Triaxial shear behavior of a cement-treated sand——gravel mixture

A number of parameters,e.g.cement content,cement type,relative density,and grain size distribution,can influence the mechanical behaviors of cemented soils.In the present study,a series of conventional triaxial compression tests were conducted on a cemented poorly graded sandegravel mixture containing 30% gravel and 70% sand in both consolidated drained and undrained conditions.Portland cement used as the cementing agent was added to the soil at 0%,1%,2%,and 3%(dry weight) of sandegravel mixture.Samples were prepared at 70% relative density and tested at confining pressures of 50 kPa,100 kPa,and150 kPa.Comparison of the results with other studies on well graded gravely sands indicated more dilation or negative pore pressure in poorly graded samples.Undrained failure envelopes determined using zero Skempton's pore pressure coefficient (= 0) criterion were consistent with the drained ones.Energy absorption potential was higher in drained condition than undrained condition,suggesting that more energy was required to induce deformation in cemented soil under drained state.Energy absorption increased with increase in cement content under both drained and undrained conditions.     

Influence of zeolite and cement additions on mechanical behavior of sandy soil

It is well known that the cemented sand is one of economic and environmental topics in soil stabilization.In this instance,a blend of sand,cement and other materials such as fiber,glass,nanoparticle and zeolite can be commercially available and effectively used in soil stabilization in road construction.However,the influence and effectiveness of zeolite on the properties of cemented sand systems have not been completely explored.In this study,based on an experimental program,the effects of zeolite on the characteristics of cemented sands are investigated.Stabilizing agent includes Portland cement of type Ⅱand zeolite.Results show the improvements of unconfined compressive strength(UCS) and failure properties of cemented sand when the cement is replaced by zeolite at an optimum proportion of 30%after 28 days.The rate of strength improvement is approximately between 20%and 78%.The efficiency of using zeolite increases with the increases in cement amount and porosity.Finally,a power function of void-cement ratio and zeolite content is demonstrated to be an appropriate method to assess UCS of zeolite-cemented mixtures.     

Behavior of zeolite-cement grouted sand under triaxial compression test

Permeation grouting with cement agent is one of the most widely used methods in various geotechnical projects,such as increasing bearing capacity,controlling deformation,and reducing permeability of soils.Due to air pollution induced during cement production as well as its high energy consumption,the use of supplementary materials to replace in part cement can be attractive.Natural zeolite(NZ),as an environmentally friendly material,is an alternative to reduce cement consumption.In the present study,a series of consolidated undrained(CU) triaxial tests on loose sandy soil(with relative density D_r=30%)grouted with cementitious materials(zeolite and cement) having cement replacement with zeolite content(Z) of 0%,10%,30%,50%,70% and 90%,and water to cementitious material ratios(W/CM) of 3,5 and 7 has been conducted.The results indicated that the peak deviatoric stress(q_(max)) of the grouted specimens increased with Z up to 50%(Z_(50)) and then decreased.The strength of the grouted specimens reduced with increasing W/CM of the grouts from 3 to 7.In addition,by increasing the stress applied on the grouted specimens from yield stress(q_y) to the maximum stress(q_(max)),due to the bond breakage,the effect of cohesion(c') on the shear strength reduced gradually,while the effect of friction angle(φ')increased.Furthermore,in some grouted specimens,high confining pressure caused breakage of the cemented bonds and reduced their expected strength.     

Effect of granulated rubber on shear strength of fine-grained sand

Review of the literature related to the mixture of shredded tire and sand shows that,despite of the increase in shear strength due to addition of tire chips,granulated rubber causes reduction in shear strength of sand.In this study,the shear behavior of mixtures of fine-grained sand and 1-5 mm granulated rubber is investigated.Sixty direct shear tests were conducted on sandegranulated rubber mixtures with various rubber contents(0%,5%,10%,20% and 30%) at different relative densities(50%,70% and 90%) and different normal stresses(34.5 kPa,54.5 kPa,74.5 kPa and 104.5 kPa).The obtained results show that the granulated rubber improves the shear strength of fine-grained sand at medium relative density and low normal stress.The degree of improvement in shear strength is a function of rubber content,relative density and normal stress.The results show that at relative density of 50%,by adding 5% granulated rubber,the internal friction angle of sand increases from 35.1° to 39.2°.However,at relative densities of 70% and 90%,addition of granulated rubber to sand decreases its internal friction angle.The results also indicate that the behavior of sand becomes more ductile with increasing granulated rubber content.Adding granulated rubber leads to greater yielding strain and less tangent stiffness of sand.The maximum dilation angle decreases with the decrease in granulated rubber content.The stress ratio of sample at critical state(ψ= 0°) decreases with increasing granulated rubber content.     

