Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is an attractive alternative for a variety geotechnical ground improvement practices commonly used today and has a variety of potential applications. This research focuses primarily on its use as a soil stabilization technique using the bacteria Sporosarcina Pasteurii and a single injection point percolation method adapted from previous research in granular soils. This method, and most published data, show an inherent variability in both physical and engineering properties due to the distribution of precipitated calcite within the specimen. The focus of this research is on the quantification of the variability in shear strength parameters induced by MICP treatment in sand. Also, on the initial development of a new treatment method which aims to reduce this inherent variability and offer a more feasible option for field applications. The MICP treated soil columns were sampled at constant intervals from the injection point and then subject to direct shear testing (DST) and calcite distribution analysis. This analysis reiterates previously documented reduction in cementation as distance from injection point increases. The reduction in cementation results in reduced shear strength parameter improvements. This research also concluded a minimum of two percent mass of calcite per total mass of treated soil for significant strength improvements.

The United States Navy (USN) currently utilizes a Rapid Penetration Test (RPT) on both land and in water as the means to determine whether sufficient soil bearing capacity exists for piles in axial compression, prior to construction of the Elevated Causeway System (Modular) [ELCAS(M)] pile-supported pier system. The USN desires a replacement for the RPT because of issues with the method incorrectly classifying soils as well as the need to have a less labor-and-equipment-intensive method for geotechnical investigation. The Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) method is selected herein as the potential replacement for the RPT. The MASW method is an existing, geophysical method for determining soil properties based upon the acquisition and analysis of seismic surface waves used to develop shear wave velocity profiles for the soils at specific sites. Correlations between shear wave velocity and Cone Penetration Testing are utilized to classify soils, develop pile blow count estimates, and calculate soil bearing capacity. This researcher found that the MASW method was feasible and reliable in predicting the required properties for terrestrial sites. However, it was not successful in predicting those properties for underwater marine sites due to issues with equipment and field setup. Future areas of improvement are recommended to address these issues and, due to the success of the method on land, it is expected that once the issues are addressed the MASW method will be a reliable replacement for the RPT method across the entire subaerial and subaqueous profile.

Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) has been used for a number of years as a technique for the improvement of various geological materials. MICP has been used in a limited capacity in organic rich soils with varying degrees of success. Investigators hypothesized that microbially-induced cementation could be improved in organic soils by using a surfactant. Varying amounts of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) were added to soils of varying organic content and a mixing procedure was used to treat these soils via MICP. Treated specimens were tested for unconfined compressive strength (UCS). Results appeared to show direct relationships between SDS content and treated specimen strength although significant variability was present in the data. In addition, results also indicated that while addition of SDS during MICP treatment strengthens soil, the strengthening is likely from the formation of a calcium dodecyl sulfate (CDS) complex in which the CDS surrounds the soil in a matrix, and formation of MICP-induced calcite has very little to do with overall soil performance. As such, a new method for stabilizing loose soils dubbed ‘Surfactant-induced soil stabilization’ (SISS) was further explored by treating additional soil specimens. Samples treated using this technique showed increases in strength when compared to untreated specimens. In addition, preliminary data indicated that SISS treated specimens were insoluble. The SISS technique presents a number of advantages when compared to traditional soil stabilization techniques. In particular it should be relatively low-cost and simple to administer since its only components are SDS and calcium chloride. Additionally, these constituents are relatively more sustainable than chemicals associated with more-traditional loose soil stabilization techniques.

Use of soil retaining walls for roads, embankments and bridges is increasing with time and reinforced soil retaining walls are found to be very efficient even under critical conditions compared to unreinforced walls. They offer competitive solutions to earth retaining problems associated with less space and more loads posed by tremendous growth in infrastructure, in addition to the advantages in ease and cost of construction compared to conventional retaining wall systems. The study of seismic performance of reinforced soil retaining walls is receiving much attention in the light of lessons learned from past failures of conventional retaining walls. Laboratory model studies on these walls under controlled seismic loading conditions help to understand better how these walls actually behave during earthquakes. The objective of the present study is to investigate the seismic response of geosynthetic reinforced soil wall models through shaking table tests. To achieve this, wrap faced and rigid faced reinforced soil retaining walls of size 750 × 500 mm in plan and 600 mm height are built in rigid and flexible containers and tested under controlled dynamic conditions using a uni-axial shaking table. The effects of frequency and acceleration of the base motion, surcharge pressure on the crest, number of reinforcing layers, container boundary, wall structure and reinforcement layout on the seismic performance of the retaining walls are studied through systematic series of shaking table tests. Results are analyzed to understand the effect of each of the considered parameters on the face displacements, acceleration amplifications and soil pressures on facing at different elevations of the walls. A numerical model is developed to simulate the shaking table tests on wrap faced reinforced soil walls using a computer program FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua). The experimental data are used to validate the numerical model and parametric studies are carried out on 6 m height full-scale wall using this model. Thus, the study deals with the shaking table tests, dynamic response of reinforced walls and their numerical simulation. The thesis presents detailed description of various features and various parts of the shaking table facility along with the instrumentation and model containers. Methodology adopted for the construction of reinforced soil model walls and testing procedures are briefly described. Scaling and stability issues related to the model wall size and reinforcement strength are also discussed. From the study, it is observed that the displacements are decreasing with the increase in relative density of backfill, increase in surcharge pressure and increase in number of reinforcing layers; In general, accelerations are amplified to the most at the top of the wall; Behaviour of model walls is sensitive to model container boundary. The frequency content is very important parameter affecting the model response. Further, it is noticed that the face displacements are significantly affected by all of the above parameters, while the accelerations are less sensitive to reinforcement parameters. Even very low strength geonet and geotextile are able to reduce the displacements by 75% compared to unreinforced wall. The strain levels in the reinforcing elements are observed to be very low, in the order of ±150 micro strains. A random dynamic event is also used in one of the model tests and the resulted accelerations and displacements are presented. Numerical parametric studies provided important insight into the behaviour of wrap faced walls under various seismic loading conditions and variation in physical parameters.

