Morphology of horizontal cracks in swelling soils

Horizontally formed cracks in the network of cracked swelling soils tend to influence water and solute transport. An approach is suggested for estimating the mean width and volume of horizontal cracks. It is assumed that the nearly horizontal cracks appear as a result of inhomogeneous soil subsidence caused by rapid drying and shrinkage of thin layers at the walls of vertical cracks. Compared with the moist soil matrix, at the same soil depth, horizontal cracks originate as ruptures in stretched layers of the drying walls of vertical cracks. A characteristic of the average inhomogeneity of soil subsidence, i.e., the mean potential relative subsidence (MPRS) depending on the soil depth is defined. It is calculated on the basis of linear shrinkage in the clay soil matrix and at the walls of vertical cracks of different depths, and on two geometrical parameters of crack networks. They are namely the maximum crack depth and the thickness of the upper intensive-cracking layer. The absolute value and sign of the derivative of the MPRS function with respect to soil depth determine the specific volume of horizontal cracks (horizontal-cracks porosity), and their mean width as functions of depth. Model predictions are obtained using published data on variation of linear shrinkage with depth in 19 soil profiles. For lack of data specific to horizontal-crack characteristics model, predictions were compared with data on vertical cracks and subsidence at the soil surface. Satisfactory agreement was obtained for all soil depths up to the maximum crack depth.     

Shrinking–swelling phenomenon of clay soils attributed to capillary-crack network

The shrinking and swelling behavior of clay soil is modeled by considering a capillary-crack network, the hydraulic conductivity of which is accounted for by the network tortuosity and specific crack length tracing a horizontal cross-section. Retention curve is determined by the total crack volume and volume of water filled cracks. Available data on hydraulic conductivity for two clay soils are compared with predictions and the agreements is good.     

Flow Partitioning in Fully Saturated Soil Aggregates

Microbes play an important role in facilitating organic matter decomposition in soils, which is a major component of the global carbon cycle. Microbial dynamics are intimately coupled to environmental transport processes, which control access to labile organic matter and other nutrients that are needed for the growth and maintenance of microorganisms. Transport of soluble nutrients in the soil system is arguably most strongly impacted by preferential flow pathways in the soil. Since the physical structure of soils can be characterized as being formed from constituent micro-aggregates which contain internal porosity, one pressing question is the partitioning of the flow among the “inter-aggregate” and “intra-aggregate” pores and how this may impact overall solute transport within heterogeneous soil structures. The answer to this question is particularly important in evaluating assumptions to be used in developing upscaled simulations based on highly resolved mechanistic models. In our synthetic model of soils, firstly we statistically generated a number of micro-aggregates containing internal pores. Then we constructed a group of diverse multi-aggregate structures with different packing ratios by stacking those micro-aggregates and varying the size and shape of inter-aggregate pore spacing between them. We then performed pore-scale flow simulations using computational fluid dynamics methods to determine the flow patterns in these aggregate-of-aggregates structures and computed the partitioning of the flow through intra- and inter-aggregate pores as a function of the spacing between the aggregates. The results of these numerical experiments demonstrate that soluble nutrients are largely transported via flows through inter-aggregate pores. Although this result is consistent with intuition, we have also been able to quantify the relative flow capacity of the two domains under various conditions. For example, in our simulations, the flow capacity through the aggregates (intra-aggregate flow) was less than 2 % of the total flow when the spacing between the aggregates was larger than $18\,\upmu \hbox {m}$ . Inter-aggregate pores continued to be the dominant flow pathways even at much smaller spacing; intra-aggregate flow was less than 10 % of the total flow when the inter- and intra-aggregate pore sizes were comparable. Although the results may not be exactly the same as those obtained from actual soil systems, such studies are making it possible to identify which model upscaling assumptions are realistic and what computational methods are required for detailed numerical investigation of hydrodynamics and microbial carbon cycling dynamics in soil systems.     

