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Water Pressure (water + pressure)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Engineering	58%
Earth and Environmental Science	25%
Humanities and Social Sciences	9%
Chemistry	6%

Kinds of Water Pressure

pore water pressure

Selected Abstracts

Action of Force on Rock Mass by Crack Water Pressure

GEOMECHANICS AND TUNNELLING, Issue 6 2008
Guntram Innerhofer Dipl.-Ing.
The formula of effective stress used in soil mechanics is adapted to the properties of rock mass by implementation of the wetting factor and the Saint-Venant factor. The wetting factor defines the area over which a hydrostatic force can actually be developed, the Saint Venant factor defines the component of this force which is balanced by reduction of the effective stress in the crack zone. Here, the consequences of this concept are discussed with respect to uniaxial, plain stress and a continuum mechanical model. The effect of the concept is considered in relation to the state of stress in crack zones, and in the adjacent rock mass, and on the action of forces on the system. The development of crack propagation and of shear failure is discussed. The intention is to contribute towards a basic understanding of the complex effects of water pressure in rock masses, applicable to engineering practice. Kraftwirkung des Kluftwasserdrucks auf Fels Die Formel für Effektivspannungen der Bodenmechanik wird, den Eigenschaften von Fels entsprechend, durch Einführen des Benetzungsgrads und des Saint-Venant-Faktors erweitert. Der Benetzungsgrad definiert die Fläche, auf die eine hydrostatische Kraft wirken kann, der Saint-Venant-Faktor die Komponente dieser Kraft, die in der Kluftfläche durch Reduktion der Effektivspannungen ausgeglichen wird. Die andere Komponente belastet das System. Anhand eines einachsigen, eines ebenen und eines Kontinuum-Mechanischen Modells werden die aus diesem Ansatz abgeleiteten Spannungszustände in der Kluftfläche beziehungsweise im klüftigen Fels diskutiert. Die Entwicklung von Kluftsprengung und Scherbruch und das Verhalten hoch- und tiefliegender Druckstollen werden beschrieben. Beabsichtigt ist, mit einer möglichst geschlossenen, auf das Wesentliche beschränkten Darstellung das Verständnis der komplexen Zusammenhänge zu fördern. [source]

Experimental study of rill bank collapse

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 2 2007
Jovan R. Stefanovic
Abstract Rill bank collapse is an important component in the adjustment of channel morphology to changes in discharge and sediment flux. Sediment inputs from bank collapse cause abrupt changes in flow resistance, flow patterns and downstream sediment concentrations. Generally, bank retreat involves gradual lateral erosion, caused by flow shear stress, and sudden bank collapse, triggered by complex interactions between channel flow and bank and soil water conditions. Collapse occurs when bank height exceeds the critical height where gravitational forces overcome soil shear strength. An experimental study examined conditions for collapse in eroding rill channels. Experiments with and without a deep water table were carried out on a meandering rill channel in a loamy sand and sandy loam in a laboratory flume under simulated rainfall and controlled runon. Different discharges were used to initiate knickpoint and rill incision. Soil water dynamics were monitored using microstandpipes, tensiometers and time domain reflectometer probes (TDR probes). Bank collapse occurred with newly developed or rising pre-existing water tables near rill banks, associated with knickpoint migration. Knickpoint scour increased effective bank height, caused positive pore water pressure in the bank toe and reduced negative pore pressures in the unsaturated zone to near zero. Matric tension in unsaturated parts of the bank and a surface seal on the ,interrill' zone behind the bank enhanced stability, while increased effective bank height and positive pore water pressure at the bank toe caused instability. With soil water contents >35 per cent (sandy loam) and >23 per cent (loamy sand), critical bank heights were 0·11,0·12 m and 0·06,0·07 m, respectively. Bank toe undercutting at the outside of the rill bends also triggered instability. Bank displacement was quite different on the two soils. On the loamy sand, the failed block slid to the channel bed, revealing only the upper half of the failure plane, while on the sandy loam the failed block toppled forwards, exposing the failure plane for the complete bank height. This study has shown that it is possible to predict location, frequency and magnitude of the rill bank collapse, providing a basis for incorporation into predictive models for hillslope soil loss or rill network development. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Action of Force on Rock Mass by Crack Water Pressure