The aim of the thesis has been to evaluate and understand the effect of caustic alkali solution of varying composition on the behaviour of expansive soil containing mixed layered minerals. Mixed layered minerals are formed of two or more kinds of inter grown layers, not physical mixtures. Illite - smectite is the most abundant and wide spread of the mixed layered clay minerals in sedimentary rocks and soils and also more common than either discrete illite or smectite. In geotechnical engineering much attention has not been paid to the behaviour of soils containing mixed layered minerals. Much less is known about the behaviour of these soils in polluted environment. Mixed layered minerals are more susceptible to environmental changes as the structural linkages between the layer minerals are weak compared to normal layered phyllosilicates. One important pollutant that can have considerable effect on the behaviour of soils is the caustic alkali contamination released from various industries. Recent studies have shown that the behaviour of even stable minerals is affected by alkali contamination. However, the effect of caustic alkali contamination on the behaviour of soils containing mixed layered minerals is not known and has been chosen for detailed study. Also to understand the mechanism of their interaction with alkali, it is necessary to study the effect of alkali solutions on the constituent clay minerals viz., montmorillonite and illite under similar conditions. To elucidate the mechanism of soil alkali interaction limited tests were conducted with simple electrolyte solution, as the alkali solution also acts as electrolyte apart from being alkaline. To confirm the mechanism of interaction, tests are also conducted on these soils with industrial spent liquor containing high caustic alkali and suspended alumina obtained from an alumina extraction plant treating bauxite with high alkali solutions at high temperatures. The results obtained in the laboratory are compared with the soil samples contaminated with leaking industrial Bayer's liquid in the field. Studies are also conducted to suggest remedial measures to control the adverse effects of alkali solutions on soil containing mixed layer minerals. The content of the thesis is broadly divide into 8 Chapters - viz., Introduction, Background and overview, Experimental program and procedures, Behaviour of soils containing mixed layer mineral illite - smectite (BCSI), Behaviour of montmorillonite and illite, Influence of Bayer's liquor and study on the field contaminated soils, Measures to control the influence of alkali contamination on BCSI and Summary and conclusions. The broad outline of these chapters is given in Chapter 1. A review of literature on the behaviour of soils containing different types of clay minerals with emphasis on mixed layer minerals has been presented in Chapter 2. The influence of different inorganic contaminants on the properties of soils in terms of their physical and chemical characteristics as well as their concentration has been summarized. The importance of changes in surface characteristics of soil particles and the changes in the thickness of diffuse double layer in altering the property of soils at low concentration of contaminants and changes in the mineralogy with high concentrated contaminants such as acids and alkalis has been highlighted. This forms the background information necessary to bring out the scope of the study. Four soils having different mineralogy have been used in this study. These soils are, black cotton soil containing predominantly mixed layer mineral illite - smectite mineral called rectorite, illite, montmorillonite (common smectite) and black cotton soil containing predominantly montmorillonite. The properties of the soils used are described in Chapter 3. Caustic alkali solutions of 1N, 4N concentration prepared in the laboratory and industrial alkali-spent liquor are used as contaminants. The spent Bayer's liquor had about 4N alkali concentration and 10% alumina in suspension. To simulate the effect of suspended alumina, two more caustic alkali solutions of 1N and 4N solutions containing 10% alumina by weight of solutions are also prepared. To isolate the effect of electrolyte solutions from that of alkali solution, two electrolyte solutions of 1N and 4N sodium chloride solutions are also used. Test procedures for conducting various tests such as pH, water adsorption characteristics, X-ray diffraction studies, SEM studies, thermal characteristics and geotechnical properties such as Atterberg limits, Oedometer tests and Shear Strength are given in this chapter. The test procedures are modified, wherever necessary, to bring out the effect of contaminants, particularly the effect of duration of interaction on the properties of soils. The source and properties of black cotton soil are presented in Chapter 4. Detailed x-diffraction studies have confirmed the presence of inter layered illite-smectite mineral viz., rectorite, which is uncommon in Indian expansive soils, and is classified as CH (Clay of high compressibility) as per ASTM soil classification. Effect of alkali and salt solutions of 1N and 4N concentration on all physico chemical and geotechnical properties are studied in this chapter. As it is known that presence of certain elements such as aluminium influence the soil alkali interaction, the effect of suspended alumina along with alkali solution has also been investigated. The effect of contaminating fluids such as 1N NaOH, 4N NaOH with and without alumina, 1N NaCl and 4N NaCl on the geotechnical properties of the soil has been studied. Mineralogical changes were observed by XRD and thermal studies in the soil treated with 4N NaOH solution and 4N NaOH + 10% alumina. The interlayer potassium of illite is released and potassium hydroxide is formed in soil treated with 4N NaOH. Swelling compounds such as sodium aluminium silicate hydroxide hydrate (SASH) has formed due to attack of 4N NaOH + 10% alumina on silica rather than on rectorite. Thus the studies clearly bring out that the rectorite present in the soil is dissociated only in the presence of strong alkali solutions of concentration of about 4N. The liquid limit of soil decreased with increase in the electrolyte concentration in the