膨胀土胀缩性评价中有关问题的研究

膨胀土吸水膨胀、失水收缩，产生地表变形，进而导致建筑物破坏。本文就现行膨胀土胀缩性指标试验及地基变形量评价计算中有关问题进行了研究，认为以天然含水量为起始含水量测定土样胀缩率是不合适的，建议以缩限为起点进行膨胀试验，以胀限为起点进行收缩试验，采用加荷膨胀量（而非卸荷膨胀量）参加有荷载下的膨胀率计算。膨胀土地基勘察必须结合场地条件分析可能影响土体含水量变化的因素，对同一工程采用几种方法评价，互相对比、参照。     

Evaluation of an empirical traction equation for forestry tires

Variable load test data were used to evaluate the applicability of an existing forestry tire traction model for a new forestry tire and a worn tire of the same size with and without tire chains in a range of soil conditions. The clay and sandy soils ranged in moisture content from 17 to 28%. Soil bulk density varied between 1.1 and 1.4g cm⁻³ with cone index values between 297 and 1418 kPa for a depth of 140 mm. Two of the clay soils had surface cover or vegetation, the other clay soil and the sandy soil had no surface cover. Tractive performance data were collected in soil bins using a single tire test vehicle with the tire running at 20% slip. A non-linear curve fitting technique was used to optimize the model by fitting it to collected input torque data by modifying the coefficients of the traction model equations. Generally, this procedure resulted in improved prediction of input torque, gross traction ratio and net traction ratio. The predicted tractive performance using the optimized coefficients showed that the model worked reasonably well on bare, uniform soils with the new tire. The model was flexible and could be modified to predict tractive performance of the worn tire with and without chains on the bare homogeneous soils. The model was not adequate for predicting tractive performance on less uniform soils with a surface cover for any of the tire treatments.     

Comparison Between Equivalent Continuum and Discrete Crack Models of Transient Radon Transport at the Soil–Building Foundation Crack Interface Using TOUGH2/EOS7Rn

In the framework of radon risk management in France, it is necessary to enhance knowledge on radon transfer from its source to exposure areas (e.g., buildings) by developing simple, accurate, numerical models for transient radon transport in three-dimensional (3D) unsaturated porous materials. The equivalent continuum model (ECM) of flow and transport at the interface between the soil and cracks (fissures) in a building foundation (e.g., slab on grade, basement) is attractive, since equivalent (effective) continuum properties assigned to model cells can represent the combined effect of individual cracks and solid matrix of the cracked concrete of the foundation (slab and blocks walls). Although the ECM approach based on the volume averaging method has been used to model flow and transport through cracks at the soil–building interface, it has never been verified numerically. Thus, the goal of the present work is to develop an ECM using this averaging method and to quantify its uncertainties based on its comparison to an accurate numerical discrete crack model (DCM) for flow and transport in the crack. As a first step, the DCM implemented in the TOUGH2/EOS7Rn module has been verified numerically through a comparison to a reference 3D steady-state numerical solution for radon transport into a house with basement under constant negative pressure. Then, 3D results of the DCM and ECM approaches were compared, under time-dependent indoor–outdoor pressure differentials conditions, for two crack line configurations in the basement slab floor and two different soil configurations with different soil permeability and radium \(^{226}\)Ra mass content values. Results of this comparison show that, for a homogeneous soil configuration, discrepancies between ECM and DCM simulated indoor radon activity concentrations decrease with the increase in soil permeability, regardless crack line configuration in the slab floor and soil radium mass content. However, ECM uncertainties were not within the range of absolute errors on measured radon concentration for the higher soil permeability \((1\times 10^{-9}, 1\times 10 ^{-8} \hbox { m}^{2})\) and the higher \(^{226}\hbox {Ra}\) mass content values (4500 \(\hbox {Bq\;kg}^{-1})\), especially for high radon pics induced by sudden increase in indoor air pressure drop. Regardless soil \(^{226}\hbox {Ra}\) mass content and crack line configuration in the slab floor, the ECM showed to be conservative for the two-layered soil configuration with the presence of aggregates beneath the slab foundation, generally practiced in buildings constructions.     

