In simulation of closely- or separately-joined rock masses, stability of rock blocks is of primary concern. However, there seems to be no approach that can handle general modes of simultaneous sliding and truly large rotation under general forces, including non-conservative forces such as water forces. General causes of failure for rock blocks, such as limit points, bifurcation points, and dynamic instability (divergence and flutter), have never been addressed. This research implements a formulation, called BS3D(an incremental-iterative algorithm introduced by Tonon), for analyzing general failure modes of rock blocks under conservative and non-conservative forces. Among the constitutive models for rock fractures developed over the years, Barton's empirical model has been widely used because it is easy to apply and includes several important factors associated with fracture characteristics. Although Barton's failure criterion predicts peak shear strength of rock fractures with acceptable precision, it has some weaknesses in estimating the peak shear displacement, post-peak shear strength, dilation, and surface degradation in unloading and reloading. In this dissertation, modifications are made to Barton's original model in order to address these weaknesses. The modified Barton’s model is validated by a series of direct shear tests on rock fractures and implemented in BS3D to consider the dilatant behavior of fractures. The mechanical behavior of a rock block formed in the roof of a tunnel is governed by its geometry, the mechanical characteristics and the deformability of the fractures forming the block, the deformability of the block and that of the surrounding rock mass, and the stresses within the rock. BS3D, after verification and validation, is used to investigate the effect of dilatancy on stability of rock blocks formed in the roof of a circular tunnel. High-velocity plunging jets, issuing from hydraulic artificial or natural structures, can result in scouring of the rock riverbed or the dam toe foundation. Assessment of the extent of scour is necessary to ensure the safety of the dam and to guarantee the stability of its abutments. BS3D is used to investigate effect of high-velocity jet impact on stability of rock blocks in plunge pools. / text

No description available.

Grain shape is a key factor affecting the mechanical properties of granular materials. However, grain shape quantification techniques to distinguish one granular material from another have not reached a stage of development for inclusion in modeling the behavior of granular materials. Part of the problem is the equipment of choice for grain shape measurement is the scanning electron microscope. This is a relatively expensive and complex device. In this research, a practical approach using light microscopy to quantify grain shape and to identify the key shape parameters that can distinguish grains was investigated. A light microscope was found to produce grain images with sufficient quality for the purpose of observing the grain shape profile. Several grain shape parameters were determined for eight different sands - four sands chosen for this study and four sands from an outside source. Six of these - Circularity, Roundness, Sphericity, Aspect Ratio, Compactness and ModRatio - are shown to be the key shape parameters that differentiate these sand grains.Relationships between the six key grain shape parameters and dilatancy were developed to enable a better understanding of the mechanics of granular materials and for potential use in practice. Data to build the relationships were obtained using a light microscope, digital image processing software (ImageJ), and direct shear tests on four uniform sands composed of grains with varying, somewhat-homogeneous, shape profiles - ranging from very rounded grains in one granular conglomerate to very angular shaped grains in another.A Weighted Single Sand Shape Factor (WSSSF) was derived from all of the six key shape parameters was developed using Weighted Factor Analysis. A good correlation was found to exist between dilatancy and WSSSF. The correlation also incorporates normal effective stress, relative density and the critical state friction angle. Verification was conducted through the introduction of a subangular to subrounded sand that was not used in building the correlation. The correlation proved to provide a good estimate of the dilatancy of sands based on the physical properties of grains and the applied loading.