Improvement of silty clay by vacuum preloading incorporated with electroosmotic method

A laboratory test was performed to assess the effectiveness of vacuum preloading incorporated with electroosmotic (EOM) treatment on silty clay (combined method) for reclamation projects like new disposal ponds, where the horizontal electrode configurations beneath the soil layer were possible and the drainage pipes and the prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) system could be easily installed in advance before the sludge dragged from sea bed or river bed was filled into the site. Three groups of tests were conducted on the silty clay from Qinhuai River in Nanjing, China. The model is able to apply vacuum pressure at the bottom of the soil layer and a direct current electric field simultaneously. It is also possible to measure the pore pressures at different depths of soil column, and the changes in settlement and volume with the elapsed time. In this study, the vacuum preloading method, vacuum preloading applied at the bottom (VAB method), was applied and the cathodes were installed beneath the soil layer. The results obtained indicate substantial reduction in water content, and increases in dry density and undrained shear strength in comparison with those obtained by the vacuum preloading only, particularly at the positions close to the anode. The combined method utilizes the vertical drainage flow created by the electroosmosis integrating the horizontal drainage flow created mostly by the vacuum pressure. The total drainage flow can be calculated as a result of the vertical drainage flow by electroosmosis only and the horizontal drainage flow by the vacuum preloading only. The way of placement of the cathode and the anode in the combined method also overcomes the disadvantage of EOM method itself, i.e. the appearance of cracks between the anode and the surrounding soil. Moreover, it is observed that the vacuum preloading plays a primary role in earlier stage in deduction of free pore water; meanwhile, the electroosmotic method is more efficient in later stage for absorbing water in the diffused double layers o     

An investigation into the effects of lime on compressive and shear strength characteristics of fiber-reinforced clays

To meet the ever-increasing construction demands around the world during recent years,reinforcement and stabilization methods have been widely used by geotechnical engineers to improve the performances and behavior of fine-grained soils.Although lime stabilization increases the compressive strength of soils,it reduces the soil ductility at the same time.Recent research shows that random fiber inclusion modifies the brittleness of soils.In the current research,the effects of lime and polypropylene(PP) fiber additions on such characteristics as compressive and shear strengths,failure strain,secant modulus of elasticity(E_(50)) and shear strength parameters of mixtures were investigated.Kaolinite was treated with 1%,3% and 5% lime by dry weight of soil and reinforced with 0.1% monovalent PP fibers with the length of 6 mm.Samples were prepared at optimum conditions and cured at 35℃ for 1 d,7 d and28 d at 90% relative humidity and subsequently subjected to uniaxial and triaxial compression tests(UCT and TCT) under cell pressures of 25 kPa,50 kPa and 100 kPa.Results showed that inclusion of random PP fibers to clay-lime mixtures increases both compressive and shear strengths as well as the ductility.Lime content and curing period were found to be the most influential factors.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) analysis showed that lime addition and the formation of cementitious compounds bind soil particles and increase soil/fiber interactions at interface,leading to enhanced shear strength.The more ductile the stabilized and reinforced composition,the less the cracks in roads and waste landfill covers.     

Effects of CO2-water interaction with coal on mineral content and pore characteristics

There are a large number of abandoned coalmines in China,and most of them are located around major coal-fired power stations,which are the largest emission sources of carbon dioxide(CO2).Considering the injection of CO2 into abandoned coalmines,which are usually in the flooded condition,it is necessary to investigate the effect of CO2-water-coal interaction on minerals and pore structures at different pressures,temperatures and times.It reveals that the CO2-water-coal interaction can significantly improve the solubility of Ca,S,Mg,K,Si,Al,Fe and Na.By comparing the mineral content and pore structure before and after CO2-water-coal interaction,quartz and kaolinite were found to be the main secondary minerals,which increased in all samples.The structures of micropores and mesopores in the range of 1.5-8 nm were changed obviously.Specific surface areas and pore volumes first increased and then decreased with pressure and time,while both increased with temperature.By using the Frenkel-Halsey-Hill model,the fractal dimensions of all samples were analyzed based on D(s1)and D(s2),which reflected the co mplexities of the pore surface and pore volume,respectively.The re sults show that fractal dimensions had very weak positive correlations with the carbon content.D(s1)had a positive correlation with the quartz and kaolinite contents,while D(s2)had a negative correlation with the quartz and kaolinite contents.     