case of NaCl solutions. With 1N NaOH, the liquid limit of soil increased due to increase in the thickness of diffuse double layer due to increased pH. However, Proctor's maximum dry density increased and optimum moisture content decreased with 1N NaOH. With increase in the concentration of alkali solution to 4N, the rectorite dissociates into constituent minerals with the formation potassium hydroxide. The liquid limit of soil decreased probably due to the dominating influence of electrolyte nature of hydroxide solution over the effect of increased negative charge on clay particles due increase in the pH on the constituent minerals. Proctor's maximum dry density decreased and optimum moisture content increased with 4N NaOH. Sediment volume and oedometer free swell at seating/nominal surcharge load of 6.25 kPa of soil increased in 1N and 4N caustic alkali solutions, though by different mechanisms. The increase with 1N solution is essentially due to increased negative charges on clay mineral surface. However, the increase in swelling with 4N solution is associated with the dissociation of rectorite mineral and occurs in two distinct phases unlike in the case of 1N solution. While the first phase can be attributed to the effect of alkaline nature of the solution after reduction in its concentration due to reaction with rectorite and the consequent reduction in its electrolyte nature. The second phase is due to the swelling of the separated constituent minerals in the presence of excess of alkali and occurs after much delay. Consolidation behaviour of rectorite in 1N and 4N alkali solutions has been studied in two ways: 1). Loading without waiting for the second stage of swelling to occur, as in standard consolidation procedure and 2). Loading after completion of second stage of swelling which is occurring after considerable delay as explained earlier. Normally one would initiate loading after equilibrium is reached at the end of first stage of swelling and second stage of swelling is not suspected. As there is no second stage of swelling with 1N solutions, these two types of consolidation tests produced the same results. Abnormal rebound is observed during unloading with 4N solution in which loading cycle is initiated without waiting for second stage of swelling to complete. It is interesting to note that while the liquid limit of soil decreased with increase in the concentration of alkali solution, the swelling increased. The testing procedure and period of interaction as well as the concentration of alkali solution during the test in these two tests are different. The effects of alkali solution are more severe in case of liquid limit because of thorough mixing and consequent effective reaction during testing. Similarly, the volume changes in soil that has already reacted with 4N alkali solution when exposed to further to alkali contamination are considerably less compared to uncontaminated soil exposed to fresh contamination. The shear strength of soil treated with 4N-alkali solution has increased particularly after long period of interaction. This indicates that the soil after mineralogical changes posses good strength. Chapter 5 presents the effect of alkali and salt solutions on the physico chemical and geotechnical properties of component minerals of mixed layered illite/smectite. For this study, commercially obtained montmorillonite (bentonite), naturally occurring black soil containing montmorillonite and commercially pure illite are used. It was observed that montmorillonite alkali reactions would not produce significant mineralogical changes where as illite is dissociated into smectite with the formation of potassium silicate by the interaction of released potassium with soluble silica. This confirms that the ultimate products of rectorite with alkali solutions would be smectite and compounds of potassium. In the absence of mineralogical alterations the liquid limit of montmorillonite decreases due to suppression of diffuse double layer thickness due to dominating influence of alkali solutions on this highly active clay. However a small increase in liquid limit is observed in illite with alkali solutions. Thus the net effect of alkali on rectorite is to decrease the liquid limit with increase in alkali concentration. While the free swell and oedometer swelling of montmorillonite generally decreases with increase in the alkali concentration, they increase in illite. However, in both the minerals the swelling occurs only in one phase. Thus the second phase of swelling that has been observed in rectorite can be attributed to delayed swelling of montmorillonite that has been released by the attack of alkali on rectorite. The behaviour of black soil containing mixed layer mineral contaminated in the field and laboratory by leaking Bayer's spent liquor in an alumina extraction plant has been studied in Chapter 6. The Atterberg limits of the samples treated with liquor are reduced and sediment volume increased. Similarly the swelling at seating load in consolidation test is higher in sample compacted with water and inundated with liquor. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the mineralogical changes are similar to those occurred with 4N caustic alkali solution. The mineralogical and micro structural changes in the soil samples that are contaminated by leaked spent liquor in the field are relatively more marked. Also the behavior of highly montmorillonite clay, bentonite, has been studied contaminated with liquor in the laboratory. The study on the effect of high concentrated alkali solutions on montmorillonite can be useful to study the effect of interaction on the dissociated montmorillonite. These studies are helpful to suggest some possible remedial measures to control the adverse effect of alkali on soils. Possible Remedial schemes that can be adopted before and after contamination of the soil to control the adverse effect of alkali solutions on the black cotton soil containing mixed layered mineral are listed and their effectiveness examined in Chapter 7. The suggested remedial measures include flushing with water to dilute the effect of alkali, neutralisation with dilute hydrochloric acid, stabilisation of soil with lime and calcium chloride and use of impervious membrane to