Tailings is leftover material from mining industry and is produced in huge quantities approximately 70-99% of the ore production.  Tailings material is stored as impoundments by constructing tailings dams which are often constructed with tailings material itself. Tailings are artificial material and the mechanical behavior of tailings material upon loading is different as compared to natural soil materials. There are number of dam failures reported every year which has severe impact on inhabitants and environment nearby. Considering the failures of tailings dams and consequences there is a need to understand the tailings material in depth for safe existence of these dams. The confident dam design can assure the safe existence of tailings dams for long term as these dams are presumed to function for generations to come. The material properties in tailings dams can change during operation due to raising of new layer. Raised new layer can change stress level, which in turn may change the material properties in terms of strength, pore pressures, grain sizes etc. Today mostly tailings dam are designed by performing analysis for safety for existing and future rasings as well. These analyses are based upon a for certain factor of safety. Not very much can be done with design and analysis for tailings material if the material is not described very well. Understanding of tailings material in depth can provide help for detailed material parameters which later can be used in safety assessment for future raising and changed conditions in dam. This study presents the work carried out on tailings material from a Swedish tailings dam. The study is conducted on undisturbed and disturbed tailings material. The undisturbed tests are carried out to understand material properties as per in-situ conditions. Whereas disturbed materials are used to created different materials with different particles sizes. Initially in this study the basic properties of tailings materials are studied e.g. specific gravity, phase relationships, particle sizes, particle shapes and shear behavior on collected samples at various depths. During direct shear tests, the unexpected vertical height reductions were observed, these results are presented in this study. The comparison of strength parameters by direct shear and triaxial tests on material from various depths is also done and presented. Based on results from direct shear, triaxial and oedometer tests on uniform sized tailings material; the evaluation of primary and secondary deformations and particle breakage and effect of vertical loads is also carried out and presented. The study also includes the comparison of strength parameters for each particles size. The breakage of particles is analyzed by sieving the material after direct shear tests followed by a particle shape study. The effect of deposition on shear strength parameters is also studied by construction of samples with different angle of deposition of material. The strength parameters of uniform sized particles in triaxial tests are also evaluated and discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy / Agronomy / DeAnn R. Presley / Crop residue removal for livestock feeding and biofuel production at large scales must be evaluated to assess impacts on soil productivity and properties. Among all the potential negative impacts, wind erosion is a major concern in the central Great Plains. We conducted an on-farm study from 2011 to 2013 by removing crop residue at five levels (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%) to determine the effects of crop residue removal on soil wind erosion parameters such as dry aggregate size distribution including soil wind erodible fraction (EF <0.84 mm aggregates), geometric mean diameter (GMD) and geometric standard deviation (GSD), dry aggregate stability, and soil surface roughness. The sub-model of Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) developed by the USDA-ARS, Single-event Wind Erosion Evaluation Program (SWEEP) is a stand-alone companion software package that can be applied to simulate soil loss and dust emission from a single windstorm event. We applied measured data (i.e. EF, GMD, GSD, and roughness) to SWEEP for predicting wind velocity that can initiate wind erosion and soil loss under each crop residue removal condition with wind velocity at 13 m sˉ¹. The threshold wind velocity to initiate wind erosion generally decreased with increase in crop residue removal levels, particularly for residue removal >75%. The total amount of soil loss in 3 hours ranged from about 0.2 to 2.5 kg mˉ² and depends on soil condition and crop residue cover. On the other hand, high-yielding crops can produce abundant crop residue, which then raises the question that if a farmer wants to reduce residue, what could they do without removing it? The application of fertilizer on crop residue to stimulate microbial activity and subsequent decomposition of the residue is often debated. We conducted wheat straw decomposition field experiments under different fertilizer rates and combinations at three locations in western Kansas following wheat harvest in 2011 and 2012. A double shear box apparatus instrumented with a load cell measured the shear stress required to cut wheat straw and photomicrography was used to measure the cross-sectional area of wheat straw after shearing. Total C and N were also analyzed. The fertilizer rate and timing of application during summer 2012 and Fall 2013 at the Hays site had impacts on wheat straw shear stress at break point. Across site years, earlier (fall) fertilizer application generally resulted in lower remaining aboveground biomass as compared to a spring application. Multivariate and linear regressions suggested that N and C:N ratio partially explain the results observed with respect to treatment effects on winter wheat residue decomposition.