Oil shale industry in Estonia is looking at other mining technologies as alternative to strip mining and room and pillar mining methods. One such alternative to the room and pillar method is the punch-longwall mining method. Enefit Kaevandused AS, one of the major oil shale companies in Estonia, plans to employ this technology in exploiting some of its resources in the near future. This thesis examines the different stability problems related to the planned punch-longwall mining project in Narva oil shale mine. Determining optimal chain pillar dimensions and stability of the punch-longwall highwall slope are the main objectives of this project. Rock mechanical analyses have been done and recommendations are made based on the rock mechanical aspect of the mining process. Taavi Lõhmuste is responsible for the chain pillar stability analysis and Ott Oisalu for the punch-longwall highwall slope stability analysis. It is essential to understand the geology of a certain area in order to make accurate stability assessments. Because of the previously stated requirements, the geology of Estonian oil shale deposit is examined in the first part of the thesis in order to determine the geological and rock mechanical conditions to set the foundation for further analyses. In conclusion, for the part of the highwall slope, a properly designed barrier pillar plays a key role in the stability of the slope. After reviewing and analyzing the results of both highwall slope numerical models, it can be stated that the minimum length for the barrier pillar that still will yield in stable highwall slope is 65 meters. For the part of the chain pillars, in conclusion, it can be determined that optimal chain pillar dimensions that should be suitable, from the stability standpoint, are 6x6 meters for 3-entry system and 7x7 meters for 2-entry system (length x width).

Today mines produce metals which are used for everyday products by people worldwide. When metals are produced, waste products known as tailings are generated. These tailings are commonly stored in impoundments, surrounded by embankment dams. The demands from the society are constantly increasing regarding the quality and safety of dams. One step in development towards a better control regarding safety and quality of tailing dams, could be to compact the beach. Today there is a lack of methods to easy check the dry densities over large areas for a compacted material. Since these dams can be large structures with embankment lengths of several kilometers, it is necessary to be able to check the density with a fast method. In this thesis it was investigated if the dry density, and correspondingly the compaction, can be checked with a Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP). In the thesis the dry density of tailings was compared with penetration rate of the DCP. A laboratory setup was made with a test box filled with tailings provided by Boliden AB from the Aitik mine. Six different box tests were performed, each test with different compaction. From the tests a trend was observed, for which the tailings increased in density as the DCP indexes showed an increased resistance. A relationship between DCP index and dry densities was found. Though a relationship was found, it is important to emphasize that the tests were carried out in an environment that was easy to control. One test with high water content showed that water was influencing the DCP index results. Therefore it was concluded that if the DCP will be used in field, the water content also has to be checked.

For the design of deep excavations, codes and standards advise to base estimates of wall deflections and ground movements on empirical data. Due to the limited number of case studies on circular excavations it is nearly impossible to find comparable projects under similar conditions. Therefore designers have to adopt conservative approaches, which predict larger ground movements than probably occur in reality and thus lead to more expensive structures and protective measures. Further uncertainty is induced for diaphragm wall shafts. The discontinuous nature of the wall due to the joints between the individual panels may cause anisotropic wall behaviour. There is a complete lack of understanding if, and how, the design of diaphragm wall shafts should consider anisotropic wall stiffness. The construction of Thames Water's Abbey Mills shaft in East London provided a unique opportunity to monitor the structural performance and the ground movements of one of the largest shafts ever built in the UK. The 71 m deep excavation penetrates a typical London strata and one third is in unweathered medium to hard Chalk. The monitoring scheme included distributed fibre optic strain sensing instrumentation and conventional inclinometers in the shaft wall to measure bending and hoop strains, as well as wall deflections during several construction stages. Further inclinometers and extensometers were installed around the shaft to monitor surface and sub-surface ground movements. The monitoring results were then compared to the initial PLAXIS design predictions. A further numerical investigation was conducted in FLAC2D which allowed a more flexible parametric study. The measured bending moments during shaft excavation exceeded the predictions mainly in the wall sections in the Chalk group. It was found that this was caused by assigning a low cohesion to the Chalk to induce conservative ground movements, so that the Chalk yielded in the analysis. In reality however, it remained elastic and hence induced larger bending moments in the wall. For future excavations in Chalk it is recommended to investigate the effect of a low and a high cohesion of the Chalk on the wall bending moment. The hoop strain measurements indicate that the shaft has undergone a three-dimensional deformation pattern during a dewatering trial prior to shaft excavation. The parametric study on wall anisotropy suggests that the shaft wall behaved like a cylindrical shell with isotropic stiffness, where the joints between the panels do not reduce the circumferential stiffness. Further numerical simulations varied the shaft wall thickness and the at rest lateral earth pressure coefficient in the Chalk. The results showed that the wall thickness has a minor influence on its deflection and hence thinner walls might be feasible for future shafts. The at rest lateral earth pressure coefficient of the Chalk appeared to be appropriately picked with 1.0 in the initial design. Above all, it was shown that wall deflections were very small with less than 4 mm. Correspondingly small ground movements were measured throughout shaft excavation. Empirical formulas on the other hand predict large settlements between 40 and 105 mm. Numerical predictions were much closer to the measurements and showed that small heaves occurred due to soil swelling caused by removal of overburden pressure. For future shaft designs it is hence advised against the use of empirical formulas derived from case studies under different conditions. It may furthermore not be necessary to implement expensive large-scale monitoring schemes, as it has been confirmed that ground movements around diaphragm wall shafts are minimal and that risks are low. The findings from this study provide valuable information for future excavations, which can be applied to the shafts constructed for the forthcoming Thames Tideway Tunnel project.

