Rolando P. Orense

Shaking table tests on subgrade reaction of pipe embedded in sandy liquefied subsoil

An interest in the behavior of liquefied sand during seismic flow failure led the authors to conduct shaking table tests in which an embedded pipe was pulled laterally and the required drag force was monitored. Test results showed that the amplitude of shaking acceleration affected the behavior of sand in both dry and water-saturated conditions. In dry sand, the induced inertia force decreased the shear strength and consequently the magnitude of the drag force. When the sand was saturated, a special consideration was made of the similitude of dilatancy between 1-G model tests and the in-situ situation. This goal was attained by employing very loose sand in model tests. The rate-dependency in which the drag force increased with the rate of pipe movement was focused on, leading to an apparently viscous behavior of sand. This is consistent with what several former studies reported.

Lateral spreading and its impacts in urban areas in the 2010–2011 Christchurch earthquakes

Abstract In the 4 September 2010 (M W=7.1) and 22 February 2011 (M W=6.2) earthquakes, widespread liquefaction and lateral spreading occurred throughout Christchurch and the town of Kaiapoi. The severe soil liquefaction and lateral spreading in particular caused extensive and heavy damage to residential buildings, Christchurch business district (CBD) buildings, bridges and water supply and wastewater systems of Christchurch. After the earthquake, comprehensive field investigations and inspections were conducted to document the liquefaction-induced land damage and lateral spreading displacements and their impact on buildings and infrastructure. The results of ground surveying measurements of lateral spreads at approximately 120 locations along the Avon River, Kaiapoi River and streams in the affected area reveal permanent lateral ground displacements at the banks of up to 2–3 m that progressed inland as far as 200–250 m from the waterway, causing significant damage to structures located within the spreading zone. Different features and magnitudes of spreading were identified, which were often affected by a complex interplay of ground conditions, topography, meandering river geometry and local depositional environment. The spreading was characterised by very large and highly non-uniform ground deformation causing stretching of building foundations and the buildings themselves. Road bridges suffered a characteristic spreading-induced damage mechanism including back-rotation of the abutments associated with deck pinning and damage at the top of the abutment piles. The wastewater system of Christchurch was hit particularly hard by the liquefaction and lateral spreading, and approximately 60% of the damaged pipes of the potable water system were located in areas of severe liquefaction and lateral spreading.

Back analyses of rainfall-induced slope failure in Northland Allochthon formation

To verify numerical models used for the development of an early warning system for rainfall induced landslides, a back analysis of a roadway embankment adjacent to State Highway 1 in Silverdale, New Zealand has been undertaken. The embankment collapsed in June 2008 as a result of prolonged rainfall. The failure occurred in a cut slope through the landslide-prone Northland Allochthon formation. Using volumetric water content sensors and a rainfall gauge, recordings were made of the field response of the soil due to rainfall events during the 2010 winter. Saturated/unsaturated seepage analyses were undertaken using empirically obtained soil parameters to simulate the variation in the monitored volumetric water contents in conjunction with a slope stability analysis to determine the factor of safety of the slope. The rainfall record that caused the slope failure was then applied as an influx to this model to determine the factor of safety against slope failure. If modelled correctly, this factor of safety should reach a minimum at the same time the landslide occurred. If a good agreement between the models and the field observations is reached, the models can be used to create a cost-effective early warning system.

Seismic Response Characteristics of Saturated Sand Deposits Mixed with Tire Chips

With the objective of better and more environmentally friendly recycling methods, many researchers are now examining the use of scrap tires as a new geomaterial. Based on past research, it was clear that tire chips reduce the rise of excess pore-water pressure when subjected to earthquake shaking. Based on such characteristics, online pseudodynamic response tests were conducted in this study on model grounds consisting of either tire chip-mixed sand or alternating layers of sand and tire chips with the aim of clarifying the seismic response characteristics of tire chips and tire chip-sand mixtures. Online testing is a method of feeding soil response characteristics directly from soil samples into a one-dimensional modeling algorithm. The test results showed that when tire chips with low stiffness were either mixed with sand or placed as layers, more significant damping and seismic isolation effects were observed. The presence of tire chips also reduced the accumulation of excess pore-water pressure in the layer, preventing the occurrence of liquefaction. In addition, when tire chips are installed as layers beneath the sand, liquefaction is not generated in the upper sandy layer because the amplitudes of the seismic waves are attenuated. Finally, the effectiveness of tire chips mixed with sand increased as the mix ratio was increased. When they were installed as pure layers, tire chips were more effective when placed at a deeper location or when the layer was thicker.

Bonding Strength by Methane Hydrate Formed among Sand Particles

The mechanical properties of methane hydrate‐bearing sand were investigated by low temperature and high confining pressure triaxial testing apparatus in the present study. The specimens were prepared by infiltrating the methane gas into partially saturated sand specimen under the given temperature and stress condition which is compatible with the phase equilibrium condition for the stability of methane hydrate. The tests were firstly performed to investigate the effect of temperature on the shear behaviour of the specimen. Then the effect of backpressure was investigated. The strength of methane hydrate bearing sand increased as the temperature decreased and the back pressure increased. The bonding strength due to methane hydrate was dependent on methane hydrate saturation, temperature and back pressure but independent of effective stress. Dissociation tests of methane hydrate were also performed by applying the temperature to the specimen at the various initial stress conditions. The marked development o...

