[pt] O Aterro Metropolitano de Jardim Gramacho (AMG) é o local que recebe desde 1976 os resíduos sólidos gerados pelas atividades domésticas, além das comerciais e industriais da área metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro. Atualmente no AMG vem se desenvolvendo projetos de aterramento até o ano 2012, portanto, a estabilidade dos taludes do maciço cresce em importância e a presente dissertação está dirigida a compreender aspectos da análise de estabilidade do AMG. Nesse sentido, faz-se ênfase no comportamento da resistência dos materiais, fundamentalmente da fundação que é uma argila muito mole. Na área do AMG tem campanhas de ensaios do campo durante vários anos e em quantidade menor os ensaios laboratoriais. Neste trabalho são feitas atividades como a coleta e interpretação das sondagens desde 1992 até a campanha do ano 2009, esta informação é introduzida numa modelagem estratigráfica tridimensional, deles são gerados perfis bidimensionais para as análises de estabilidade, Outra atividade é interpretar informação do campo, ensaios de laboratório da campanha 2009 e realizar ensaios complementares na argila do local (compressão triaxial drenada e não drenada, cisalhamento direto e adensamento com medição do creep). A totalidade da informação é discutida obtendo correlações da resistência não drenada em base da teoria do estado critico. Os parâmetros geotécnicos do lixo são obtidos através das referências na literatura e retro-análises de taludes movimentados no local. Finalmente se avalia a estabilidade do AMG pelos métodos de equilíbrio limite e tensão deformação em termos de tensões totais e efetivas até chegar às geometrias finais projetadas. / [en] The Metropolitan Landfill Jardim Gramacho (AMG) is the site since 1976 that receives solid waste generated by domestic activities, also of commercial and industrial metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro. Currently in AMG is developing projects ground to the year 2012, so the stability of slopes of the massive gains in importance and this dissertation is aimed at understanding aspects of the stability analysis of the AMG. Thus, it is an emphasis on the behavior of resistance of materials, primarily from a foundation that is very soft clay. In the area of AMG has field test in explorations for several years and fewer laboratory tests. This work made activities such as collection and interpretation of surveys from 1992 to the exploration of 2009, this information is entered into a three-dimensional stratigraphic modeling, their profiles are generated for the two-dimensional stability analysis, Another activity is to interpret information from field trials Campaign 2009 laboratory and perform additional tests on the clay site (triaxial drained and undrained, direct shear and consolidation with measurement of creep). The totality of the information obtained is discussed correlations of resistance undrained in the base of critical state theory. The geotechnical parameters of garbage are obtained through the references in the literature and analysis of retro-crowded slopes at the site. Finally it assesses the stability of the AMG methods of limit equilibrium and stress-strain curves in terms of total stresses and effective to reach the final designed geometry.

[pt] Os solos moles geram preocupações nos projetos de engenharia devido à sua alta compressibilidade e baixa resistência. Estes tipos de solos têm sido alvo de pesquisas, especialmente no litoral brasileiro, necessitando de contínuas investigações para sua melhor compreensão. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho apresenta a caracterização de um depósito de argila mole em Guaratiba, zona oeste do município do Rio de Janeiro. As amostras foram coletadas de uma área onde seria realizada a Missa da Jornada Mundial da Juventude – JMJ de 2013, denominada Campus Fidei. Para caracterização do depósito foram realizados ensaios de campo e laboratório, a saber, SPT, CPTu, Vane Test, adensamento edométrico convencional e ensaios triaxiais drenados e não drenados, além dos ensaios de caracterização físico-química, imprescindíveis para solos moles. Os resultados obtidos possibilitaram a obtenção de propriedades consideradas fundamentais para entendimento do comportamento desses solos, tais como, resistência ao cisalhamento não drenada, razão de sobreadensamento dos depósitos e coeficientes de adensamento. Os parâmetros geotécnicos obtidos mostraram-se concordantes com os valores encontrados na literatura no que tange aos solos moles da região. / [en] Soft ground generates concerns in engineering projects due to its high compressibility and low strength. These types of soils have been the subject of research in soil mechanics, especially on the Brazilian coast, requiring continuous investigations for better understand its behavior. In this context, this work presents the characterization of a soft clay deposit in Guaratiba, west of Rio de Janeiro city. Samples were collected from an area where it would celebrate the Mass of World Youth Day – WYD, called Campus Fidei. The characterization involved field and laboratory tests: SPT, CPTu, Vane test, conventional density and drained and undrained triaxial tests, in addition to the physical-chemical characterization. The results enabled the determination of some properties considered fundamentals to understanding the behavior of these soils, such as undrained shear strength, over consolidation ratio of deposits and consolidation coefficients. The found geotechnical parameters are consistent with the literature values with respect to the soft soils of the region.