Streaming potential dependence on water-content in Fontainebleau sand

GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2010
V. Allègre
SUMMARY The electrokinetic potential results from the coupling between the water flow and the electrical current because of the presence of ions within water. The electrokinetic coefficient is well described in fluid-saturated media, however its behaviour under unsaturated flow conditions is still discussed. We propose here an experimental approach to investigate streaming potential variations in sand at unsaturated conditions. We present for the first time continuous records of the electrokinetic coefficient as a function of water content. Two drainage experiments have been performed within a column filled with a clean sand. Streaming potential measurements are combined with water pressure and water content measurements every 10 cm along the column. In order to model hydrodymanics during the experiments, we solve Richards equation coupled with an inverse problem to estimate the hydraulic parameters of the constitutive relations between hydraulic conductivity, water pressure and water content. The electrokinetic coefficient C shows a more complex behaviour for unsaturated conditions than it was previously reported and cannot be fitted by the existing models. The normalized electrokinetic coefficient increases first when water saturation decreases from 100 to about 65,80 per cent, and then decreases as the water saturation decreases, whereas all previous works described a monotone decrease of the normalized electrokinetic coupling as water saturation decreases. We delimited two water saturation domains, and deduced two different empirical laws describing the evolution of the electrokinetic coefficient for unsaturated conditions. Moreover, we introduce the concept of the electrokinetic residual saturation, Sr,ekw, which allows us to propose a new model derived from the approach of the relative permeability used in hydrodynamics. [source]

Subglacial drainage system structure and morphology of Brewster Glacier, New Zealand

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 3 2009
Ian Willis
Abstract A global positioning system and ground penetrating radar surveys is used to produce digital elevation models of the surface and bed of Brewster Glacier. These are used to derive maps of subglacial hydraulic potential and drainage system structure using three different assumptions about the subglacial water pressure (Pw): (i) Pw = ice overburden; (ii) Pw = half ice overburden; (iii) Pw = atmospheric. Additionally, 16 dye-tracing experiments at 12 locations were performed through a summer melt season. Dye return curve shape, together with calculations of transit velocity, dispersivity and storage, are used to infer the likely morphology of the subglacial drainage system. Taken together, the data indicate that the glacier is underlain by a channelised but hydraulically inefficient drainage system in the early summer in which water pressures are close to ice overburden. By mid-summer, water pressures are closer to half-ice overburden and the channelised drainage system is more hydraulically efficient. Surface streams that enter the glacier close to the location of major subglacial drainage pathways are routed quickly to the channels and then to the glacier snout. Streams that enter the glacier further away from the drainage pathways are routed slowly to the channels and then to the snout because they first flow through a distributed drainage system. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Evidence for seasonal subglacial outburst events at a polythermal glacier, Finsterwalderbreen, Svalbard

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 12 2001
J. L. Wadham
Bulk runoff and meteorological data suggest the occurrence of two meltwater outburst events at Finsterwalderbreen, Svalbard, during the 1995 and 1999 melt seasons. Increased bulk meltwater concentrations of Cl, during the outbursts indicate the release of snowmelt from storage. Bulk meltwater hydrochemical data and suspended sediment concentrations suggest that this snowmelt accessed a chemical weathering environment characterized by high rock:water ratios and long rock,water contact times. This is consistent with a subglacial origin. The trigger for both the 1995 and 1999 outbursts is believed to be high rates of surface meltwater production and the oversupply of meltwater to areas of the glacier bed that were at the pressure melting point, but which were unconnected to the main subglacial drainage network. An increase in subglacial water pressure to above the overburden pressure lead to the forcing of a hydrological connection between the expanding subglacial reservoir and the ice-marginal channelized system. The purging of ice blocks from the glacier during the outbursts may indicate the breach of an ice dam during connection. Although subglacial meltwater issued continually from the glacier terminus via a subglacial upwelling during both melt seasons, field observations showed outburst meltwaters were released solely via an ice-marginal channel. It is possible that outburst events are a seasonal phenomenon at this glacier and reflect the periodic drainage of meltwaters from the same subglacial reservoir from year to year. However, the location of this reservoir is uncertain. A 100 m high bedrock ridge traverses the glacier 6·5 km from its terminus. The overdeepened area up-glacier from this is the most probable site for subglacial meltwater accumulation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Some numerical issues using element-free Galerkin mesh-less method for coupled hydro-mechanical problems

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 7 2009
Mohammad Norouz Oliaei
Abstract A new formulation of the element-free Galerkin (EFG) method is developed for solving coupled hydro-mechanical problems. The numerical approach is based on solving the two governing partial differential equations of equilibrium and continuity of pore water simultaneously. Spatial variables in the weak form, i.e. displacement increment and pore water pressure increment, are discretized using the same EFG shape functions. An incremental constrained Galerkin weak form is used to create the discrete system equations and a fully implicit scheme is used for discretization in the time domain. Implementation of essential boundary conditions is based on a penalty method. Numerical stability of the developed formulation is examined in order to achieve appropriate accuracy of the EFG solution for coupled hydro-mechanical problems. Examples are studied and compared with closed-form or finite element method solutions to demonstrate the validity of the developed model and its capabilities. The results indicate that the EFG method is capable of handling coupled problems in saturated porous media and can predict well both the soil deformation and variation of pore water pressure over time. Some guidelines are proposed to guarantee the accuracy of the EFG solution for coupled hydro-mechanical problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Coupled simulation of wave propagation and water flow in soil induced by high-speed trains