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, 2016 / The performance in tailings storage facilities (TSFs) of three methods based on the cone penetration test (CPT) to assess liquefaction potential is explored. For two of these methods the investigation highlights potential limitations mostly related with the experimental data that supports some of the equations used by the methods. However, the methodologies yielded mostly correct performance predictions when implemented on TSF case histories in which an undrained response is believed to have occurred. The positive performance of both methodologies must be tempered by the limitations identified in the methods. The steady state line (SSL) is an input of the third method considered. Accordingly, the correlation between the SSL and soil index parameters was investigated using a database of 151 non-plastic soiltypes compiled from data previously reported in the literature. The SSLs were modelled in void ratio (e) - mean effective stress (p') space, using a logarithmic equation. The y-intercept of the SSL is termed Γ, and the slope is termed λ. A direct, and linear (R2 = 0.74) correlation between the minimum void ratio (emin) and Γ was found. Although previous research has explored the effect of non-plastic fines on the SSL, the analysis presented herein shows that the Γ-emin correlation is independent of fines content. The correlation is also independent of the angularity of the particles provided that these are bulky, as opposed to platy. A direct λ-emin correlation was also found; however this correlation is much weaker and probably obscured by uncertainties in void ratio measurements. Triaxial testing was conducted to determine the SSLs of three tailings soiltypes obtained from a single TSF. The trends observed in the resulting SSLs are in agreement with the Γ-emin and λ-emin correlations from the database. An assessment was made of the sensitivity of the third method, which is based on a state parameter (ψ), to variations in λ throughout a single TSF. It was found that in some TSFs, the variations of λ are small enough to be disregarded without significantly affecting the accuracy of ψ. However, in other TSFs it is necessary to estimate how λ varies throughout the deposit. iii / CK2017

O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a resistência ao cisalhamento de bráquetes ortodônticos cerâmicos com base de retenção química e mecânica, colados com diferentes compósitos e irradiados com laser de CO2. Foram utilizados 120 pré-molares humanos hígidos, suas coroas foram incluídas em resina acrílica e as faces vestibulares planificadas e polidas com lixas d\'água até exposição de 5mm esmalte. Posteriormente, as raízes dos dentes foram incluídas em tubos de PVC também com resina acrílica de forma que a face vestibular ficasse perpendicular à base do tubo. Os 120 corpos de prova foram divididos em 8 grupos (n=15), sendo 2 controles e 6 experimentais. Nos grupos 1 e 2 (controles) o compósito utilizado para colagem foi o Transbond XT, sendo que no grupo 1 foi colado o bráquete cerâmico Mystique (retenção mecânica) e no grupo 2 o bráquete cerâmico Fascination (retenção química). Nos grupos experimentais 3, 4 e 5 foi colado o bráquete Mystique com os compósitos Transbond XT, Concise e Z250, respectivamente. Nos grupos 6, 7 e 8 foi colado o bráquete Fascination com os mesmos compósitos dos grupos 3, 4 e 5, na mesma sequência. Nos grupos experimentais, após a colagem, os bráquetes foram irradiados com laser de CO2 com 10W de potência por 3 segundos e pulso de 0,01 segundo. Imediatamente após a irradiação foi realizado o teste de resistência ao cisalhamento da colagem em máquina universal de ensaios mecânicos (Emic DL 500) à velocidade de 0,5 mm/minuto. Após o teste, as superfícies avaliadas por meio do Índice de Remanescente Adesivo (IRA) e submetidas à Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV) para investigação de eventuais fraturas. Os dados de resistência ao cisalhamento foram submetidos à Análise de Variância ANOVA e posteriormente teste de Tukey. O teste de Mann-Whitney foi utilizado para a avaliação do IRA. Os resultados mostraram que os grupos experimentais apresentaram valores de resistência ao cisalhamento menores quando comparados aos controle (p 0,05). O bráquete Mystique (retenção mecânica) apresentou valores maiores de resistência ao cisalhamento e o compósito Z 250 foi o que apresentou menor força de adesão após irradiação com laser de CO2. Os grupos 5 e 8 foram os que apresentaram maior média do IRA e para todas as superfícies avaliadas o modo de fratura mais prevalente foi a fratura adesiva . Concluiu-se que o laser de CO2 foi eficaz como auxiliar na descolagem de bráquetes cerâmicos de retenção química e mecânica. / The objective of this study was to evaluate the shear strength of the ceramic orthodontic brackets based in chemical and mechanical restraint, bonded with different composites and irradiated with CO2 laser was evaluated. Healthy human premolars (120) were used and their crowns were embedded in acrylic resin and the buccal surfaces flattened and polished with sandpaper until exposure of 5 mm of enamel. Subsequently, the roots of the teeth were included in PVC pipes also with acrylic resin so that the labial surface was perpendicular to the base of the pipe. The 120 samples were divided into 8 groups (n = 15), 2 being the control groups and 6, the experimental groups. In groups 1 and 2 (controls) the composite used for bonding was Transbond XT. Group 1 was glued to the ceramic bracket Mystique (by mechanical retention) and the group 2, with ceramic bracket Fascination (by chemical restraint). In the experimental groups 3, 4 and 5 Mystique brackets were glued with Transbond XT, Concise and Z250, respectively. In groups 6, 7 and 8 the Fascination bracket were glued with the same composites of groups 3, 4 and 5 and in the same sequence. In the experimental groups, after bonding, the brackets were irradiated with CO2 laser with 10W of power for 3 seconds and per pulse 0.01 seconds. Immediately after irradiation shear strength tests were performed on shear bonding with mechanical universal testing machines (Emic DL 500) at a speed of 0.5 mm/minute. After testing, the surfaces were evaluated using the Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI) and submitted to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate possible fractures. The shear strength data were subjected to analysis of variance with ANOVA and Tukey test later. The Mann-Whitney test was used to evaluate the ARI. The results showed that experimental groups showed lower shear strength values, comparing to the control groups (p 0.05). The bracket Mystique (mechanical retention) showed higher shear strength values and the Z 250 composite showed the lowest adhesion strength after irradiation with CO2 laser. Groups 5 and 8 presented the highest average of IRA and for all the surfaces that were evaluated the most prevalent fracture mode was the adhesive one. It was concluded that the CO2 laser was effective as an aid in bracket debonding of ceramic with chemical and mechanical retention.