Influence of Water on the Compression Behavior of Decomposed Granite Soil

In order to investigate the influence of water on compression characteristics of decomposed granite soils, single-particle crushing and one-dimensional compression tests were carried out on three types of decomposed granite soils as well as on quartz-rich silica sand under both dry and wet conditions. Results showed that the initial crushing strength of a single particle was reduced and strength variability increased due to the weakening effects induced by the presence of water. Moreover, it was observed that the one-dimensional compression behavior of decomposed granite soil was related to the initial crushing strength. Finally, the magnitude of initial crushing strength was also affected by the degree of weathering of the soil.

Pile Head Cyclic Lateral Loading of Single Pile

AbstractThis paper presents an elastic continuum model using an extended nonlinear Davies and Budhu equations, which enables the nonlinear behavior of the soil around the long elastic pile to be modeled using a simple expression of pile-head stiffness method. The calculated results were validated with the measured full-scale dynamic field tests data conducted in Auckland residual clay. An idealized soil profile and soil stiffness under small strain (i.e. shear modulus, Gs and shear wave velocity, Vs of the soil) determined from in situ testing was used to model the single pile tests results. The predictions of these extended equations are also confirmed by using the three-dimensional finite-element OpenSeesPL (Lu et al. in OpenSeesPL 3D lateral pile-ground interaction: user manual, University of California, San Diego, 2010). A soil stiffness reduction factor, Gs/Gs,max of 0.36 was introduced to the proposed method and model. It was found to give a reasonable prediction for a single pile subjected to dynamic lateral loading. The reduction in soil stiffness found from the experiment arises from the cumulative effects of pile–soil separation as well as a change in the soil properties subjected to cyclic load. In summary, if the proposed method and model are accurately verified and properly used, then they are capable of producing realistic predictions. Both models provide good modelling tools to replicate the full-scale dynamic test results.

Influence of gravel on the compression characteristics of decomposed granite soil.

Large-scale one-dimensional compression tests were performed in order to analyze the influence of gravel on the compression properties of gravel-mixed decomposed granite soils. After adjusting the gravel contents of the said soil, specimens compacted at a certain level of compaction energy and water content were tested. Based on the test results, it was observed that when gravel-mixed decomposed granite soil was compacted at the same energy level, there existed a specific gravel content at which the dry density was maximum and which also produced the minimum compression index. Furthermore, an expression based on two-phase mixture theory was proposed to quantitatively evaluate the effects of gravel content through a material parameter calculated using the theory, and the estimated compression curves agreed very well with the results of the experiments.

Dynamic Behavior of Granulated Coal Ash during Earthquakes

AbstractCoal ashes discharged from coal-fired power plants have recently been gaining attention as a new form of geomaterials. They have been popularly used as ground materials for the improvement of unsuitable soil and for foam-mixed solidified soil. However, development of more applications is needed in light of the enormous amount of coal ash generated. The current study was performed to confirm the applicability of granulated coal ash (GCA) as reclamation material with adequate resistance against liquefaction during an earthquake. In this study, the liquefaction characteristics of GCA were investigated through cyclic triaxial tests and online pseudodynamic response tests, and the results were compared with those of natural sands to examine the cyclic shear properties of the material. The triaxial test results revealed that the slope of the cyclic shear strength curve of GCA was gentle under high confining pressure, but it was still higher than those of natural sands. It was observed that GCA underwent...

Soil profile characterization of Christchurch strong motion stations

This paper presents an overview of the soil profile characteristics at a number of strong motion station (SMS) sites in Christchurch and its surrounds. An extensive database of ground motion records has been captured by the SMS network in the Canterbury region. However in order to comprehensively understand the ground motions recorded at these sites and to be able to relate these motions to other locations, a detailed understanding of the geotechnical profile at each SMS is required. The original NZS1170.5 (SNZ 2004) site subsoil classifications for each SMS site based on regional geological information and well logs located at varying distances from the site. Given the variability of Christchurch soils, more detailed investigations are required in close vicinity to each SMS. In this regard, CPT, SPT and borehole data, and shear wave velocity (Vs) profiles in close vicinity to the SMS are currently being used to develop representative soil profiles at each site. Site subsoil classifications based on Vs measurements performed by the authors do not always agree with the original classifications, often indicating that a softer site class is appropriate. However, SPT N values often indicate a stiffer site class than the Vs data, in some cases also disagreeing with prior assumed classifications. Hence, the recent site investigation data presented herein highlights the importance of having detailed site-specific information at SMS locations in order to properly classify them. Furthermore, additional studies are required to harmonize site classification based on SPT N and Vs.