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 11 2008
P. Kettil
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to simulate the coupled dynamic deformation and water flow that occur in saturated soils when subjected to traffic loads, which is a problem with several practical applications. The wave propagation causes vibrations leading to discomfort for passengers and people in the surroundings and increase wear on both the vehicle and road structure. The water flow may cause internal erosion and material transport in the soil. Further, the increased pore water pressure could reduce the bearing capacity of embankments. The saturated soil is modelled as a water-saturated porous medium. The traffic is modelled as a number of moving wheel contact loads. Dynamic effects are accounted for, which lead to a coupled problem with solid displacements, water velocity and pressure as primary unknowns. A finite element program has been developed to perform simulations. The simulations clearly demonstrate the induced wave propagation and water flow in the soil. The simulation technique is applicable to railway as well as road traffic. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Lateral force and centroid location caused by horizontal and vertical surcharge strip loads on a cross-anisotropic backfill

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 13 2007
Cheng-Der Wang
Abstract This work presents analytical solutions for determining lateral force (force per unit length) and centroid location caused by horizontal and vertical surcharge surface loads acting on a cross-anisotropic backfill. The surcharge loading types are point load, line load, uniform strip load, upward linear-varying strip load, upward nonlinear-varying strip load, downward linear-varying strip load, and downward nonlinear-varying strip load. The planes of cross-anisotropy are assumed parallel to the backfill ground surface. The proposed solutions, derived by integrating the lateral stress solutions (Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2005; 29:1341,1361), do not exist in literature. Clearly, the type and degree of material anisotropy, loading distance from the retaining wall, and loading types markedly impact the proposed solutions. Two examples are utilized to illustrate the type and degree of soil anisotropy, and the loading types on the lateral force and centroid location in the isotropic/cross-anisotropic backfills generated by the horizontal and vertical uniform, upward linear-varying and upward nonlinear-varying strip loads. The parametric study results demonstrate that the lateral force and centroid location accounting for soil anisotropy, loading distance from the retaining wall, dimension of the loading strip, and loading directions and types differ significantly from those estimated using existing isotropic solutions. The derived solutions can be added to other lateral pressures, such as earth pressure or water pressure, required for stability and structural analysis of a retaining wall. Additionally, they can simulate realistically actual surcharge loading problems in geotechnical engineering when backfill materials are cross-anisotropic. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Modelling of earth and water pressure development during diaphragm wall construction in soft clay

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 13 2004
R. Schäfer
Abstract The influence of a diaphragm wall construction on the stress field in a soft clayey soil is investigated by the use of a three-dimensional FE-model of seven adjacent wall panels. The installation procedure comprises the excavation and the subsequent pouring of each panel taking into account the increasing stiffness of the placed fresh concrete. The soft clay deposit is described by a visco-hypoplastic constitutive model considering the rheological properties and the small-strain stiffness of the soil. The construction process considerably affects the effective earth and pore water pressures adjacent to the wall. Due to concreting, a high excess pore water pressure arises, which dissipates during the following construction steps. The earth pressure finally shows an oscillating, distinct three-dimensional distribution along the retaining wall which depends on the installation sequence of the panels and the difference between the fresh concrete pressure and the total horizontal earth pressure at rest. In comparison to FE-calculations adopting the earth pressure at rest as initial condition, greater wall deflections and surface ground settlements during the subsequent pit excavation can be expected, as the average stress level especially in the upper half of the wall is increased by the construction procedure of the retaining structure. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

A cyclic viscoelastic,viscoplastic constitutive model for clay and liquefaction analysis of multi-layered ground

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 2 2004
Fusao Oka
Abstract In order to estimate viscous effect of clay in the wide range of low to high level of strain, a cyclic viscoelastic,viscoplastic constitutive model for clay is proposed. First, we confirm the performance of the proposed model by simulating the cyclic undrained triaxial tests to determine the cyclic strength and deformation characteristics of a natural marine clay. Then, the proposed model is incorporated into an effective stress based liquefaction analysis method to estimate the effect of an intermediate clay layer on the behaviour of liquefiable sand layers. The seismic response against foreshocks, main shock as well as aftershocks of 1995 Hyogoken Nambu Earthquake is analysed in the present study. The difference of shear strength characteristics of the alluvial clay layer is one of the reasons why Port Island has a higher liquefaction potential than that of Rokko Island. The proposed model gives a good description of the damping characteristics of clay layer during large earthquakes. Acceleration responses in both clay layer and liquefiable sand layer just above it are damped due to viscous effect of clay. In the case of main shock and the following aftershocks that occurred within less than 9 days after main event, acceleration responses near ground surface are de-amplified due to the developed excess pore water pressure, while responses near ground surface are amplified before and long after the main event. Using the viscoelastic,viscoplastic model for clay layer, time history of acceleration response in upper liquefiable sand layer can be well calculated, in particular in the range of microtremor process after the main seismic motion. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Finite element formulation and algorithms for unsaturated soils.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 9 2003
Part I: Theory
Abstract This paper presents a complete finite-element treatment for unsaturated soil problems. A new formulation of general constitutive equations for unsaturated soils is first presented. In the incremental stress,strain equations, the suction or the pore water pressure is treated as a strain variable instead of a stress variable. The global governing equations are derived in terms of displacement and pore water pressure. The discretized governing equations are then solved using an adaptive time-stepping scheme which automatically adjusts the time-step size so that the integration error in the displacements and pore pressures lies close to a specified tolerance. The non-linearity caused by suction-dependent plastic yielding, suction-dependent degree of saturation, and saturation-dependent permeability is treated in a similar way to the elastoplasticity. An explicit stress integration scheme is used to solve the constitutive stress,strain equations at the Gauss point level. The elastoplastic stiffness matrix in the Euler solution is evaluated using the suction as well as the stresses and hardening parameters at the start of the subincrement, while the elastoplastic matrix in the modified Euler solution is evaluated using the suction at the end of the subincrement. In addition, when applying subincrementation, the same rate is applied to all strain components including the suction. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Liquid,liquid miscibility gaps and hydrate formation in drug,water binary systems: Pressure,temperature phase diagram of lidocaine and pressure,temperature,composition phase diagram of the lidocaine,water system

JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 6 2010
René Ceolin
Abstract The pressure,temperature (P,T) melting curve of lidocaine was determined (dP/dT,=,3.56,MPa,K,1), and the lidocaine,water system was investigated as a function of temperature and pressure. The lidocaine,water system exhibits a monotectic equilibrium at 321,K (ordinary pressure) whose temperature increases as the pressure increases until the two liquids become miscible. A hydrate, unstable at ordinary pressure, was shown to form, on increasing the pressure, from about 70,MPa at low temperatures (200,300,K). The thermodynamic conditions of its stability were inferred from the location of the three-phase equilibria involving the hydrate in the lidocaine,water pressure,temperature,mole fraction (P,T,x) diagram. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 99: 2756,2765, 2010 [source]

Untersuchungen zum vertikalen Tragverhalten von Spundwänden

BAUTECHNIK, Issue 8 2009
Jürgen Grabe Univ.-Prof.
Geotechnik; Bodenmechanik; Geotechnical Engineering; Soil Mechanics Abstract Spundwände werden im Wesentlichen auf Biegung infolge einer Belastung durch Erd- und Wasserdrücke beansprucht. Sie können aber auch zum Abtrag von Vertikallasten dienen. Das Tragverhalten von Spundwänden ist bei genauer Betrachtung äußerst komplex, da diesem eine räumlich und zeitlich gekoppelte Boden-Bauwerk-Interaktion zugrunde liegt. Für die praktische Bemessung muss das Tragverhalten daher stark idealisiert werden. Die Rechtfertigung der dafür notwendigen Modellvorstellungen sowie deren Vereinfachungen und Annnahmen sind, wie häufig in der Geotechnik, hauptsächlich durch Erfahrung begründet. Researching the vertical load bearing behaviour of sheet piles. Sheet pile walls are mainly used to carry loads caused by earth and water pressure via bending. In special cases these walls can be used to transfer vertical loads to the subsoil. The complex load bearing behaviour of sheet pile walls is caused by the sterical and temporal coupled soil structure interaction. For practical design the load bearing behaviour needs to be idealised. The apologies used to explain the model conceptions as well as their simplifications are, as usual in geotechnics, mainly motivated by operating experience. [source]

Dimensionierung von Vakuumwasserhaltungen im tertiären Feinsand

BAUTECHNIK, Issue 7 2004
Peter-Michael Mayer Dr.-Ing.
Der Entwurf umfangreicher Vakuumwasserhaltungen ist aufgrund fehlender allgemeingültiger analytischer Berechnungsverfahren bisher auf Abschätzungen und Erfahrungen angewiesen. Vorliegende Untersuchungen zeigen exemplarisch für eine 80 m lange und 37 m breite Spundwandbaugrube im tertiären Feinsand, wie mittels räumlicher Finite-Element-Modelle die erforderliche Anzahl und Tiefe von Vakuumtiefbrunnen zur Grundwasserabsenkung berechnet werden kann. Die Auswirkungen von Schichtanisotropien bzw. lokaler Bereiche mit hoher Durchlässigkeit auf das erreichte Absenkziel und die geförderten Pumpmengen werden aufgezeigt. Darüberhinaus wird auch der Wasserdruck auf die Spundwand analysiert. Die Bedeutung zeitabhängiger Strömungsberechnungen wird durch die Verbindung von Aushub und Wasserhaltung deutlich und kann durch instationäre Betrachtungen erfaßt werden. Der Vergleich von in-situ-Messungen und Berechnungsergebnissen zeigt die Leistungsfähigkeit, aber auch die Grenzen numerischer Strömungsmodelle bei der Abschätzung des Ausführungsrisikos und möglicher wirtschaftlicher Optimierungen. Dimensioning of vacuum dewaterings in tertiary fine sand. Because of outstanding valid analytical solutions, the study of extensive dewatering depends actually only on estimations and experiences. This paper show, for a 80 m long and 37 m large excavation in fine sand, how to calculate the requested number and depth of vacuum deep well for the lowering of the groundwater level by Finite-Element-Models. The effects of anisotropic layer and layer with local ranges with high porosity for the achieved lowering and pumping capacity have been showed. Additionally the water pressure on sheet pile wall was also analyzed. The significance of transient flow calculations becomes clearly by the connection of excavation and dewatering. The comparison of in-situ measurements and results of calculations shows the performance but also the limits of the numerical flow models on the estimation of the execution risks and possible improvement on dewatering process. [source]