A presente pesquisa apresenta resultados de uma série de ensaios de palheta de laboratório, com a finalidade de determinar a resistência não drenada de um solo residual compactado. Durante o ensaio foram realizadas medições continuas de sucção com uso de um tensiômetro de alta capacidade, disposto na base dos corpos de prova, sendo este procedimento inédito. O objetivo secundário do estudo é a avaliação de aspectos relacionados com a variação da resistência e sucção quando a distância do tensiômetro de alta capacidade é modificada com relação à superfície inferior do plano de ruptura pré-estabelecido. Para a realização destes experimentos foram modificados e adaptados equipamentos de laboratório. O estudo foi realizado com um solo residual de gnaisse compactado obtido do antigo campo experimental da Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo. O estudo constata que o valor medido da resistência não drenada é afetado pela proximidade do tensiômetro a palheta. / This research presents results of a series of mini-vane tests in order to determine the undrained shear strength of a residual compacted soil. During the tests and for the first time, continuous measurement of suction has been made using a high capacity tensiometer placed at the base of the specimen. The secondary aim of this study is to evaluate aspects related to resistance and suction variation when the distance of the high capacity tensiometer is modified in relation to the lower pre-set failure surface. For this reason laboratory equipments were modified and adapted in order to perform the study. The tests were performed with a compacted residual soil of gneiss obtained from the experimental site of the Polytechnical School of the University of São Paulo. The study showed that the undrained shear strength is affected when the vane are closer to the tensiometer.

Investiga-se neste trabalho a resistência ao cisalhamento em interfaces geomembrana-solo, utilizadas nos sistemas de impermeabilização de aterros e lagoas de efluentes. Foram realizados ensaios de ring shear envolvendo solos arenosos e argilosos, em condição seca e inundada. Os ensaios foram realizados utilizando uma areia de granulometria grossa a média e um solo argiloso proveniente do aterro sanitário de Piracicaba- SP. Neste trabalho foram utilizadas geomembranas de polivinil clorado, polietileno linear de média densidade e polietileno de alta densidade, com diferentes níveis de rugosidade. Os resultados mostraram que a resistência ao cisalhamento depende das características das geomembranas utilizadas, como flexibilidade e rigidez, além de outras. Conforme esperado, observou-se que as geomembranas texturizadas apresentaram maiores valores de ângulo de atrito do que as geomembranas lisas; enquanto as geomembranas flexíveis mostraram maiores valores de ângulo de atrito que as rígidas. Este comportamento foi verificado em ambos os tipos de interface. Verificou-se também que o efeito da compacidade dos materiais granulares e da saturação dos materiais mostrou-se pouco acentuado na resistência de interface areia/geomembrana. Nos ensaios de interface com solo argiloso foi verificado que a inundação influencia na resistência de interface, fornecendo menores valores de ângulos de atrito do que nos ensaios não inundados. Além deste aspecto, verificou-se que a resistência de interface em ensaios não inundados depende da umidade de compactação do solo argiloso. Este fato não foi verificado nos ensaios inundados. / This paper deals with the shear strength in the geomembrane-soil interfaces used in landfill and waste pond liners. Modified ring shear tests were carried out using sandy and clayey soils, in dry and saturated conditions. The tests were performed using a coarse to medium graded sand and a clayey soil from a sanitary landfill in Piracicaba - SP. In this work, polyvinyl chloride geomembranes, medium density linear polyethylene and high-density polyethylene, with different roughness levels, were used. The test results showed that the shear strength depends on several geomembrane characteristics, such as roughness and stiffness. As it was expected, texturized geomembranes showed higher friction angle values than smooth geomembranes; flexible geomembranes showed higher friction angle values than the stiff ones. Such behavior was verified in both interface types. Also, it was verified that the sand compaction and the material saturation have little influence on the sand-geomembrane interface shear strength. The interface shear strength tests, performed with a clayey soil, showed that the wetting condition affects the interface shear strength. Friction angle for wetted samples were smaller than those for non-wetted samples. In addition, it has been verified that the interface shear strength in non-wetted tests depends on the moisture content of the clayey soil. This fact has not been verified in the wetted tests.