No description available.

Ground Improvement using vibro stone columns is gaining increasing acceptance on marginal soft clay sites as a sustainable foundation solution, particularly for lightly loaded low-rise structures supported by shallow, narrow footings. Most experience in this context however has been with widespread loads and use of the wet top-feed stone column technique, which has now been largely superseded, on environmental grounds, by the dry bottom-feed technique, and for which no significant published field trial data currently exists in deep soft clay deposits in the context of shallow, narrow footings. This research is therefore principally concerned with evaluating both the ground response to installation of partial depth vibro stone columns using the dry bottom-feed method in a deep moderately sensitive soft clay soil, together with the influence of parameters such as stone column spacing and length, founding depth within a thin surface 'crust', and also foundation shape on the performance of narrow footings subsequently constructed and subjected to incremental loading, over the installed stone columns, at the Bothkennar soft clay research site in Scotland. Comparisons are made with footings constructed within the surface 'crust' at Bothkennar without stone columns. Whilst stone columns were satisfactorily constructed with the dry bottom-feed technique at Bothkennar, it was evident that the vibroflot should not remain in the ground for longer than is necessary, in order to avoid excessive soil disturbance. For this reason construction of partial depth stone columns to a more uniform diameter, without construction of an 'end bulb', is advocated. Stress ratio was found to increase significantly with increasing length of stone column and also applied load, up to a maximum value of around 4.0. Moreover, for a trial footing founded at the base of the 'crust', stresses attracted by the columns were higher than all other columns where founding depth (level) was at shallower depth in the crust. A significant stress transfer was also measured beneath the toe of columns intentionally installed shorter than the minimum design length predicted by the Hughes and Withers (1974) approach at all iii applied loads, but not for columns equal to, or longer than minimum design length, confirming the predictions of this laboratory-based approach at the field scale. The stress measurements recorded by the field instrumentation demonstrate that the behaviour of the composite stone column-soil-foundation system is complex, with simultaneous and interdependent changes in pore pressures, soil stress ratios and resulting stiffness of both soil and columns. Whilst observed settlements exceeded those predicted, with larger foundation settlements observed at low applied loads over stone columns than at the same loading level in untreated ground, principally due to soil disturbance and accelerated consolidation effects during initial loading, at higher applied loadings however the stone columns significantly reduced the rate and magnitude of settlement compared to a foundation in the untreated 'crust'. It is therefore clear that the stone columns 'reinforced' the weak soil, providing a significantly increased factor of safety against bearing failure.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A argila encontrada na Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, é conhecida por ser muito mole e de peso específico bastante baixo. Passados 17 anos após a execução de um aterro em um dos depósitos argilosos da região, foram realizados ensaios de piezocone e SPT para aferir a espessura atual da camada mole. Tendo-se as espessuras originais da camada, determinadas a partir de ensaios de palheta e SPT na época da realização da obra, foi possível,assim, determinar o recalque que realmente ocorreu. O recalque primário foi calculado através dos parâmetros de compressibilidade previamente conhecidos daquele material. Foi aplicada a correção devido à submersão do aterro e, para isso, foi desenvolvida neste trabalho uma nova metodologia de cálculo para este efeito, considerando a submersão do aterro de forma gradual em todo o seu desenvolvimento matemático. Através da diferença entre o recalque total verificado nos ensaios e o recalque primário calculado, determinou-se a magnitude do recalque secundário. Com isso, estimou-se o OCR secundário do local. Este parâmetro surge da teoria que considera que os recalques secundários também ocorrem devido à variação das tensões efetivas, mas, nesse caso, horizontais. As principais conclusões desta pesquisa apontam para um valor de OCR secundário maior do que aquele já conhecido da argila de Sarapuí, que serviu de base para a referida teoria. Além disso, a proposta de cálculo do efeito da submersão se mostrou fácil e rápida de ser aplicada e forneceu resultados próximos daqueles obtidos pelas metodologias usuais. / The clay found in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, is known to be very soft and also to have very low specific weight. After 17 years from the execution of a landfill on a clay deposits in the region, piezocone and SPT tests were performed to verify the current soft layer thickness. The original layer thicknesses have been determined from vane and SPT tests at the time of construction of the landfill. It was then possible to determine the settlement that has actually occurred. The primary settlement was calculated through the compressibility parameters previously known. A correction on the calculation result was applied due to the submersion effect. A new methodology for calculating this effect was developed in this work, considering the submersion of the landfill occurring gradually, throughout the mathematical development. From the difference between the total settlement observed in the tests and the estimated primary settlement, the magnitude of the secondary settlement was determined. Thus, it was possible to estimate the secondary OCR. This parameter arises from the theory that considers the secondary settlements occurring with the variation of the effective stresses, but, in this case, horizontal stresses. The main conclusions of this research indicate that the value of secondary OCR is greater than that already known for the Sarapuí clay, which formed the basis for this theory. In addition, the proposed calculation of the effect of submersion proved to be quick and easy to apply and provided results similar to those obtained by the usual methods.