Preparation of a super-long two column chromatography system and its application in separating glycosylated puerarin

BIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY, Issue 12 2009
Shouchuang Zhu
Abstract Separation of Puerarin-7- O -glucoside from its precursor, puerarin, using a common chromatography column packed with AB-8 macroporous resin was unsuccessful. Therefore, in this study a 8,m super-long flexible reinforced PVC column was externally added to the common column in order to improve the chromatography efficiency by increasing the number of theoretical plates. Both the PVC and common columns were separately packed with AB-8 macroporous resin slurry. The packed PVC column was coiled after washing and stored until use. The microbial transformation mixture with puerarin-7- O -glucoside and puerarin (250,mL) was loaded onto the common column, followed by washing with 2000,mL H2O. After attaching the coiled external PVC column to the common column, a linear gradient of 10,30% ethanol was applied to elute the target compound. Two peaks appeared: peak I contained puerarin-7- O -glucoside at 97.9% purity and 88.1% recovery rate, and peak II was puerarin at 98.7% purity and 87.0% recovery rate. The use of the coiled external flexible reinforced PVC column avoided spatial restriction for long columns, which made it much more convenient for column packing and chromatography operations. Furthermore, this method eliminated the resin blockage problem caused by stationary water pressure in a rigid vertical long column. Using an external super-long column, the PVC tube was connected with the common column only during elution, which avoided delay in time period during sample loading and column washes associated with the use of long external columns. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Streamlined bedrock terrain and fast ice flow, Jakobshavns Isbrae, West Greenland: implications for ice stream and ice sheet dynamics

BOREAS, Issue 1 2005
DAVID H. ROBERTS
This study investigates the marginal subglacial bedrock bedforms of Jakobshavns Isbrae, West Greenland, in order to examine the processes governing bedform evolution in ice stream and ice sheet areas, and to reconstruct the interplay between ice stream and ice sheet dynamics. Differences in bedform morphology (roche moutonnee or whaleback) are used to explore contrasts in basal conditions between fast and slow ice flow. Bedform density is higher in ice stream areas and whalebacks are common. We interpret that this is related to higher ice velocities and thicker ice which suppress bed separation. However, modification of whalebacks by plucking occurs during deglaciation due to ice thinning, flow deceleration, crevassing and fluctuations in basal water pressure. The bedform evidence points to widespread basal sliding during past advances of Jakobshavns Isbrae. This was encouraged by increased basal temperatures and melting at depth, as well as the steep marginal gradients of Jakobshavns Isfjord which allowed rapid downslope evacuation of meltwater leading to strong ice/bedrock coupling and scouring. In contrast to soft-bedded ice stream bedforms, the occurrence of fixed basal perturbations and higher bed roughness in rigid bed settings prevents the basal ice subsole from maintaining a stable form which, coupled with secondary plucking, counteracts the development of bedforms with high elongation ratios. Cross-cutting striae and double-plucked, rectilinear bedforms suggest that Jakobshavns Isbrae became partially unconfined during growth phases, causing localised diffluent flow and changes in ice sheet dynamics around Disko Bugt. It is likely that Disko Bugt harboured a convergent ice flow system during repeated glacial cycles, resulting in the formation of a large coalesced ice stream which reached the continental shelf edge. [source]

Signature of the Baltic Ice Stream on Funen Island, Denmark during the Weichselian glaciation

BOREAS, Issue 1 2003
FLEMMING JØRGENSEN
Ice streams are major dynamic elements of modern ice sheets, and are believed to have significantly influenced the behaviour of past ice sheets. Funen Island exhibits a number of geomorphological and geological features indicative of a Late Weichselian ice stream, a land-based, terminal branch of the major Baltic Ice Stream that drained the Scandinavian Ice Sheet along the Baltic Sea depression. The ice stream in the study area operated during the Young Baltic Advance. Its track on Funen is characterized by a prominent drumlin field with long, attenuated drumlins consisting of till. The field has an arcuate shape indicating ice-flow deflection around the island's interior. Beneath the drumlin-forming till is a major erosional surface with a boulder pavement, the stones of which have heavily faceted and striated upper surfaces. Ploughing marks are found around the boulders. Exact correspondence of striations, till fabric and drumlin orientation indicates a remarkably consistent flow direction during ice streaming. We infer that fast ice flow was facilitated by basal water pressure elevated to the vicinity of the flotation point. The ice movement was by basal sliding and bed deformation under water pressure at the flotation level or slightly below it, respectively. Subglacial channels and eskers post-dating the drumlins mark a drainage phase that terminated the ice-stream activity close to the deglaciation. Identification of other ice streams in the Peribaltic area is essential for better understanding the dynamics of the land-based part of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during the last glaciation. [source]

Gelifluction: viscous flow or plastic creep?