Chemo-Mechanical Consolidation of Clays: Analytical Solutions for a Linearized One-Dimensional Problem

Consolidation (and swelling) of clayey soils caused by change in chemistry of pore fluid is addressed. Such phenomena are caused by changes in the concentration of various species in the solution and result primarily from a stress-independent deformation of individual clusters, and from a mechanical weakening or strengthening of the clay solid matrix in the presence of stress. Second, transport of chemicals that involves concentration gradients induces additional driving forces of osmotic consolidation due to semipermeable membrane nature of clay. In this paper an extension of Terzaghi's model of the mechanical consolidation to incorporate chemical loading of soil is proposed. A linearized model is used to solve analytically two one-dimensional problems of consolidation of a homogeneous layer simulating a landfill liner with drained or undrained boundaries. The numerical results show a strong dependence of distribution of pore pressure on the chemical load and chemically induced settlements of soil to be comparable to the mechanical ones.     

无定形态游离氧化铁脱水老化对粘性土物理性质的影响

无定形态游离氧化铁以其自身的特性及其脱水老化作用,对粘性土的物理性质、水理性质乃至工程性质产生了一定程度的影响。本文就粘性土的物理性质、水理性质及力学性质在无定形态游离氧化铁脱水过程中的变化进行了初步研究,期望对粘性土的土工测试方法及参数的合理测定有所裨益。     

A Computational Intelligence-Based Genetic Programming Approach for the Simulation of Soil Water Retention Curves

Soil water retention curves are a key constitutive law used to describe the physical behavior of an unsaturated soil. Various computational modeling techniques, that formulate retention curve models, are mostly based on existing soil databases, which rarely consider any effect of stress on the soil water retention. Such effects are crucial in the case of swelling soils. This study illustrates and explores the ability of computational intelligence-based genetic programming to formulate the mathematical relationship between the water content, in terms of degree of saturation, and two input variables, i.e., net stress and suction for three different soils (sand–kaolin mixture, Gaduk Silt and Firouzkouh clay). The predictions obtained from the proposed models are in good agreement with the experimental data. The parametric and sensitivity analysis conducted validates the robustness of our proposed model by unveiling important parameters and hidden non-linear relationships.     

苏州阳澄湖地区淤泥质粘土工程地质特性探讨

苏州阳澄湖周围的沼积湖积平原存在一种性质较为特殊的淤泥质粘土,其亲水性粘土矿物含量和液塑限指标均较高,但在天然状态下虽具一定的胀缩性却未达到膨胀土的标准,可是经过扰动压实后,随着干密度的增大和含水量的减少却表现出较强的胀缩性,即转变为“人工膨胀土”[1]。本文通过苏州阳澄湖东北方向某一级公路附近3个取土场土样的试验分析,探讨了此地区这种淤泥质粘土的特殊性,为以后的工程施工提供了科学依据。     

On the path of a crack near a graded interface under large scale yielding

The trajectory of a crack lying parallel to a thin graded layer between two plastically dissimilar materials is studied using the exclusion region (ER) theory of fracture. The ER theory is a theoretical framework for surface separation within which a broad range of fracture phenomenologies can be represented. In the present study, the direction of crack advance is determined by maximizing the resolved normal-opening force on the near-tip region, whereas separation itself is governed by the intensity of plastic deformation near the tip. A computational study was undertaken using the ER theory. The special-purpose finite element analysis platform accommodates arbitrary––and a priori unknown––crack trajectories. The model problem considered herein involves two plastically dissimilar, but elastically identical, materials joined by a thin, graded interface layer. The initial crack lies parallel to the interface layer, and crack advance occurs under conditions of extensive plastic flow. It is found that the position of the initial crack relative to the interface layer has a strong influence on the fracture behavior. In general, the crack trajectories tend to curve toward the less-ductile material. Also, the presence of the interface layer leads to fracture toughnesses that significantly exceed those of either material individually for the configurations studied.     