separate the foundation soil from alkali solution. The effectiveness of different measures as well as the method of their application has been described. Efforts are made to understand the mechanism of remedial action. Consolidation tests conducted on soil contaminated with 4N alkali solution and inundated with water showed increased swelling due to dilution of the alkali concentration. Though the swelling of contaminated soil can be controlled by passing dilute hydrochloric acid (1N), the method is not advocated as it can lead to ground water contamination. Mixing the soil with solutions containing up to 5% by weight of calcium compound in water could not prevent the alkali induced heave in the long run when inundated with 4N alkali solution. This was due to dissolution of silica by the strong alkali solutions and formation of swelling compounds such as sodium aluminium silicate hydroxide hydrate (SASH). The formation of sodium aluminates occurred only when the alkali solution contained alumina or soil contained calcium compounds. There are no significant variations in the effects of calcium chloride or calcium hydroxide on contaminated soil. Replacing the foundation soil with soil thoroughly contaminated with 4N alkali solutions and controlling the migration of contaminants into the foundation soil using high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geosynthetic membranes can be an effective measure to control the heaving in alkali contaminated foundation soil containing interstratified illite – smectite. Summary and the major conclusions of the thesis are presented in Chapter 8.

Capacity analysis is a common preliminary step in the design of offshore foundations. Inaccuracies in traditional capacity analysis methods, and the advancement of numerical modelling capabilities, have increasingly led designers to optimise foundations using more complex methods. In this thesis, the ultimate limit state capacity of a range of foundation types is investigated using finite element limit analysis. Novel three-dimensional finite element limit analysis software is benchmarked against analytical solutions and conventional displacement finite element analysis. It is then used to find lower and upper bounds of foundation capacity, with adaptive mesh refinement used to reduce the bound gap over successive iterations of the solution. Rigid foundations subjected to short term loading on clay soil are analysed. The undrained soil is modelled as a rigid--plastic von Mises material, and attention is given to modelling any normal and/or shear stress limits at the foundation/soil interface. Shallow foundations, suction anchor foundations, and hybrid mudmat/pile foundations are considered. Realistic six degree-of-freedom load combinations are applied and results are reported in the form of normalised design charts, and tables, that are suitable for use in preliminary design. Relationships between loading combinations and failure mechanisms are also explored. A number of case studies based on authentic foundation designs are analysed. The results suggest that finite element limit analysis could provide an attractive alternative to displacement finite element analysis for preliminary foundation design calculations.

Fly ash and blast furnace slag are the two major industrial solid by-products generated in most countries including India. Although their utilization rate has increased in the recent years, still huge quantities of these material remain unused and are stored or disposed of consuming large land area involving huge costs apart from causing environmental problems. Environmentally safe disposal of Fly ash is much more troublesome because of its ever increasing quantity and its nature compared to blast furnace slag. Bulk utilization of these materials which is essentially possible in civil engineering in general and more particular in geotechnical engineering can provide a relief to environmental problems apart from having economic benefit. One of the important aspects of these waste materials is that they improve physical and mechanical properties with time and can be enhanced to a significant level by activating with chemical additives like lime and cement. Class-C Fly ashes which have sufficient lime are well utilized but class-F Fly ashes account for a considerable portion that is disposed of due to their low chemical reactivity. Blast furnace slag in granulated form is used as a replacement for sand to conserve the fast declining natural source. The granulated blast furnace slag (GBS) is further ground to enhance its pozzolanic nature. If GBS is activated by chemical means rather than grinding, it can provide a good economical option and enhance its utilization potential as well. GGBS is latent hydraulic cement and is mostly utilized in cement and concrete industries. Most uses of these materials are due to their pozzolanic reactivity. Though Fly ash and GGBS are pozzolanic materials, there is a considerable difference in their chemical composition. For optimal pozzolanic reactivity, sufficient lime and silica should be available in desired proportions. Generally, Fly ash has higher silica (SiO2) content whereas GGBS is rich in lime (CaO) content. Combining these two industrial wastes in the right proportion may be more beneficial compared to using them individually. The main objective of the thesis has been to evaluate the suitability of the class-F Fly ash/GGBS mixtures with as high Fly ash contents for Geotechnical and Geo-environmental applications. For this purpose, sufficient amount of class-F Fly ash and GGBS were collected and their mixtures were tested in the laboratory for analyzing their mechanical behavior. The experimental program included the evaluation of mechanical properties such as compaction, strength, compressibility of the Fly ash/GGBS mixtures at different proportions with GGBS content varying from 10 to 40 percent. An external agent such as chemical additives like lime or cement is required to accelerate the hydration and pozzolanic reactions in both these materials. Hence, addition of varying percentages of lime is also considered. However, these studies are not extended to chemically activate GBS and only GGBS is used in the present study. Unconfined compressive strength tests have