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 12 2003
Charles Harris
Abstract This paper reports results from two scaled centrifuge modelling experiments, designed to simulate thaw-related geli,uction. A planar 12° prototype slope was modelled in each experiment, using the same natural ,ne sandy silt soil. However two different scales were used. In Experiment 1, the model scale was 1/10, tested in the centrifuge at 10 gravities (g) and in Experiment 2, the scale was 1/30, tested at 30 g. Centrifuge scaling laws indicate that the time scaling factor for thaw consolidation between model and prototype is N2, where N is the number of gravities under which the model was tested. However, the equivalent time scaling for viscous ,ow is 1/1. If geli,uction is a viscosity-controlled ,ow process, scaling con,icts will therefore arise during centrifuge modelling of thawing slopes, and rates of displacement will not scale accurately to the prototype. If, however, no such scaling con,icts are observed, we may conclude that geli,uction is not controlled by viscosity, but rather by elasto-plastic soil deformation in which frictional shear strength depends on effective stress, itself a function of the thaw consolidation process. Models were saturated, consolidated and frozen from the surface downwards on the laboratory ,oor. The frozen models were then placed in the geotechnical centrifuge and thawed from the surface down. Each model was subjected to four freeze,thaw cycles. Soil temperatures and pore water pressures were monitored, and frost heave, thaw settlement and downslope displacements measured. Pore water pressures, displacement rates and displacement pro,les re,ecting accumulated shear strain, were all similar at the two model scales and volumetric soil transport per freeze,thaw cycle, when scaled to prototype, were virtually identical. Displacement rates and pro,les were also similar to those observed in earlier full-scale laboratory ,oor experiments. It is concluded therefore that the modelled geli,uction was not a time-dependent viscosity-controlled ,ow phenomenon, but rather elasto-plastic in nature. A ,rst approximation ,,ow' law is proposed, based on the ,Cam Clay' constitutive model for soils. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Proglacial Sediment,Landform Associations of a Polythermal Glacier: Storglaciären, Northern Sweden

GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2003
James L. Etienne
Abstract Mapping and laboratory analysis of the sediment,landform associations in the proglacial area of polythermal Storglaciären, Tarfala, northern Sweden, reveal six distinct lithofacies. Sandy gravel, silty gravel, massive sand and silty sand are interpreted as glaciofluvial in origin. A variable, pervasively deformed to massive clast-rich sandy diamicton is interpreted as the product of an actively deforming subglacial till layer. Massive block gravels, comprising two distinctive moraine ridges, reflect supraglacial sedimentation and ice-marginal and subglacial reworking of heterogeneous proglacial sediments during the Little Ice Age and an earlier more extensive advance. Visual estimation of the relative abundance of these lithofacies suggests that the sandy gravel lithofacies is of the most volumetric importance, followed by the diamicton and block gravels. Sedimentological analysis suggests that the role of a deforming basal till layer has been the dominant factor controlling glacier flow throughout the Little Ice Age, punctuated by shorter (warmer and wetter climatic) periods where high water pressures may have played a more important role. These results contribute to the database that facilitates discrimination of past glacier thermal regimes and dynamics in areas that are no longer glacierized, as well as older glaciations in the geological record. [source]

Subglacial drainage system structure and morphology of Brewster Glacier, New Zealand

Effects of hillslope topography on hydrological responses in a weathered granite mountain, Japan: comparison of the runoff response between the valley-head and the side slope

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 14 2008
Masamitsu Fujimoto
Abstract To evaluate the effects of hillslope topography on storm runoff in a weathered granite mountain, discharge rate, soil pore water pressures, and water chemistry were observed on two types of hillslope: a valley-head (a concave hillslope) and a side slope (a planar hillslope). Hydrological responses on the valley-head and side slope reflected their respective topographic characteristics and varied with the rainfall magnitude. During small rainfall events (<35 mm), runoff from the side slope occurred rapidly relative to the valley-head. The valley-head showed little response in storm runoff. As rainfall amounts increased (35,60 mm), the valley-head yielded a higher flow relative to the side slope. For large rainfall events (>60 mm), runoff from both hillslopes increased with rainfall, although that from the valley-head was larger than that from the side slope. The differences in the runoff responses were caused by differences in the roles of lower-slope soils and the convergence of the hillslope. During small rainfall events, the side slope could store little water; in contrast, all rainwater could be stored in the soils at the valley-head hollow. As the amount of rainfall increased, the subsurface saturated area of the valley-head extended from the bottom to the upper portion of the slope, with the contributions of transient groundwater via lateral preferential flowpaths due to the high concentration of subsurface water. Conversely, saturated subsurface flow did not contribute to runoff responses, and the subsurface saturated area at the side slope did not extend to the upper slope for the same storm size. During large rainfall events, expansion of the subsurface saturated area was observed in both hillslopes. Thus, differences in the concentration of subsurface water, reflecting hillslope topography, may create differences in the extension of the subsurface saturated area, as well as variability in runoff responses. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