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of deep foundations has become an integral part of the industry’s standard manufacturing processes. It is not unusual for the evaluation of the integrity of the concrete to include the measurement of ultrasonic wave speeds. Numerous methods have been proposed that use the propagation speed of ultrasonic waves to check the integrity of concrete for drilled shaft foundations. All such methods evaluate the integrity of the concrete inside the cage and between the access tubes. The integrity of the concrete outside the cage remains to be considered to determine the location of the border between the concrete and the soil in order to obtain the diameter of the drilled shaft. It is also economic to devise a methodology to obtain the diameter of the drilled shaft using the Cross-Hole Sonic Logging system (CSL). Performing such a methodology using the CSL and following the CSL tests is performed and used to check the integrity of the inside concrete, thus allowing the determination of the drilled shaft diameter without having to set up another NDT device. This proposed new method is based on the installation of galvanized tubes outside the shaft across from each inside tube, and performing the CSL test between the inside and outside tubes. From the performed experimental work a model is developed to evaluate the relationship between the thickness of concrete and the ultrasonic wave properties using signal processing. The experimental results show that there is a direct correlation between concrete thicknesses outside the cage and maximum amplitude of the received signal obtained from frequency domain data. This study demonstrates how this new method to measuring the diameter of drilled shafts during construction using a NDT method overcomes the limitations of currently-used methods. In the other part of study, a new method is proposed to visualize and quantify the extent and location of the defects. It is based on a color change in the frequency amplitude of the signal recorded by the receiver probe in the location of defects and it is called Frequency Tomography Analysis (FTA). Time-domain data is transferred to frequency-domain data of the signals propagated between tubes using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Then, distribution of the FTA will be evaluated. This method is employed after CSL has determined the high probability of an anomaly in a given area and is applied to improve location accuracy and to further characterize the feature. The technique has a very good resolution and clarifies the exact depth location of any void or defect through the length of the drilled shaft for the voids inside the cage. The last part of study also evaluates the effect of voids inside and outside the reinforcement cage and corrosion in the longitudinal bars on the strength and axial load capacity of drilled shafts. The objective is to quantify the extent of loss in axial strength and stiffness of drilled shafts due to presence of different types of symmetric voids and corrosion throughout their lengths.

<p>In the last two decades, there has been significant improvements in pile design methods. These methods include variables that have been studied using laboratory and full-scale experiments. Refined understanding of the underlying mechanisms controlling pile response to loading enables introduction of variables in the design equations that reflect observations made in high-quality experimental data.</p><p>The mechanisms involved in the mobilization of the pile resistance (both base and shaft resistance) are studied in this thesis using a large-scale model pile testing facility consisting of a half-cylindrical calibration chamber with image analysis capabilities, instrumented model piles, and data and digital image acquisition systems. The thesis focuses on the effect of the pile surface roughness on the mobilization of tensile shaft resistance, the effect of the pile base geometry on the mobilization of base resistance, the analysis of possible mechanisms responsible for time-dependent increases in pile axial capacity, and particle crushing produced by pile installation. </p><p>A set of model pile tests were performed to study the effects of three different surface roughnesses on the shaft resistance of model piles jacked in the half-cylindrical calibration chamber. Digital images of the model piles and surrounding sand captured during tensile static loading were analyzed using the digital image correlation (DIC) technique. The base and shaft resistance measured for the instrumented model piles and the displacement and strain fields obtained with the DIC technique show that an increase in the roughness of the pile shaft results in an increase in the average unit shaft resistance and in the displacements and strains in the sand next to the shaft of the pile. Guidance is provided for consideration of pile shaft surface roughness in the calculation of the tensile limit unit shaft resistance of jacked piles in sand.</p><p>Base geometry effects were studied using jacked and pre-installed model piles with flat and conical bases tested in the DIC calibration chamber. The results show that the mobilized base resistance of a model pile with a conical tip was less than that of an equal pile with a flat base, all other things being equal, by a factor ranging from 0.64 to 0.84. The displacement and strain fields obtained with DIC also show that the slip pattern below the pile with a conical base differs from that of a pile with a flat base. </p><p>Finally, the degree of crushing of silica sand particles below the base of model piles jacked in sand samples is studied. The particle size distribution curves are obtained before and after pile installation. Relationships between the load mobilized at the base of the model piles and two well-known breakage parameters are proposed. This work also provides detailed measurements of the trajectories followed by crushed and uncrushed particles during pile installation, and characterizes the typical particle crushing modes produced by piles jacked in silica sand.</p><div><br></div>