been carried out on various Fly ash/ GGBS mixtures at different proportions at different curing periods. The test results demonstrated rise in strength with increase in GGBS content and with 30 and 40 percent of GGBS addition, the mixture showed higher strength than either of the components i.e. Fly ash or GGBS after sufficient curing periods. Addition of small amount of lime increased the strength tremendously which indicated the occurrence of stronger cementitious reactions in the Fly ash/GGBS mixtures than in samples containing only Fly ash. Improvement of the strength of the Fly ash/GGBS mixtures was explained through micro-structural and mineralogical studies. The microstructure and mineralogical studies of the original and the stabilized samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray diffraction techniques respectively. These studies together showed the formation of cementitious compounds such as C-S-H, responsible for imparting strength to the pozzolanic materials, is better in the mixture containing 30 and 40 percent of GGBS content than in individual components. Resilient and permanent deformation behavior on an optimized mix sample of Fly ash and GGBS cured for 7 day curing period has been studied. The Resilient Modulus (Mr) is a measure of subgrade material stiffness and is actually an estimate of its modulus of elasticity (E). The permanent deformation behavior is also important in predicting the performance of the pavements particularly in thin pavements encountered mainly in rural and low volume roads. The higher resilient modulus values indicated its suitability for use as subgrade or sub-base materials in pavement construction. Permanent axial strain was found to increase with the number of load cycles and accumulation of plastic strain in the sample reduced with the increase in confining pressure. Consolidation tests were carried on Fly ash/GGBS mixtures using conventional oedometer to assess their volume stability. However, such materials develop increased strength with time and conventional rate of 24 hour as duration of load increment which requires considerable time to complete the test is not suitable to assess their volume change behavior in initial stages. An attempt was thus made to reduce the duration of load increment so as to reflect the true compressibility characteristics of the material as close as possible. By comparing the compressibility behavior of Fly ash and GGBS between conventional 24 hour and 30 minutes duration of load increment, it was found that 30 minutes was sufficient to assess the compressibility characteristics due to the higher rate of consolidation. The results indicated the compressibility of the Fly ash/GGBS mixtures slightly decreases initially but increase with increase in GGBS content. Addition of lime did not have any significant effect on the compressibility characteristics since the pozzolanic reaction, which is a time dependent process and as such could not influence due to very low duration of loading. Results were also represented in terms of constrained modulus which is a most commonly used parameter for the determination of settlement under one dimensional compression tests. It was found that tangent constrained modulus showed higher values only at higher amounts of GGBS. It was also concluded that settlement analysis can also be done by taking into account the constrained modulus. The low values of compression and recompression indices suggested that settlements on the embankments and fills (and the structures built upon these) will be immediate and minimal when these mixtures are used. In addition to geotechnical applications of Fly ash/GGBS mixture, their use for the removal of heavy metals for contaminated soils was also explored. Batch equilibrium tests at different pH and time intervals were conducted with Fly ash and Fly ash/GGBS mixture at a proportion of 70:30 by weight as adsorbents to adsorb lead ions. It was found that though uptake of lead by Fly ash itself was high, it increased further in the presence of GGBS. Also, the removal of lead ions increased with increase in pH of the solution but decreases at very high pH. The retention of lead ions by sorbents at higher pH was due to its precipitation as hydroxide. Results of the adsorption kinetics showed that the reaction involving removal of lead by both the adsorbents follow second-order kinetics. One of the major problems which geotechnical engineers often face is construction of foundations on expansive soils. Though stabilization of expansive soils with lime or cement is well established, the use of by-product materials such as Fly ash and blast furnace slag to achieve economy and reduce the disposal problem needs to be explored. To stabilize the soil, binder comprising of Fly ash and GGBS in the ratio of 70:30 was used. Different percentages of binder with respect to the soil were incorporated to the expansive soil and changes in the physical and engineering properties of the soil were examined. Small addition of lime was also considered to enhance the pozzolanic reactions by increasing the pH. It was found that liquid limit, plasticity index, swell potential and swell pressure of the expansive soil decreased considerably while the strength increased with the addition of binder. The effect was more pronounced with the addition of lime. Swell potential and swell pressure reduced significantly in the presence of lime. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the expansive soils can be successfully stabilized with the Fly ash-GGBS based binder with small addition of lime. This is also more advantageous in terms of lime requirement which is typically high when Fly ash, class-F in particular, is used alone to stabilize expansive soils. Based on the studies carried out in the present work, it is established that combination of Fly ash and GGBS can be advantageous as compared to using them separately for various geotechnical applications such as for construction of embankments/fills, stabilization of expansive soils etc. with very small amount of lime. Further, these mixtures have better potential for geo-environmental applications such as decontamination of soil. However, it is still a challenge to activate GBS without grinding.

No description available.