Thermal effects on clay rocks for deep disposal of high-level radioactive waste

Thermal effects on the Callovo-Oxfordian and Opalinus clay rocks for hosting high-level radioactive waste were comprehensively investigated with laboratory and in situ experiments under repository relevant conditions:(1) stresses covering the range from the initial lithostatic state to redistributed levels after excavation,(2) hydraulic drained and undrained boundaries, and(3) heating from ambient temperature up to 90℃-120℃ and a subsequent cooling phase. The laboratory experiments were performed on normal-sized and large hollow cylindrical samples in various respects of thermal expansion and contraction, thermally-induced pore water pressure, temperature influences on deformation and strength, thermal impacts on swelling, fracture sealing and permeability. The laboratory results obtained from the samples are consistent with the in situ observations during heating experiments in the underground research laboratories at Bure and Mont-Terri. Even though the claystones showed significant responses to thermal loading, no negative effects on their favorable barrier properties were observed.     

Effects of temperature on the shear strength of saturated sand

The effect of temperature on the shearing response of saturated, dense sand was investigated using a series of temperature-controlled, isotropically-consolidated, hollow cylinder triaxial compression tests, where specimens were heated in drained conditions followed by shearing in undrained conditions. As expected, the deviatoric stress at the peak state (i.e., the undrained shear strength) was observed to increase with increasing initial mean effective stress. However, it was observed to decrease linearly with increasing temperature. The effects of temperature on the deviatoric stress at the peak state were attributed to a linear increase in the magnitude of negative shear-induced pore water pressure at the peak state with temperature. The relationship between the undrained shear strength and the pore water pressure with changes in temperature was represented well by linear equations. When the shear strength was interpreted in terms of the critical state, no obvious changes in the critical state line in the $p^{\prime }-q$ plane were observed, and the critical state friction angle was unaffected by temperature. During drained heating, the dense sand specimens were observed to expand volumetrically, causing the normal consolidation line in the $e-{\left(p^{\prime }/p_{\text{a}}\right)}^{0.5}$ plane to shift upward with increasing temperature without a change in the slope. The negative pore water pressure during undrained shearing caused the state paths of the dense sand specimens to move to the right. As the magnitude of negative pore water pressure increased with increasing temperature, no obvious effects on the critical state line in the $e-{\left(p^{\prime }/p_{\text{a}}\right)}^{0.5}$ plane were observed.     

Heat flux profile upon building facade with side walls due to window ejected fire plume: An experimental investigation and global correlation

This paper investigates the heat flux profile upon building facade with side wall constraints due to ejected fire plumes from a window of an under-ventilated compartment fire. A reduced-scale model (1:8), consisting of a cubic fire compartment with a facade wall attached and two side walls located symmetrically at both sides of the window is developed. The window dimensions and the side wall distances are changed in experiments, representing different ventilations and constraints on fire plume entrainment. Five heat flux gauges are employed in measurement of vertical heat flux profile upon the facade wall. Results show that with the decrease in separation distance of side walls, the heat flux increases for small windows where dimensionless excess heat release rate ${\dot{Q}}_{ex}^{⁎}\ge 1.3$ (“(half) axisymmetric fire” regime), meanwhile shows weak dependency on side wall separation distance for large windows where ${\dot{Q}}_{ex}^{⁎}<1.3$ (“wall fire” regime). A new global formula is proposed to characterize the vertical profile of heat flux based on Lee’s model without side walls as further modified by a parameter K in relation to the separation distance of side walls and characteristic length scales of the window. Experimental data for different windows and side wall separation distances are well collapsed by the proposed formula.     

Window ejected flame width and depth evolution along facade from under-ventilated enclosure fires

This paper investigates window ejected flame width and depth evolutions along facade from under-ventilated enclosure fires. Experiments are carried out by 1:4 scale model. Two CCD cameras are employed to record the evolutions of flame depth and width. The flame base position (vertical height above the bottom of the opening), flame depth (width) along with their maximum values and corresponding positions (vertical height above the flame base position) are measured and analyzed by non-dimensional scaling. It is found that the flame base position is independent of fire heat release rate and its ratio to opening height is nearly the same. The flame depth for all heat release rates and the flame width for openings with aspect ratio in the range of $0.5\le W/H\le 1.5$ (the “(semi-) axi-symmetrical flame type”) first increases, reaching a maximum value and then decreases with height. However, for the opening with a relative larger aspect ratio ($W/H=2$) (“wall flame type”), the flame width decreases monotonously with height. The maximum flame width and its corresponding vertical position for “(semi-) axi-symmetrical flame type” are found to be well correlated by characteristic length scale ${\ell }_1$ [=${(A\sqrt{H})}^{2/5}$] non-dimensionally after normalized by the flame height. Meanwhile, the maximum flame depth for all conditions is found to be well correlated by characteristic length scale ${\ell }_2$ [=${(A{H}^2)}^{1/4}$] non-dimensionally after normalized by the flame height.