the site, with a few exceptions, the same contaminants were identified in the same relative order of abundances indicating the sampling of the same general soil atmosphere. However, marked differences in VOC concentrations were identified between the sampling systems, with micro-purge samples having up to 27 times greater concentrations than their corresponding macro-purge samples. The higher concentrations are the result of a minimal disturbance of the ambient soil atmosphere during purging. The minimal soil-gas atmospheric disturbance of the micro-purge sampling system allowed for the collection of a sample that is more representative of the soil atmosphere surrounding the sampling point. That is, a sample that does not contain an atmosphere that has migrated from distance through the geologic material or from the surface in response to the vacuum induced during purging soil-gas concentrations. It is thus recommended that when soil-gas sampling is conducted using temporary probes in fine-grained soils, the sampling system use the smallest practical ID soil-gas tubing and minimize purge volume to obtain the soil-gas sample with minimal risk of leakage so that proper decisions, based on more representative soil-gas concentrations, about the site can be made. [source]


Directional response of a reconstituted fine-grained soil,Part I: experimental investigation

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 13 2006
Daniele Costanzo
Abstract This paper discusses the results of a large experimental program designed to investigate in a systematic manner the main features of the incremental response of fine-grained soils. The results are obtained from triaxial stress probing experiments carried out on a French silty clay (Beaucaire Marl). All the tests have been performed on reconstituted specimens, normally consolidated to an initial state which is either isotropic or anisotropic. In the interpretation of the experimental results, extensive use is made of the concept of strain response envelope. The response envelopes obtained for different stress increment magnitudes are remarkably consistent with each other and indicate an inelastic and irreversible material response, i.e. a strong dependence on the stress increment direction, also at relatively small strain levels. A companion paper (Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech., this issue, 2006) assesses the performance of some advanced constitutive models in reproducing the behaviour of reconstituted Beaucaire Marl as observed in this experimental program. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Reduktion der Frosthebungen bei der künstlichen Bodenvereisung

BAUTECHNIK, Issue 9 2009
Guoqing Zhou Prof. Dr.-Ing.
Geotechnik; Bodenmechanik; Geotechnical Engineering; Soil Mechanics Abstract Mit dem Ziel der Reduktion der Frosthebungen bei der künstlichen Bodenvereisung wurden die Einflüsse des Temperaturgradienten, der Temperaturänderung sowie der Temperaturänderungsamplitude und -periode der Vereisungstemperatur auf die Frosthebungen bei der eindimensionalen Frosteindringung in feinkörnige Böden experimentell im Labor untersucht. Bei der Frosteindringung in feinkörnige Böden ist die Frosthebung infolge der Bildung der untersten Eislinse (letzte Eislinse bei Frostung von oben nach unten) im thermodynamisch stationären Zustand maßgebend. Der Temperaturgradient beeinflusst zwar die Frosteindringtiefe, die Größe der Frosthebung dagegen nur in geringem Maße. Durch zyklische Veränderungen der Vereisungstemperatur kann das Wachstum der letzten Eislinse beschränkt und dadurch die Frosthebung vermindert werden. Die zyklische Veränderung der Vereisungstemperatur bereits vor der Bildung der letzten Eislinse führt dagegen zu einer großen Frosthebung. Zur Minimierung der Frosthebung müssen die Temperaturveränderungsamplitude und -periode während der Vereisung auf die Eislinsenbildung abgestimmt werden. Decreasing frost heaves of artificial frozen soils by intermission freezing. For decreasing the frost heaves of artificially frozen soils the influences of temperature gradient, its changes as well as the amplitude and period of changing freezing temperature on the one-dimensional frost heaves of fine-grained soils were investigated by experiments in the laboratory. During the frost penetration into the fine-grained soils the frost heaves due to the formation of the final ice lens under thermodynamic stationary condition is decisive. The gradient of temperature influences strongly the depth of frost penetration but only little the total frost heave. Cyclical changes of the freezing temperature can confine the growth of the final ice lens and thereby the frost heave decreases. However, the cyclical changes of the freezing temperature before the formation of the final ice lens can cause a heavy frost heave. For decreasing frost heaves the amplitude und period of changing the freezing temperature must be controlled properly. [source]