L’évolution actuelle de l’ingénierie géotechnique place la maîtrise des risques d’origine géotechnique au cœur de ses objectifs. On constate aussi que la complexité des projets d’aménagement (à travers les objectifs coûts/délais/performances qui sont recherchés) est croissante et que les terrains choisis pour les recevoir présentent, quant à eux, des conditions géotechniques de plus en plus souvent « difficiles ». Ces conditions défavorables se traduisent par une variabilité forte des propriétés des sols, rendant leur reconnaissance et leur analyse plus complexe. Ce travail de thèse traite de la caractérisation de la variabilité naturelle des sols et des incertitudes liées aux reconnaissances géotechniques dans le but de mieux les prendre en compte dans les dimensionnements des ouvrages. Il se positionne dans le contexte de la maîtrise des risques de projet d’origine géotechnique. Les principaux outils statistiques servant à décrire la dispersion des données et leur structuration spatiale (géostatistique), ainsi que des méthodes probabilistes permettant d’utiliser leur résultats dans des calculs, sont présentés sous l’angle de leur application en géotechnique. La démarche est appliquée à un projet de plate-forme ferroviaire. Cette infrastructure a été implantée sur un site géologiquement et géotechniquement complexe, et présente aujourd’hui des déformations importantes dues aux tassements des sols. Une nouvelle analyse des données géotechniques a donc été entreprise. Elles ont, au préalable, été regroupées dans une base de données qui a facilité leur traitement statistique et géostatistique. Leur variabilité statistique et spatiale a été caractérisée permettant une meilleure compréhension du site. Le modèle géologique et géotechnique ainsi établi a ensuite été utilisé pour calculer les tassements. Une démarche en trois temps est proposée : globale, locale et spatialisée permettant une estimation des tassements et de leur incertitude, respectivement, à l’échelle du site, aux points de sondages, et spatialisée sur la zone d’étude. Les résultats montrent clairement l’intérêt des méthodes statistiques et géostatistiques pour la caractérisation des sites complexes et l’élaboration d’un modèle géologique et géotechnique du site adapté. La démarche d’analyse des tassements proposée met en avant le fait que les incertitudes des paramètres se répercutent sur les résultats des calculs de dimensionnement et expliquent le comportement global de l’infrastructure. Ces résultats peuvent se traduire sous forme d’une probabilité de ruine qui peut ensuite être utilisée dans un processus de prise de décision et de management des risques. D’une manière plus large, ce travail de thèse constitue une contribution à l’élaboration et l’analyse des campagnes de reconnaissances géotechniques, en ayant le souci d’identifier, d’évaluer et de prendre en compte la variabilité et les incertitudes des données lors des différentes phases du projet pour permettre une meilleure maîtrise du risque d’origine géotechnique. / The current evolution of the geotechnical engineering places the risk management of geotechnical origin in the heart of its objectives. We also notice that the complexity of the projects of development (through the objectives costs/deadline/performances which are sought) is increasing and that soil chosen to receive them present unusual geotechnical conditions. These unfavourable conditions usually mean a strong variability of the soil properties, which induces soil investigation and data analysis more difficult. This work of thesis deals with the characterization of the natural variability of soils and with the uncertainties dues to geotechnical investigations, with the aim to better take them into account in geotechnical engineering project. This work takes place in the context of the management of the risk of project with geotechnical origin. The main statistical tools used for describe the scattering of the data and their spatial variability (geostatistic), as well as the probabilistic methods enabling to use their results in calculations, are presented under the view of their application in geotechnical design. The approach is applied to a project of railway platform. This infrastructure was located on a site where the geology and the geotechnical conditions are complex, and which present important deformations due to the soil settlements. A new analysis of geotechnical data was started again. First, geotechnical data were included in a database in order to ease their statistical and geostatistical treatment. Their statistical and spatial variability were characterized allowing a better understanding of the site. The geologic and geotechnical model so established was then used to assess the settlement effects. An analysis in three levels is proposed: global, local and spatial, which give means to estimate the settlement values and its uncertainty, respectively, on the scale of the site, on the boring points, and on zone of study according to the spatial connectivity of soil properties. The results clearly show the interest of statistical and geostatiscal methods in characterizing complex sites and in the elaboration of a relevant geologic and geotechnical model. The settlement analysis proposed highlight that the parameter uncertainties are of first importance on the design calculations and explain the global behaviour of the infrastructure. These results can be translated in the form of a reliabilitry analysis which can be then used in a process of decision-making and risk management. In a wider way, this work of thesis contributes toward the elaboration and the analysis of the geotechnical investigations, with the aim to identify, to estimate and to take into account the variability and the uncertainties of the data during the various stages of the project. It leads to better control of the risk of geotechnical origin.