Em muitas partes do mundo, engenheiros geotécnicos freqüentemente lidam com solos não saturados, e o desempenho de obras nestes solos depende de suas características mecânicas, como a resistência ao cisalhamento. A determinação experimental da resistência de solos não saturados pode ser feita em laboratório utilizando técnicas que permitem controle ou medida da sucção, sendo uma delas o ensaio de compressão triaxial com teor de umidade constante. Neste contexto, essa pesquisa analisa a resistência ao cisalhamento de um solo arenoso compactado não saturado por meio de ensaios de compressão triaxial. Ensaios do tipo adensado-drenado e adensado-não drenado foram realizados com solo saturado, enquanto ensaios com teor de umidade constante foram realizados para caracterizar o comportamento do solo não saturado. Os resultados dos ensaios com solo saturado foram combinados e forneceram uma envoltória de resistência comum em termos de tensões efetivas. Para o solo não saturado, as curvas tensão-deformação foram representadas pela diferença de tensões principais e por esta normalizada por algumas das variáveis de estado de tensão do solo. Tais curvas se assemelham a curvas típicas de um material plástico, com exceção das obtidas para a menor tensão confinante, nas quais se observou a ocorrência de picos de resistência. Já a sucção apresentou um comportamento comum a todos os ensaios, com redução inicial seguida de estabilização. As diferentes representações da curva tensão-deformação permitiram definir superfícies planares de resistência no espaço tensão x sucção x resistência, nas quais foram observadas pequenas variações nos valores de coesão efetiva e ângulo de atrito com relação à sucção. Apesar do bom ajuste destas envoltórias planares, os resultados mostraram alguma não-linearidade. Por fim, testaram-se os métodos de Khalili e Khabbaz (1998) e Vilar (2007) de previsão da resistência ao cisalhamento de solos não saturados. / In many parts of the world, geotechnical engineers frequently deal with unsaturated soils, and the performance of constructions on such soils depends on their mechanical characteristics, and among them, the shear strength. The unsaturated soil shear strength can be experimentally determined by using techniques which allow soil suction control or measurement and one of the available techniques is the constant water content triaxial compression test. In this context, this research analyzes the shear strength of an unsaturated compacted sandy soil using triaxial compression tests. Consolidated-drained and consolidated-undrained triaxial compression tests were performed with the saturated soil, while constant water content triaxial compression tests were performed to characterize the unsaturated soil behavior. Results of tests with saturated soil were gathered and yielded a common shear strength envelope in terms of effective stress. Regarding the unsaturated soil, the stress-strain curves were represented by the deviator stress and the deviator stress normalized by some stress state variables of the soil. Such curves were similar to typical curves of a plastic material, except for those obtained for the lower confining pressure, in which peak of stress were observed. Suction development during shearing presented a common behavior to all the tests, with initial reduction followed by stabilization. The different representations of stress-strain curves allowed defining shear strength planar surfaces on stress x suction x strength space, which showed small variations of effective cohesion and angle related to suction. Despite of the good adjustment of these planar shear strength envelopes, the results showed some non-linearity. Finally, the methods proposed by Khalili and Khabbaz (1998) and Vilar (2007) for predicting the shear strength of unsaturated soils were tested.