A numerical procedure for predicting rainfall-induced movements of active landslides along pre-existing slip surfaces

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 4 2008
Michele Calvello
Abstract A numerical model to predict landslide movements along pre-existing slip surfaces from rainfall data is presented. The model comprises: a transient seepage finite-element analysis to compute the variations of pore water pressures due to rainfall; a limit equilibrium stability analysis to compute the factors of safety along the slip surface associated with transient pore pressure conditions; an empirical relationship between the factor of safety and the rate of displacement of the slide along the slip surface; an optimization algorithm for the calibration of analyses and relationships based on available monitoring data. The model is validated with reference to a well-monitored active slide in central Italy, characterized by very slow movements occurring within a narrow band of weathered bedrock overlaid by a clayey silt colluvial cover. The model is conveniently divided and presented in two parts: a groundwater model and a kinematic model. In the first part, monthly recorded rainfall data are used as time-dependent flow boundary conditions of the transient seepage analysis, while piezometric levels are used to calibrate the analysis by minimizing the errors between monitoring data and computed pore pressures. In the second part, measured inclinometric movements are used to calibrate the empirical relationship between the rate of displacement along the slip surface and the factor of safety, whose variation with time is computed by a time-dependent stability analysis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

A viscoelastic model for the dynamic response of soils to periodical surface water disturbance

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 12 2006
P. C. Hsieh
Abstract In many instances soils can be assumed to behave like viscoelastic materials during loading/unloading cycles, and this study is aimed at setting up a viscoelastic model to investigate the dynamic response of a porous soil layer of finite thickness under the effect of periodically linear water waves. The waves and homogeneous water are described by potential theory and the porous material is described by a viscoelastic model, which is modified from Biot's poroelastic theory (1956). The distributions of pore water pressures and effective stresses of various soils such as silt, sand, and gravel are demonstrated by employing the proposed viscoelastic model. The discrepancies of the dynamic response between the simulations of viscoelastic model and elastic model are found to be strongly dependent on the wave frequency. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Unsaturated slope stability analysis with steady infiltration or evaporation using elasto-plastic finite elements

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 3 2005
D. V. Griffiths
Abstract The paper presents results of unsaturated slope stability analyses using elasto-plastic finite elements in conjunction with a novel analytical formulation for the suction stress above the water table. The suction stress formula requires four parameters, three for the soil type and one for the steady infiltration (or evaporation) due to environmental effects. The suction stress approach enables the analysis to proceed in the context of classical effective stress, while maintaining the advantages of a general non-linear finite element approach in which no advance assumptions need to be made about the shape or location of the critical failure surface. The results show the extent to which suctions above the water table can increase the factor of safety of a slope for a variety of different soil types and infiltration rates. All stability analyses that include the effects of suction stresses are contrasted with more traditional approaches in which water pressures above the water table are ignored. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Modelling of earth and water pressure development during diaphragm wall construction in soft clay

Experimental dehydration kinetics of serpentinite using pore volumometry

JOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 4 2007
S. LLANA-FÚNEZ
Abstract A series of dehydration experiments was carried out on both intact rock and cold-pressed powdered samples of serpentinite at temperatures in the range 535,610 °C, 100,170 °C above the onset of the breakdown temperature of 435 °C. Pore water pressures near 120 MPa were servo-controlled using a pore volumometer that also allowed dehydration reaction progress to be monitored through measurement of the amount of evolved water. Effective hydrostatic confining pressures were varied between 0 and 113 MPa. The reaction rate of intact specimens of initially near-zero porosity was constant up to 50,80% reaction progress at any given temperature, but decreased progressively as transformation approached completion. Water expulsion rates were not substantially affected by elevation of effective pressures that remained insufficient to cause major pore collapse. An Arrhenius relation links reaction rate to temperature with an activation enthalpy of 429 ± 201 and 521 ± 52 kJ mol,1 for powdered and intact specimens, respectively. Microstructural study of intact specimens showed extensive nucleation beginning at pre-existing cracks, veins and grain boundaries, and progressing into the interior of the lizardite grains. Extrapolation of these data towards equilibrium temperature provides an upper bound on the kinetics of this reaction in nature. [source]

Solifluction processes on permafrost and non-permafrost slopes: results of a large-scale laboratory simulation

