Katsuyuki Kawai

The role of pore water in the mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils

Deformation and failure of soils are governed by the stresses acting on the soil skeleton. The isotropic stress acting on the soil skeleton can be divided into two components. One is the stress component which is transmitted through the soil skeleton. This skeleton stress is influenced by the pore water (“bulk water”) in the soil. The other is the internal stress component which does not contribute to equilibrium with a given external force. The internal stress is induced by the capillary tension of meniscus water clinging to the contact point of soil particles and acts so as to connect the soil particles tightly. Therefore, in modeling the stress and strain relations for unsaturated soils, it is of much importance to quantitatively evaluate how the pore water exists in the soil. This paper discusses the role of pore water on the mechanical behaviour of the soil. In particular, the significance of the water retention curve is emphasized from a mechanical viewpoint. Essential features required in modeling of the constitutive relations for unsaturated soils are discussed and presented.

Experimental and Numerical Studies on the Effect of Rainfall on Triggering Shallow Landslides

Rainfall is considered one of the major triggering factors for shallow landslides. The effect of rainfall in causing landslides depends on the intensity and duration of rainfall, the type of soil, the inclination of the slope, and ground water conditions. The majority of slope stability problems in shallow slides involve partially saturated soils. Although experimental modelling of slopes subjected to various intensities and durations of rainfall are ideal to evaluate the effect of rainfall on slope stability, it is time consuming and expensive. Numerical simulation of such experimental modelling can save a great deal of time and cost. In this study, slope models were prepared at angles of inclination of 30° and 45° with double washed construction sand, at a void ratio of 0.7. The slopes were subjected to 30 mm/h of rainfall for 3 h. Spatial variation of suction during the rainfall and depth of water front with time were measured for the entire rainfall period. The depth of water front and spatial variation of suction were also calculated through the finite element model (FEM) that was developed based on a hydro-mechanical model developed for the partially saturated soil. The numerical and experimental results provided identical results. The numerical result was extended to predict the spatial variation of suction, depth of water front and deformation of slope subjected to higher intensity of rainfall.

Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Stress Distribution in Wedge-Shaped Granular Heaps

The present work explains the statics of self-weight transmission restricted to a long prismatic heap inclined at an angle of repose and symmetrically formed on a rigid base. The closure of polarized principal axes with the mobilized state of stress along the slope surface is employed by imposing the orientation of principal stresses on the equilibrium equations. Comparisons were made with calculations based on the finite element method using an elastic model. Moreover, experiments on sand heaps deposited on a rectangular rigid base were conducted to validate the theoretical study. The measured pressure profile generally agreed well with theoretical results.

Numerical Modelling of Deformation for Partially Saturated Slopes Subjected to Rainfall

Rainfall is one among the most common contributing factor and trigger for landslides. In the majority of the cases, slopes are at partially saturated condition when they are subjected to rainfall. While analysing stability of those slopes, deformation analysis is performed in a conservative way assuming the slope to be in a fully saturated condition. In this research, a fully coupled hydro-mechanical finite element model is described based on the constitutive model developed for partially saturated soil condition. A 1.2 m long and 0.6 m high sandy slope was modelled in laboratory and was subjected to 30 mm/h of rainfall for 3 h. Values of suction measured after 3 h were very close to the numerically calculated values based on the finite element method developed by the authors. This model was used to calculate deformation of slope for different intensities of rainfall and at different angles of slopes in order to predict the amount of deformation or failure condition when a slope is subjected to a continuous rainfall of different intensities and durations.

Elasto-Plastic Constitutive Model for Unsaturated Soils with Subloading Surface Concept

An elasto-plastic constitutive model for unsaturated soils is improved to realize numerical stability of computations at the singular point on the yield surface and an accurate prediction of the mechanical behavior of overconsolidated (or elastic state) soils in this chapter. The authors introduce the exponential contractancy model (EC model) by Ohno et al. (J Appl Mech JSCE 9:407–414, 2006) and the subloading surface model by Hashiguchi and Chen (Int J Numer Anal Method Geomech 22:197–227, 1998) to the elasto-plastic constitutive model for unsaturated soils by Ohno et al. (J JSCE 63(4):1132–1141, 2007). The applicability of the constitutive model is verified by simulating triaxial shear tests under constant net stress undrained conditions.

Simulations of Static Compaction with Soil/Water/Air Coupled F.E. Analysis

Most man-made, onshore earth structures are constructed by compaction. Optimum compaction can increase strength and decrease compressibility and permeability. However, the compaction mechanism remains to be defined in soil mechanics and there is no alternative but to apply empirical methods at the geotechnical engineering site. In this study, compaction is assumed as compression of unsaturated soil under water-undrained and air-drained conditions, and the compaction simulation is conducted with soil/water /air coupled finite element analysis. Consequently, the shape of the compaction curve can be drawn on the coordinates of water content and dry density. Moreover, direct shear simulation of the specimen obtained from compaction simulation was also conducted.

AIR PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION INDUCED BY RAINFALL INFILTRATION IN SOIL/WATER/AIR COUPLED SIMULATION

Recently, the frequency of torrential rainfall has increased due to global climate change, and these events cause sediment potential failure. It is difficult to predict when and where a slope failure will occur because of the concentration of heavy rain. Knowing precursory phenomena, however, is effective for disaster reduction. Nonetheless, some of these phenomena have not been explained in the framework of geotechnical engineering. Organic smells and strange sounds, known as precursory signs of slope failure, propagate through the atmosphere. Therefore, it is important to monitor air movement within earth structures. This study focuses on pore air behavior within the ground due to rainfall infiltration. Here, the infiltration column test combined with monitoring smell, as conducted by Tsuchida et al., was first simulated using the soil/water/air coupled finite element code, DACSAR-MP. Next, a sloping earth structure exposed to rainfall was simulated. Consequently, it was found that distribution of pore air pressure was dependent on drainage conditions of air, and that pore air behavior influenced rainfall infiltration behavior.

A Numerical Interpretation of Density Homogenization of Bentonite Material in Wetting Process

Due to its low permeability and excellent expansion characteristics, bentonite is an excellent candidate with potential use as a buffer in the disposal of nuclear waste. Its expansion characteristics, activated by wetting, can be interpreted based on the full saturation line, depicted as a unique line on the density and the confining pressure relationship as proposed by Kobayashi et al. (2007). In addition, its elasto-plastic constitutive relation can also be formulated by introducing additional irreversible strain component describing the expansion of the montmorillonite present in the bentonite material. A constitutive model can consistently express the mechanical behavior of the compacted bentonite material from the unsaturated to the fully saturated state. This paper describes the density homogenization process that was conducted through a series of soil-water coupled elasto-plastic finite element simulations. Specifically, bentonite specimens, with different initial densities, were permeated with a constant water head. Stresses and strains developing in bentonite, particularly the density change, were carefully examined. A series of numerical simulations, performed on the two specimens, showed that specimens did not homogenize to a unique value of density upon reaching the fully saturated state. To confirm the simulation results, we carried out a series of experiments. The experimental results also support our simulation results.Copyright