纤维复合材料界面横向拉伸分析

以单纤维十字型横向拉伸试验为研究对象,对纤维/基体界面采用弹性-软化双线性内聚力模型,建立了纤维复合材料在横向拉伸作用下界面法向失效过程的解析模型。得到了沿纤维/基体圆周界面的法向应力分布,纤维/基体界面的状态与界面承载力和单纤维复合材料承载力的关系,以及内聚力参数和试件几何尺寸对它们的影响。结果表明:纤维/基体圆周界面在脱粘前经历全部弹性及弹性+软化两种状态;当界面为弹性状态时,界面法向应力随界面强度线性增加;当界面为弹性+软化状态时,界面软化范围随界面裂纹萌生位移的增加而增大;界面初始脱粘位置与拉伸荷载方向重合;界面初始脱粘时的界面承载力随界面强度及界面裂纹萌生位移的增加而增加,随界面裂纹生成位移的增加而降低;单纤维复合材料的脱粘荷载受基体截面尺寸的影响,当纤维体积含量相同时,沿荷载方向截面尺寸的增大对提高脱粘荷载更显著。     

Modeling of Hysteretic Behavior of Soil–Water Retention Curves Using an Original Pore Network Model

Soil–water retention curve (SRWC), also called soil moisture characteristic, is used for simulation models of soil water storage or soil aggregate stability. The present study addresses the modeling of SRWC with particular attention paid to hysteresis effects of water filling and draining the pores attributed to ink-bottle effects. For that purpose, an idealized pore size distribution previously developed for predicting water sorption isotherms on cementitious materials, and which can consider the double porosity structure of soils, is used. The input data of the model are assessed only from mercury intrusion porosimetry tests (MIP) and from grain size distribution (GSD). The hysteretic behavior of SRWC is reproduced in a satisfactory way. The model can also predict the specific surface area.

     

攀枝花地区冰期膨胀土的工程特性研究

攀枝花地区冰期膨胀土生成于二冰期晚期中更新统冰期,通过室内和现场物理力学试验和分析,揭示攀枝花地区冰期膨胀土的物理力学性质具有很大的离散性,其性质受土体的矿物成分、含水率、裂隙面、埋藏深度、级配、试验条件等因素、条件的影响。试验研究表明:膨胀土中的裂隙面按光滑程度不相同,可分为两种类型,即光滑裂隙面和光滑擦痕裂隙面; 粗粒矿物对胀缩性影响不大,而细粒矿物对胀缩性影响较大; 裸露或近地表,土层风化剧烈,裂隙较发育,膨胀力度就稍大; 同一地区的膨胀土,蒙脱石含量愈高,自由膨胀率愈大,其膨胀等级就愈高; 不同场地内的膨胀土其物理力学性质指标存在一些差异,但差异性较小; 攀枝花冰期膨胀土层的黏粒含量并不大; 不同场地内的膨胀土抗剪强度值变化较大,同一场地内的膨胀土抗剪强度值有起伏; 攀枝花冰期膨胀土多数呈硬塑-坚硬状,自然状态下其抗压变形能力较好,在浸水饱和状态下,膨胀土的承载力几乎成倍数下降。     

Investigation on behavior of crack penetration/deflection at interfaces in intelligent coating system

Based on the three-phase model, the propagation behavior of a matrix crack in an intelligent coating system is investigated by an energy criterion. The effect of the elastic mismatch parameters and the thickness of the interface layer on the ratio of the energy release rate for infinitesimal deflected and penetrated crack is evaluated with the finite element method. The results show that the ratio of the energy release rates strongly depends on the elastic mismatch α1between the substrate and the driving layer.It also strongly depends on the elastic mismatch α2between the driving layer and the sensing layer for a thinner driving layer when a primary crack reaches an interface between the substrate and the driving layer. Moreover, with the increase in the thickness of the driving layer, the dependence on α2gradually decreases. The experimental observation on aluminum alloys monitored with intelligent coating shows that the established model can better explain the behavior of matrix crack penetration and can be used in optimization design of intelligent coating.     

Observation of Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid Migration in Aggregated Soil Using Image Analysis

Physical model experiments were conducted to observe the migration of light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPL) in a double-porosity soil medium. The double-porosity characteristics of the soil were simulated through aggregation of kaolin which resulted in well-defined intra-aggregate and inter-aggregate pores. Digital images were collected to monitor LNAPL (modeled by toluene) migration. A special experimental setup was developed to enable the instantaneous capture of the LNAPL migration around the whole soil column using a single digital camera. An image processing module was applied to the captured images and the results plotted using a surface mapping programme. Events observed during the duration of the experiments were discussed. It was found that the LNAPL flowed much faster in the aggregated soil as compared to a single-porosity soil. The wettability of the fluid and the capillary pressure characteristics were demonstrated to be influential factors in immiscible fluids migration when the soil fabric showed highly contrasting porosity values.     