Most soil particles loses cohesion and split up the soil mass into individual soil grains when they come in contact with water and get saturated. In dispersive soils the particles detach more spontaneously from each other and go into suspension even in quiet water. Thus the phenomenon of dispersion is common to most soils, the degree varying from soil to soil. Dispersive soils are abundantly found in various parts of the world such as Thailand, United States, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa and Vietnam. Several geotechnical failures such as piping due to internal erosion, erosion and gullying in relatively flat areas, collapse of sidewalls and topsoil removal have been reported worldwide due to the construction in dispersive soil. Failures as reported could be prevented if such soils are identified before-hand or if the quantification of dispersivity in the soil is done accurately. There are several methods of measuring dispersivity in soils which include several physical tests, chemical tests and some common laboratory tests. It is reported in literature that no method could be completely relied upon to identify dispersive soils with absolute confidence. In addition, when these methods were studied in detail, several flaws surfaced needing a better estimation of dispersivity. In order to develop a new method of estimation of dispersivity, the mechanism of dispersion in soils was studied in depth, which revealed that the existing concepts regarding dispersivity are incomplete in many aspects. An exhaustive philosophy of dispersion which addresses every detail is non-existing. To solve these problems, the concept of dispersivity was investigated in detail. It was found out that the observed dispersivity is a result of repulsion in the soil overcoming the attractive force. Thus a list of factors that could possibly affect the repulsion and attraction (and hence the dispersivity) in soils were found out. Even though literature focuses on exchangeable sodium as the principal reason for dispersivity, from fundamental theoretical considerations several other factors such as Cation exchange capacity (CEC), pH, structure of the soil, electrolyte concentration in the pore fluid, presence of organic matter, clay minerals involved in the soil and dissolved salts in the soil could possibly have an influence on dispersivity. Several studies have reported soils of high dispersivity to possess a high pH, high CEC, high amounts of sodium. The influence of these factors on dispersivity of other soils (or generally in any soil) is not well explored. Research on understanding their mechanism of action led to the conclusion that these parameters could be generalized for any soil. Through the analysis of these parameters, it was found that the fundamental parameter governing the dispersivity of soils is the number of charges on clay particles and that the repulsion in the soils is mainly contributed by the electrostatic repulsion. The attractive force in a soil/clay mass is primarily contributed by the van der Waal’s attraction and dispersion occurs when the electrostatic repulsion (resulting due to permanent and pH dependent charges) dominates over the van der Waal’s attraction. A practical estimation of charge with least effort could be possibly carried out through the measurement of zeta potential of soils. In order to verify whether the effect of all the factors is completely and sufficiently reflected in the zeta potential values, experiments were conducted on various soils. Three soils namely Suddha soil (a locally available dispersive soil), Black cotton soil and Red soil were selected for the study. These soils were chosen as the soil samples as they could display wide ranges of dispersivity values. In order to perform dispersivity tests, soil fraction finer than 75µ (75 micron meter sieve size) was fixed as the sample size as dispersivity pertaining to the finer fractions play a greater role than that of the coarser particles. All the three soil samples were treated with sodium hydroxide and urea solutions to alter the dispersivity so that the influence of all parameters could be studied. The dispersivity of the treated and untreated soils was found out through the various conventional tests and it was found that there exists a good correlation between the dispersivity and the zeta potential of soils. It was also observed that the increase in the dispersivity is higher when treated with salts of monovalent cations. Increase in the organic content also increased zeta potential, but not as significantly. One of the popularized theories on colloidal dispersions is the classical DLVO theory which has formulated the total interaction energy of colloidal particles by estimating the electrostatic repulsion and van der Waal’s attraction energy between two particles. The total interaction energy is then expressed as the difference between them. A similar approach as taken by the DLVO is adopted in this study. The total attractive energy existing in a soil mass is mathematically derived from the expression for van der Waal’s energy between two particles and the total repulsive energy from the zeta potential values. Two different approaches namely an infinitesimal particle approach and a finite particle approach is taken for finding the energy in a soil mass. In the infinitesimal particle approach, a clay particle is assumed to be infinitely small such that any soil particle of a finite radius could be conceived to be formed by a combination of infinite number of these infinitesimal particles. With this setting, the total energy in a soil mass is computed without really bothering about what exact particles constitute the mass. The increase in energy due to the increase in radius is then integrated to obtain the final expression. The dispersivity of the soil is then estimated under defined physical conditions of the soil. In the finite particle approach, each particle is considered to be of finite radius and to estimate the total energy, the total number of particle ombinations is then taken and the total energy is expressed as a sum of all the possible combinations. The dispersivity of a soil in both approaches is expressed as a release of energy when the repulsion rules over the attraction. In order to validate the derived propositions and expressions, experiments were conducted again on soils. The soils were treated with hydroxide salt of monovalent cations such as lithium, sodium and potassium. The dispersivity of the various treated and untreated soils was measured with the conventional methods and with the derived expressions of dispersivity through zeta potential. The similarity in the trend of the dispersivity values confirmed the validity of the derived expression. It was also concluded that the infinitesimal particle approach could be adopted when information about the physical properties are available and when they are not, the finite approach could be used. An accurate determination of zeta potential is critical for representation of dispersivity with zeta potential. Thus the procedure for measurement of zeta potential was standardized. The standardization was primarily focused on establishing the ideal conditions for zeta potential measurement. The