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A argila encontrada na Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, é conhecida por ser muito mole e de peso específico bastante baixo. Passados 17 anos após a execução de um aterro em um dos depósitos argilosos da região, foram realizados ensaios de piezocone e SPT para aferir a espessura atual da camada mole. Tendo-se as espessuras originais da camada, determinadas a partir de ensaios de palheta e SPT na época da realização da obra, foi possível,assim, determinar o recalque que realmente ocorreu. O recalque primário foi calculado através dos parâmetros de compressibilidade previamente conhecidos daquele material. Foi aplicada a correção devido à submersão do aterro e, para isso, foi desenvolvida neste trabalho uma nova metodologia de cálculo para este efeito, considerando a submersão do aterro de forma gradual em todo o seu desenvolvimento matemático. Através da diferença entre o recalque total verificado nos ensaios e o recalque primário calculado, determinou-se a magnitude do recalque secundário. Com isso, estimou-se o OCR secundário do local. Este parâmetro surge da teoria que considera que os recalques secundários também ocorrem devido à variação das tensões efetivas, mas, nesse caso, horizontais. As principais conclusões desta pesquisa apontam para um valor de OCR secundário maior do que aquele já conhecido da argila de Sarapuí, que serviu de base para a referida teoria. Além disso, a proposta de cálculo do efeito da submersão se mostrou fácil e rápida de ser aplicada e forneceu resultados próximos daqueles obtidos pelas metodologias usuais. / The clay found in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, is known to be very soft and also to have very low specific weight. After 17 years from the execution of a landfill on a clay deposits in the region, piezocone and SPT tests were performed to verify the current soft layer thickness. The original layer thicknesses have been determined from vane and SPT tests at the time of construction of the landfill. It was then possible to determine the settlement that has actually occurred. The primary settlement was calculated through the compressibility parameters previously known. A correction on the calculation result was applied due to the submersion effect. A new methodology for calculating this effect was developed in this work, considering the submersion of the landfill occurring gradually, throughout the mathematical development. From the difference between the total settlement observed in the tests and the estimated primary settlement, the magnitude of the secondary settlement was determined. Thus, it was possible to estimate the secondary OCR. This parameter arises from the theory that considers the secondary settlements occurring with the variation of the effective stresses, but, in this case, horizontal stresses. The main conclusions of this research indicate that the value of secondary OCR is greater than that already known for the Sarapuí clay, which formed the basis for this theory. In addition, the proposed calculation of the effect of submersion proved to be quick and easy to apply and provided results similar to those obtained by the usual methods.

[pt] A constante expansão ocupacional de terrenos resulta na eventual construção sobre camadas de argila mole, o que requer a utilização de fundações em estacas e, com isso, maior conhecimento sobre o material do subsolo e a interação entre as estruturas. Em um projeto de fundações, a consideração das cargas transversais atuantes na superfície nem sempre é suficiente, é necessário adicionar as solicitações também impostas ao longo do seu comprimento. Este trabalho relata o caso de um edifício em Ubatuba/SP, que entrou em colapso devido a solicitações laterais no fuste das estacas próximas ao fundo do terreno, local com maior espessura de argila mole. Este movimento foi analisado por meio de quatro métodos convencionais (Tschebotarioff, De Beer e Wallays, Stewart e Goh), além do método numérico utilizando o software Plaxis em modelagens 2D e 3D. Os métodos convencionais apresentaram momentos fletores bastante divergentes entre si, porém todos apresentaram resultados cuja ordem de grandeza foi muito maior que os obtidos por meio da análise numérica. A modelagem bidimensional mostrou que o espaçamento entre estacas no eixo fora do plano é um fator com bastante influência e interfere nos valores resultantes do modelo 2D, outra constatação foi a redução de até 50 por cento dos momentos fletores atuantes quando considerado o efeito de grupo. Os resultados da modelagem 3D mostraram-se concordantes com os da modelagem 2D, chegando a apresentar uma divergência de 2 por cento entre os resultados. Em termos gerais, foi confirmada a maior solicitação nas estacas mais próximas ao limite posterior do terreno, onde se encontra a camada mais espessa de argila, o que