Recent tailings dam failures around the world have highlighted the real risk posed by undrained slope failures. Undrained failures are fundamentally different to drained failures in the sense that different mechanisms are involved (i.e. a slope may be stable against drained failure but unstable against undrained failure). Popular methods to assess the stability of slopes against undrained failure involve the use of limit equilibrium analyses with both drained and undrained strengths assigned in the same analysis. A potential shortcoming of these methods is that no consideration is given to strain compatibility. In this study, a limit equilibrium based method where strain compatibility is maintained on the failure surface was developed. The method, referred to as the strain mobilisation method, considers a Mohr circle of stress at failure to determine the shear strength mobilised on the failure plane for use in the stability analysis as a function of the deviator stress imposed on the triaxial test result. The mobilisation of stress on a failure plane with strain was determined based on the stress-strain relationships observed during triaxial tests. A Factor of Safety (FoS) was used to express the stability of the slope as a function of the mobilised strain and the calculated FoS results obtained using the proposed method were compared to calculated FoS results using traditional methods. This was done for three tailings materials (gold, iron and platinum) for three specific hypothetical slopes. As an additional check, the proposed method was tested on Nerlerk sand, a well-known sand showing strain-softening behaviour during undrained shearing. It was found that, in general, as mobilised strain is increased, the FoS calculated using the proposed method converges to that of traditional methods so that there was no significant difference in calculated FoS between the current methods and the proposed method that does consider strain compatibility. This indicates that the proposed method provides FoS values comparable to those calculated using currently accepted methods where the failure surface passes predominantly through a single material type. For such a case, there does not appear to be a need to consider limit equilibrium methods where strain compatibility is maintained. The proposed method provides an indication of the amount of strain that may be expected to mobilise to provide the FoS. Given that this amount of strain is not excessive, the current methods which do not consider strain compatibility perform satisfactorily and can continue to be used / Dissertation (MEng (Civil Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Civil Engineering / MEng (Civil Engineering) / Unrestricted

<p>There are significant problems during construction to establish an adequate foundation for fills and/or subgrade for pavements when the natural ground has low-bearing soils. Geosynthetics such as geogrids, geotextiles and/or geocells could provide an alternative, less costly in time and money, to establish an adequate foundation for the fill and/or subgrade. There is extensive evidence in the literature and on DOTs practices about the suitability of using geotextiles in pavements as separators. Previous studies have also shown that the use of geogrids in flexible pavements as a reinforcing mechanism could decrease the thickness of the base layer and/or increase the life of the pavement. In this study, analyses of selected pavement designs using Pavement ME, while considering geogrid-enhanced base or subgrade resilient modulus values, showed that geogrid-reinforcement, when placed at the interface between subgrade and base, did not produce significant benefits, as only a modest increase in pavement life was predicted. In addition, parametric finite element analyses were carried out to investigate the potential benefits of placing a geogrid at the base of a fill over a localized weak foundation zone. The analyses showed that the use of geogrids is beneficial only when: (a) the stiffness of the weak foundation soil is about an order of magnitude smaller than the rest of the foundation soil; and (b) the horizontal extent of the weak foundation soil is at least 30% of the base of the embankment foundation. The largest decrease in differential settlements at the surface of the fill, resulting from geogrid-reinforcement, was less than 20% and, therefore, it is unlikely that the sole use of geogrids would be sufficient to mitigate differential settlements. Based on previous studies, a geocell mattress, which is a three-dimensional geosynthetic filled with different types of materials, could act as a stiff platform at the base of an embankment and bridge over weak zones in the foundation. However, given the limited experience on the use of geocells, further research is required to demonstrate that geocells can be effectively used instead of other reinforcement methods.</p>