The effects of the interphase and strain gradients on the elasticity of layer by layer (LBL) polymer/clay nanocomposites

A synergistic stiffening effect observed in the elastic mechanical properties of LBL assembled polymer/clay nanocomposites is studied via two continuum mechanics approaches. The nanostructure of the representative volume element (RVE) includes an effective interphase layer that is assumed to be perfectly bonded to the particle and matrix phases. An inverse method to determine the effective thickness and stiffness of the interphase layer using finite element (FE) simulations and experimental data previously published in Kaushik et al. (2009), is first illustrated. Next, a size-dependent strain gradient Mori–Tanaka (M–T) model (SGMT) is developed by applying strain gradient elasticity to the classical M–T method. Both approaches are applied to LBL-assembled polyurethane–montmorillonite (PU–MTM) clay nanocomposites. Both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) FE models used in the first approach are shown to be able to accurately predict the stiffness of the PU–MTM specimens with various volume fractions. The SGMT model also accurately predicts the experimentally observed increase in stiffness of the PU–MTM nanocomposite with increasing volume fraction of clay. An analogy between the strain gradient effect and the role of an interphase in accounting for the synergistic elastic stiffening in nanocomposites is provided.     

Cone penetration resistance equation as a function of the clay ratio, soil moisture content and specific weight

The cone penetrometer is a simple versatile device which is widely used to monitor the strength of a soil in terms of its resistance to the penetration of a standard cone. The soil penetration resistance is a function of soil moisture content, soil specific weight and soil type. The soil type is characterised by means of a clay ratio which is the ratio of the clay content of the soil to the content of silt and sand.Based on the classical bearing capacity theories for strip foundations, a general cone penetration resistance equation is developed to represent the variability of cohesion and friction angle by means of soil type and moisture content. The empirical relationship is shown to give an accurate prediction of the cone penetration resistance for a wide range of soils from a loamy sand to a heavy clay (clay ratios 0.10–1.60) and over a wide spectrum of soil moisture contents from 10 to 65% w/w.     

Une condition de déviation des fissures dans les CMC et les multicouches

A crack deflection criterion is proposed on the basis of the Cook and Gordon mechanism. The stress state induced by a crack was computed in an elementary cell of bimaterial using the finite element method. An interface failure criterion was established in terms of strengths and elastic moduli of constituents. A master curve was produced. It allows matrix crack deflection to be predicted with respect to constituents properties and interface strength. The model can be used also to evaluate the strength of interfaces and interphases in ceramic matrix composites and in multilayers. To cite this article: S. Pompidou, J. Lamon, C. R. Mecanique 333 (2005).     

A Fractal Approach to Model Soil Structure and to Calculate Thermal Conductivity of Soils

Heat transport in soils depends on the spatial arrangement of solids, ice, air and water. In this study, we present a modified fractal approach to model the pore structure of soils and to describe its influence on the thermal conductivity. Three different fractal generators were sequentially applied to characterize a wide range of particle- and pore-size distributions. The given porosity and particle-size distribution of a clay, clay loam, silt loam and loamy sand were successfully modeled. The thermal conductivity of the fractal soil model was calculated using a network of resistors. We applied a renormalization approach to include the effects of smaller scale structures. The predictions were compared with the empirical Johansen' model (Johansen, 1975), that postulates a simple linear relationship between ice content and thermal conductivity. For high ice-saturated conditions, the calculated thermal conductivity agrees well with the empirical model. To describe partial ice saturation, we assumed that some pores were coated by ice films enclosing the air-filled center. In addition, we introduced a reduced heat exchange coefficient of the particles for unsaturated conditions. The ice-saturated and -unsaturated thermal conductivity calculated with this approach was very similar to that estimated by the empirical model. The variation of the thermal conductivities for different spatial arrangements of pores and particles in the prefractals were determined. Extreme values deviate more than 50% from the mean values.