Interface shear strength between geosynthetic clay liner and covering soil on the embankment of an irrigation pond and stability evaluation of its widened sections

Geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) are typically used for widening sections of an embankment. They are also used as low permeability liners to minimize water leakage from reservoirs such as irrigation ponds. However, few investigations have been carried out on the specific properties of GCLs, such as granulated bentonite sandwiched between geotextiles, their internal shear strength, and the shear strength at the interface between a GCL and an embankment body. In this study, a series of direct box shear tests were performed to determine the shear strength properties of bentonite and compacted soils as well as at the interface between a GCL and bentonite or compacted soil. In addition, a series of field-loading tests were conducted to investigate the failure behaviour of an embankment body containing a GCL when changes in the water content of the bentonite of the GCL in a real embankment occur. Furthermore, the stability of widened embankment bodies that incorporated GCLs were evaluated. The main conclusions of this study are as follows: (1) The shear strength of the interface between the covering soil and geotextiles varied according to the soil type, geotextile type, and the submergence period, (2) the maximum safety factor was observed at the interface between decomposed granite soil and the geotextiles, while the minimum safety factor was observed at the interface between the bentonite and the geotextiles, and (3) the influence of GCLs on the instability of a widened embankment was extremely small.     

Numerical analysis and geophysical monitoring for stability assessment of the Northwest tailings dam at Westwood Mine

The Westwood Mine aims to reuse the tailings storage facility #1(TSF #1) for solid waste storage, but,downstream of the Northwest dike is considered critical in terms of stability. This paper uses numerical modeling along with geophysical monitoring for assessing the Northwest dike stability during the restoration phase. The impact of waste rock deposition in the upstream TSF #1 is considered. The geophysical monitoring is based on electrical resistivity methods and was used to investigate the internal structure of the dike embankment in different deposition stages. The numerical simulations were performed with SLOPE/W code. The results show a factor of safety well above the minimum recommended value of 1.5. Geophysical monitoring revealed a vertical variation in the electrical resistivity across the dike, which indicates a multilayer structure of the embankment. Without any current in situ data, the geophysical monitoring helped estimating the nature of the materials used and the internal structure of the embankment. These interpretations were validated by geological observation of geotechnical log of the embankment. Based on this study, it is recommended that the water polishing pond be partly filled before waste rock is deposited in TSF #1. In addition, to ensure the stability of the dike, the piezometric head monitoring prior to and during waste rock deposition is recommended.     

桩基沉降计算的几个问题

针对密桩桩基、疏桩桩基两类桩型沉降计算方法,分析了沉降压缩层的分层原则、沉降计算点、应力计算点的选取原则;探讨了附加应力、沉降计算深度、压缩层厚度等指标的影响因素、计算指标取值,并给出了压缩层厚度计算公式;对长桩疏桩桩基,分析了沉降量的变化规律,提出了减少桩基沉降的建议和应对措施。     

Centrifuge tests to investigate global performance of geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported embankments with side slopes

Three centrifuge model tests were conducted to investigate the influence of the number of geosynthetic layers and the pile clear spacing on the global performance of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Pile-Supported (GRPS) embankments with side slopes constructed on soft soil foundations. This study found that the change of the geogrid number from one to two did not significantly affect the foundation settlement, the geogrid deflection, and the vertical stress at the embankment base. For the GRPS embankment with a single geogrid layer, the geogrid strain distribution at the embankment base showed an “M” shape along the transverse direction with the maximum strain near the embankment shoulder. When two geogrid layers with sand in between were used, the upper and lower layers showed different strain distributions with the maximum strains happening near the embankment shoulder and at the center of the embankment for the upper and lower layers respectively. The strains of the upper geogrid were smaller than those of the lower geogrid. Smaller pile clear spacing reduced the geogrid deflection and the foundation settlement. Despite the change of the pile clear spacing, the progressive development of soil arching with the normalized displacement at the embankment base followed a similar trend without an obvious stress recovery stage.     