gerou momentos maiores do que aqueles gerados pela carga transversal da superestrutura. / [en] The constant expansion of land occupation leads to the eventual construction over soft clay layers, requiring the use of foundation piles and thus, greater understanding of the subsurface material and the interaction between the structures, especially in regards to the induced loads and displacements. Naturally, the loads from the overhead structure are transmitted to the foundation, causing it to suffer from the action of axial and transverse loads. In a foundation design, the consideration of transverse loads acting on the surface is not always sufficient, making it necessary to include the loads imposed along its length as well. This study depicts the case of a building in Ubatuba/SP that collapsed due to lateral stresses along the middle section of the piles, located close to the farthest site boundary where a thicker layer of soft clay can be found. This movement was analysed using four conventional methods (Tschebotarioff, De Beer and Wallays, Stewart and Goh), as well as a numerical method for 2D and 3D modelling on the Plaxis software. The conventional methods presented diverging results relative to each other, of which. However, all four methods produced results with orders of magnitude much greater than those obtained through numerical analysis. The bidimensional model showed that the spacing between piles in the out-of-plane axis is a factor of great influence and interferes in the simplifications of the 2D model. Another finding was a reduction of up to 50 percent of the acting bending moments when considering the group effect. The results from the 3D model were in agreement with those from the 2D model, exhibiting only a 2 percent difference. In general, a greater load on the piles closest to the farthest limit of the site was confirmed, located on the thickest clay layer that generated bending moments greater than those generated from the transverse load of the structure.

Tunnelling in urban areas is one of the most challenging engineering activities, as it has relatively high “risk” due to various uncertainties and the intensity of the possible consequences. Numerous studies have been conducted to address the tunnelling risk, by mainly focusing on the “identification” of the causes and how to control or mitigate the risks. However, limited work has been done on how to quantify the risk by considering the multi-level uncertainties encountered in different phases of the project. The primary objective of this work is to develop a multi-scale risk management (RM) framework to address and quantify the risk of ground surface settlement, induced by tunnelling, in soft clay in urbanized areas. The specific focus is placed on quantifying the risk of tunnel-induced settlement for existing buildings, by taking into account multiple uncertainty levels (e.g. uncertainties of parameters, uncertainties of models, etc.). The framework addresses the tunnel-induced settlement risk, both during the construction of the tunnel as well as after its completion, for buildings with shallow and deep foundations. It offers different classes of assessment to quantify the risk, according to the structure’s current condition and the corresponding limit-state function, that is designated to each class. The RM framework is aligned with ISO 31000 risk management act, consisting of “risk identification”, “risk analysis” and “risk evaluation”. Risk identification includes studies on tunnelling technical reports, field observations, etc., in order to identify the causes of short-term and long-term tunnelling-induced settlement. The risk analysis involves a series of fault tree, event tree and consequence tree analyses to estimate the likelihood of the ground subsidence and subsequent events. For risk evaluation, different probabilistic methods (e.g. first-order reliability method, second-order reliability method and Monte Carlo sampling) are utilized to estimate the risk of surface buildings with shallow and deep foundations. The framework has been implemented in an example problem, to demonstrate the procedure and to address the main influential parameters in each class of assessment using the alpha importance measure. Rt risk tool has been utilized to perform reliability calculations and FORM has been used as the primary method due to its valuable balance between computational cost and accuracy. The outcomes of this RM framework are risk registers and colour-coded risk maps including the exceedance probability of a predefined settlement threshold for each building in the affected area. This framework receives technical data and provides risk-based information for higher-level managers and decision-makers to prioritize their actions and allocate their resources in the most effective way. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / The aim of this study is to provide a multi-level risk management (RM) framework to address and quantify the risk of surface building settlement induced by tunnelling in soft clay in urbanized areas. The focused is placed on quantifying the risk of tunnel-induced settlement of existing buildings, by taking into account multiple uncertainty levels. The framework addresses the tunnel-induced settlement risk, both during the construction of the tunnel as well as after its completion, for buildings with shallow and deep foundations. It offers different classes of assessment to quantify the risk, according to the structure’s current condition and with respect to specific limit-state functions designated for each class. The proposed framework was implemented in an example to demonstrate the procedure and outcomes.