PERMAFROST AND PERIGLACIAL PROCESSES, Issue 4 2008
Charles Harris
Abstract We present results of full-scale physical modelling of solifluction in two thermally defined environments: (a) seasonal frost penetration but no permafrost, and (b) a seasonally thawed active layer above cold permafrost. Modelling was undertaken at the Laboratoire M2C, Université de Caen-Basse Normandie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France. Two geometrically similar slope models were constructed using natural frost-susceptible test soil. In Model 1 water was supplied via a basal sand layer during freezing. In Model 2 the basal sand layer contained refrigerated copper tubing that maintained a permafrost table. Soil freezing was from the top down in Model 1 (one-sided freezing) but from the top down and bottom up (two-sided freezing) in Model 2. Thawing occurred from the top down as a result of positive air temperatures. Ice segregation in Model 1 decreased with depth, but in Model 2, simulated rainfall led to summer frost heave associated with ice segregation at the permafrost table, and subsequent two-sided freezing increased basal ice contents further. Thaw consolidation in Model 1 decreased with depth, but in Model 2 was greatest in the ice-rich basal layer. Soil shear strain occurred during thaw consolidation and was accompanied by raised pore water pressures. Displacement profiles showed decreasing movement rates with depth in Model 1 (one-sided freezing) but ,plug-like' displacements of the active layer over a shearing basal zone in Model 2 (two-sided active layer freezing). Volumetric transport rates were approximately 2.8 times higher for a given rate of surface movement in the permafrost model compared with the non-permafrost model. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Solifluction processes in an area of seasonal ground freezing, Dovrefjell, Norway

PERMAFROST AND PERIGLACIAL PROCESSES, Issue 1 2008
Charles Harris
Abstract Continuous monitoring of soil temperatures, frost heave, thaw consolidation, pore water pressures and downslope soil movements are reported from a turf-banked solifluction lobe at Steinhøi, Dovrefjell, Norway from August 2002 to August 2006. Mean annual air temperatures over the monitored period were slightly below 0°C, but mean annual ground surface temperatures were around 2°C warmer, due to the insulating effects of snow cover. Seasonal frost penetration was highly dependent on snow thickness, and at the monitoring location varied from 30,38,cm over the four years. The shallow annual frost penetration suggests that the site may be close to the limit of active solifluction in this area. Surface solifluction rates over the period 2002,06 ranged from 0.5,cm yr,1 at the rear of the lobe tread to 1.6,cm yr,1 just behind the lobe front, with corresponding soil transport rates of 6,cm3,cm,1 yr,1 and 46,cm3,cm,1 yr,1. Pore water pressure measurements indicated seepage of snowmelt beneath seasonally frozen soil in spring with artesian pressures beneath the confining frozen layer. Soil thawing was associated with surface settlement and downslope soil displacements, but following clearance of the frozen ground, later soil surface settlement was accompanied by retrograde movement. Summer rainfall events caused brief increases in pore pressure, but no further soil movement. Surface displacements exceeded maximum potential frost creep values and it is concluded that gelifluction was an important component of slow near-surface mass movements at this site. Temporal and spatial variations in solifluction rates across the area are likely to be considerable and strongly influenced by snow distribution. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Subglacial bed conditions during Late Pleistocene glaciations and their impact on ice dynamics in the southern North Sea

BOREAS, Issue 3 2010
SANDRA PASSCHIER
Passchier, S., Laban, C., Mesdag, C.S. & Rijsdijk, K.F. 2010: Subglacial bed conditions during Late Pleistocene glaciations and their impact on ice dynamics in the southern North Sea. Boreas, Vol. 39, pp. 633,647. 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2009.00138.x. ISSN 0300-9483. Changes in subglacial bed conditions through multiple glaciations and their effect on ice dynamics are addressed through an analysis of glacigenic sequences in the Upper Pleistocene stratigraphy of the southern North Sea basin. During Elsterian (MIS 12) ice growth, till deposition was subdued when ice became stagnant over a permeable substrate of fluvial sediments, and meltwater infiltrated into the bed. Headward erosion during glacial retreat produced a dense network of glacial valleys up to several hundreds of metres deep. A Saalian (MIS 6) glacial advance phase resulted in the deposition of a sheet of stiff sandy tills and terminal moraines. Meltwater was at least partially evacuated through the till layer, resulting in the development of a rigid bed. During the later part of the Saalian glaciation, ice-stream inception can be related to the development of a glacial lake to the north and west of the study area. The presence of meltwater channels incised into the floors of glacial troughs is indicative of high subglacial water pressures, which may have played a role in the onset of ice streaming. We speculate that streaming ice flow in the later part of the Saalian glaciation caused the relatively early deglaciation, as recorded in the Amsterdam Terminal borehole. These results suggest that changing subglacial bed conditions through glacial cycles could have a strong impact on ice dynamics and require consideration in ice-sheet reconstructions. [source]