Stability analysis of stone column-supported and geosynthetic-reinforced embankments on soft ground

This study focuses on the stability of stone column-supported and geosynthetic-reinforced embankments on soft soil. An upper-bound limit state plasticity failure discretization scheme (known as discontinuity layout optimization (DLO)), which determines the embankment stability without pre-assuming a slip surface, is used. The relationships between the stability of stone column-supported and geosynthetic-reinforced embankments and various influencing parameters, including the soil strength, geometric configuration, reinforcement strength, and area replacement ratio, are analysed. It is found that geosynthetics provide a significant contribution to embankment stability. Two failure mechanisms of geosynthetics (i.e., rupture failure and bond failure) are revealed and the effect of geosynthetics on embankment stability is governed by the failure mode. The application of stone columns mitigates the risk of geosynthetic failure. To provide an analytical solution for primary design in engineering practice, an approach based on the limit equilibrium method is proposed. Validations are performed with the DLO solution to demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of the developed analytical approach.     

A comprehensive method for analyzing the effect of geotextile layers on embankment stability

Commercial software is used widely in slope stability analyses of reinforced embankments. Almost all of these programs consider the tensile strength of geotextiles and soil–geotextile interface friction. However, currently available commercial software generally does not consider the drainage function of nonwoven geotextile reinforcement. In this paper, a reinforced channel embankment reinforced by a nonwoven geotextile is analyzed using two methods. The first method only considers the tensile strength and soil–geotextile interface friction. The second method also considers the drainage function. In both cases, the reinforced embankment is modeled in rapid drawdown condition since this is one of the most important conditions with regard to stability of channel embankments. It is shown that for this type of application, modeling a nonwoven geotextile reinforced embankment using commercial software which neglects the drainage function of the geotextile may be unrealistic.     

堤防工程环境地质问题的分析及评价方法

近几年来，随着我国堤防建设的高潮，堤防工程环境地质问题也越来越被人们注意，本作旨在探讨堤防工程环境地质问题产生的成因机制和影响因素，继而对其进行分析评价，从而提出减免堤防工程影响环境的对策。     

Stability of composite-type breakwaters reinforced by rubble embankment

Details of the failure characteristics of composite-type breakwaters reinforced by rubble have not been clarified, including the prehension of some failure modes and the conditions that cause each mode. In this study, details of the failure characteristics and a performance assessment method were studied using two approaches, namely, centrifuge model tests and a circular slip analysis. The model tests showed that sliding failure could occur when the friction between the mound and the caisson was low, the caisson was wide, and the reinforcing embankment was high and/or wide. In contrary cases, bearing capacity failure was liable to occur. Basically, the larger the reinforcing embankment size, the greater the strength and stiffness. The performance assessment using a circular slip analysis and considering failure modes was verified through discussions. The analysis resulted in the underestimation of the stability of the reinforced breakwaters when the rubble was angular. However, the caisson moved to a certain degree even with a relatively lower load and the displacement reached that which is allowable by the structure. Consequently, a circular slip analysis was deemed suitable for evaluating the performance of reinforced breakwaters.     

Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall Failure at Two Soft and Sensitive Soil Sites

Two highway bridge approaches, about 10 and 12?m in height, near Kolkata (Calcutta), India constructed with mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) failed recently. These structures were founded on sensitive, soft and compressible, fine-grained soils of the intertidal flats and backswamps of the Ganges delta. One of these MSE walls, which failed in the final stages of its construction, was constructed after foundation soils were strengthened with prefabricated vertical drain installation and preloading. The second MSE wall that failed within a month of its opening for traffic was constructed on unimproved ground. Fortunately, immediate collateral damage from these incidents was small. Using pre and postconsolidation shear strengths the MSE walls were redesigned. Reconstruction involved prefabricated vertical drain installation at the second site and construction of stabilizing berms at both locations. The facilities are now operational and appear to be performing satisfactorily. Details of the failures, postfailure investigations, and monitoring, redesign, and reconstruction are presented in this paper.