role of Brownian motion, in electrophoretic mobility measurements were studied by employing the usage of zeta deviations. Untreated, potassium hydroxide treated, sodium hydroxide treated and lithium hydroxide treated samples of Suddha soil, Black Cotton soil and Red soil (finer than 75µ) were used for the study. Zeta potential measurements on unfiltered soil water suspensions, suspensions passing 2.5µ and suspensions passing 0.45µ were conducted along with recording their zeta deviations. It was observed that soil suspensions finer than 0.45µ show acceptable values of zeta deviations and thus could be used as a standard procedure for estimating zeta potentials. It was also concluded that the presence of Brownian motion makes the assessment of zeta potential through electrophoretic measurements easier and accurate. In an alternate perspective it as deduced that the amount of total monovalent ion concentration in the soil (dissolved and adsorbed) could adequately serves as an ideal parameter that could be used to quantify dispersion in soils. In order to verify the speculation, the variation of repulsive pressure with monovalent cation concentration was studied for the above mentioned treated and untreated soils. Within the monovalent cations, the role of ionic size in repulsion along with physical factors was also studied with the help of Atterberg limits, compaction characteristics, and dispersivity measurements. It could be concluded that even though there are several chemical factors such as CEC, pH, electrolyte concentration, type of clay minerals, dissolved salts etc. and physical factors such as plasticity, water holding capacity, density and structure which influence dispersion in soils, these factors affect either directly forces between the particles or the surface charge of clays which again affect the forces. The two phenomena can be combined through the hydration behaviour of the adsorbed cations on the clay surface in view of dispersivity. It is that force due to hydration which acts as the principal reason to separate the clay particles apart. As the radius of the inner hydration shell is higher for monovalent cations than those of higher valency ions, more force would be offered by the monovalent ions. Higher the charge and higher is the number of monovalent cations, higher will be the repulsion and thus the dispersivity. The repulsive force offered by the monovalent cations in soil was calculated through osmotic pressure differences and the dispersivity was expressed as the release of energy as earlier. In order to validate the proposal, the dispersivity of the samples as measured with the conventional methods was compared and studied with the derived expression. The similarity in the trend of the dispersity values confirmed the validity of the derived expressions. Thus, it can be seen that there are primarily two different methods of quantifying dispersivity of soils. When one method estimates dispersivity by calculating the electrostatic repulsion through zeta potential, the other method gives a dispersivity value based on the repulsive pressure offered by the monovalent cations in the soil. Two methods could be regarded as two different measurements of the electrical double layer. Any method could be used based on the property that could be easily quantified. The applicability of the new approaches – calculation of monovalent cations and zeta potential- for estimating the dispersivity in soils through a complete development of philosophy of dispersion and is presented, in this thesis, in nine chapters as follows: In Chapter 1 the background of the study and review of literature connected with the present study is presented. The mechanism of dispersion and the geotechnical problems associated with dispersion is elaborately presented in this section. As the dispersive soils cannot be identified through conventional tests, a description about the various tests designed to identify dispersive soils is presented. Earlier works relevant to the topic and the shortcomings of those studies are discussed. Finally, the objectives of the current research along with the scope of the work are explained in the concluding part of this chapter. Various factors that could have influence on the dispersivity of soils and their mechanism of action are presented in Chapter 2. The relationship of the factors with zeta potential is discussed. Theories dealing with dispersivity, conventional methods of measurement, role of geotechnical characteristics in assessing dispersivity are being presented. Chapter 3 deals with the various materials and methods used for the study. A locally available dispersive soil called Suddha soil along with Black Cotton soil and Red soil were chosen as the soils for the study of dispersion. The basic material properties and testing programs adopted for the study are presented in this chapter. The codal procedures followed to determine the physical, chemical, index and engineering properties are described in detail. The experimental investigations carried to bring out the role of zeta potential in dispersivity of soils are described in Chapter 4. Detailed analysis of the results showed estimation of zeta potential is possible and can sufficient quantify dispersivity of soils. The formulation of the equation for estimating dispersivity from zeta potential is described in Chapter 5. The estimation dispersivity based on attraction and repulsion energies in a soil mass is presented here. The adoption of the approach and methodologies used based on classical DLVO theory for the current work is explained in detail. The values of dispersivity obtained from the derived equation are compared with those obtained from the conventional tests. The validity of the expression is confirmed with the results of the experiments. Chapter 6 deals with the standardization of the measurement procedure of zeta potential. Role of Brownian motion in the accurate measurement of electrophoretic mobilities are brought out here. Chapter 7 brings out an alternate perspective of quantifying dispersivity through monovalent cations. The role of monovalent cations and the mechanism in which they contribute to the repulsive pressures (hence the dispersivity) are discussed. Experimental research design adopted has brought that the effect of monovalent and ionic size on repulsive pressures leading to dispersivity is described. The results of the experiments added with the inferences drawn are explained at the end. The estimation of repulsive pressures for measuring dispersivity from monovalent cations is discussed in Chapter 8. The dispersivity of a soil mass is derived from monovalent ion concentration and experiments were carried out for verification purposes. The experimental investigation procedure adopted followed by the results are presented in this chapter. It was observed that a good co-relation exists with the dispersivity obtained from the monovalent ion concentration and that obtained from conventional methods. Chapter 9 compares the dispersivity obtained through the various methods proposed in this thesis. The comparison is made in light of the classical electrical double layer theory. The major conclusions of the study are brought out at the end of this chapter.