[pt] O comportamento de um aterro sobre argila mole da Baixada Fluminense foi estudado. Este aterro foi executado para a implantação da Indústria Rio Polímeros, com 3 metros de espessura, assente sobre um colchão drenante. Antes da construção, a área foi coberta com uma manta de geotêxtil. Para acelerar os recalques do aterro, geodrenos foram instalados na argila mole. O aterro foi instrumentado com inclinômetros, placas de recalque e piezômetros. Durante a construção, foram observadas rupturas em áreas localizadas do aterro. Ensaios de palheta e piezocone foram realizados em diferentes etapas da obra. A resistência não drenada (Su) nos ensaios de palheta apresentaram-se dentro dos valores reportados em trabalhos anteriores. Nos ensaios de piezocone, Su apresentou um decréscimo com a profundidade. Os valores de OCR, estimados com o piezocone, situaram-se entre 1,5 e 3,0. O comportamento do aterro foi avaliado quanto a recalques e estabilidade. O método de Asaoka permitiu uma estimativa satisfatória do coeficiente de adensamento e dos recalques. Os recalques estimados pela teoria de Terzaghi foram cerca de 2,5 vezes maiores do que os registrados no campo, devido a incertezas na compressibilidade da argila mole. O método de Asaoka indicou, para drenagem puramente vertical, um valor de cv cerca de 100 vezes maior que os valores de ensaios de laboratório e 2 vezes menor que os valores estimados para drenagem combinada e para ensaios de piezocone. A estabilidade do aterro foi avaliada em análises por equilíbrio limite. Os resultados confirmaram a existência de uma potencial instabilidade em algumas regiões do aterro. / [en] The behavior of an embankment on a soft clay deposit at Baixada Fluminense was studied. This embankment was constructed for implantation of Rio Polimeros Industry. The embankment layer is 3m thick and is placed over a layer of granular material. Before construction the entire area was covered with a geotextil. Geodrains were also installed to accelerate clay layer settlements. Some localized embankment failures were observed during construction. Vane and CPTU tests were performed at different construction stages. Values of undrained strength (Su), provided by vane tests, are in agreement with results reported in literature, for soft clay deposits at Baixada Fluminense. On the other hand, CPTU tests indicated a Su profile decreasing with depth. OCR values were estimated between 1.5 and 3.0. The performance of the embankment construction was evaluated with respect to its stability and settlement. The Asaoka`s method allowed a suitable evaluation of both coefficient of consolidation and final settlements. However, settlements computed by Terzaghi`s theory were about 2.5 times greater than monitored field values. These differences were attributed to uncertainties related to the clay layer compressibility parameters. The vertical coefficient of consolidation, computed with Asaoka`s method, was 100 times greater than laboratory results and 2 times smaller than values estimated for combined consolidation and by CPTU data. The embankment stability was evaluated with limit equilibrium analyses. The results confirmed the occurrence of instability conditions at localized embankment areas.

Scour is a process of removing soils around foundations by currents and waves. For the pile-supported marine structures such as the monopile-supported offshore wind turbines (OWTs) and the pile-supported bridges, scour can decrease the pile capacities and alter the dynamic responses of the structures. At present, there is not a widely accepted method to estimate pile axial or lateral capacity under scoured conditions. For example, different recommendations are used among the existing design standards for estimation of the vertical effective stress and the resulting capacities for single piles under different scour conditions. None of the existing standards or design practice has even considered the scour effects on the behavior of pile groups. Furthermore, the investigation into the responses of piles under multiple hazards of scour and earthquakes is rarely reported. To address the foregoing limitations, this study first introduces an analytical solution to determining the vertical effective stress of soils around single isolated piles under scoured conditions and uses it to examine the limitations of the existing standards in estimation of pile tensile capacity (Chapter 1). The effect of soil-pile interface friction is highlighted. Next, the study proposes new approaches to investigating the combined effects of scour and earthquakes on the lateral responses of the monopile-supported OWTs in sand (Chapter 2) and soft clay (Chapter 3). Lastly, simple and practical methods are developed based on the p-y curve framework for analyzing the lateral responses of pile groups in sand (Chapter 4) and soft clay (Chapter 5) subjected to static lateral loading. The proposed methods in this study were encoded into a series of open-source computer scripts for engineering practice. They were verified with the 3D continuum finite element (FE) analyses. Using the proposed methods, standard methods, and 3D FE method, parametric analyses were conducted to investigate the scour effects on the lateral behavior of the monopile-supported OWTs under crustal earthquakes and that of the pile groups under static loading. The factors considered in the parametric study included effects of scour-hole dimensions, soil stress history, soil density, soil-pile interface behavior, soil liquefaction potential, pile group configurations, etc. Through the parametric analyses, the standard methods were critically assessed by comparing the results to those calculated by the proposed methods and 3D FE methods, and some design-related issues were also discussed. / Graduate