The objective of this master’s thesis is to evaluate the use of Bonded Block Modelling (BBM) in 3DEC software combined with hybrid rock bolts, for three different cases. These cases included the laboratory rock bolt case, the shearing case and the blocky rock mass case. 3DEC is a Distinct Element Method (DEM) numerical software which can be used to simulate both continuum and discontinuum media in 3D. The Bonded Block Model in 3DEC can be used to simulate a rock mass as bonded polyhedral elements. The BBM is a relatively new numerical modelling technique. Earlier studies have focused mainly on laboratory test cases and less on field scale studies. The laboratory rock bolt test was introduced by Hoek and the main idea was to describe the way that rock bolts work. Four different rock bolt spacing designs were simulated and one unsupported model, in order to validate Hoek’s results. The diameter of the blocks was 15 cm while the zones were modelled with length of 5 cm. The tunnel on the shearing case was excavated at the depth of 1500 m. For the stress field, the in-situ stresses of Kiirunavaara mine were considered. The tunnel on the blocky case was excavated at the depth of 30 m and a gravitational stress field was assumed. The shearing model as well as the blocky model, were simulated on a quasi-3D model. The zone length for both cases was 0.1 m. In both cases, a discontinuum non-BBM was modelled first and then, a discontinuum BBM with different rock UCS values was simulated. The discontinuum BBM on the shearing case was simulated for rock UCS of 200, 100, and 50 MPa, while on the blocky case, it was simulated for rock UCS of 50 MPa. The Mohr – Coulomb constitutive model was selected for all three modelling cases. The conclusions of this work were the following: –       The laboratory rock bolt model validated the results of Hoek. Hoek suggested that rock bolt spacing less than three times the average rock piece diameter would be sufficient to produce positive results. The stabilization of the rock pieces as well as the forming of the compression zone were achieved when this equation was satisfied. The geometry of the stabilized material as well as the compression zone, were also correct. –       The discontinuum BBM on the shearing case with intact rock UCS of 200 MPa, produced similar results as the discontinuum non-BBM. This indicates that BBM can be applied for these cases and produce reliable results. The displacement of the fault was expected to be higher than the resulting values. The discontinuum BBM with reduced rock strength (100 MPa and 50 MPa) resulted in rock mass fragmentation. However, the fragmented rock pieces did not detach from the rock mass as the displacement values were not high enough.   –       The discontinuum BBM on the blocky case with intact rock UCS of 50 MPa, produced similar results as the discontinuum non-BBM. There were two discontinuities that affected the smooth transition of the displacement/stress results on the different blocks. The fragmentation of the rock mass due to the existence of the discontinuities did not produce any further rock mass movements.   –       The interaction between rock mass and rock bolts was evident in any modelling case. For the laboratory rock bolt model, the hybrid bolts design was vital for producing correct results. For the shearing model, the hybrid bolts were subjected to shearing movements due to fault movements. In the blocky model, the bolts in the roof of the tunnel were subjected to axial displacements, due to the existence of blocks. The recommendations for further work were the following: –       The hybrid bolts in the laboratory rock bolt test were pretensioned only in the beginning of the computation phase. In reality, the tensioned bolts act at every moment and not only in the beginning. However, it would be interesting to see if the results are similar with continuously tensioned hybrid bolts. It is anticipated that the constantly tensioned hybrid bolts should be able to keep the compressive zones with high values throughout the whole cycling process. Thus, it is suggested for future modellers that this case could be modelled with continuously tensioned hybrid bolts. –       The installation of rock bolts in the shear case as well as in the blocky case, was at the exact same time as the tunnel was excavated.  This is not realistic fact because it is impossible to install the rock bolts exactly the same time as the tunnel excavated. Thus, it is suggested that those two cases could be modelled in the future with more focus on the stress relaxation factor.

Purpose: Compaction is one of the fundamental pillars of construction, without a proper compaction of ground material deformation may occur shorty after completed construction. A flaw of the traditional method of compaction control is that only point sources are obtained. This means that you can easily miss weak points of the compaction. This becomes significant when dealing with compaction of larger areas. The purpose of this study is to investigate how digital technology can ensure the compaction quality compared to traditional methods, and to expand the company’s knowledge of the application of the compaction computer MCA-3000. Method: The method chosen to gather data for this study were literature study, case study and interviews. Findings: The findings show how the compaction computer can be used to ensure compaction quality. An important factor is to know the conditions of the ground material in order to ensure a credible result. The case study suggest that the compaction computer can be used to visually show the compaction quality of an area. However, I cannot be used as a separated method to ensure compaction quality. The compaction computer needs test surfaces to be calibrated with assistance of traditional methods. This means that it cannot replace the traditional method. However, it can be used as a complementary tool to support the traditional methods. In the interviews, both the respondents pointed out that the compaction computer cannot be used as a separate method but can be used as a complementary tool for the contractors.  Implications: Our conclusions are as followed: ·         The compaction computer cannot be used as a single method to ensure compaction quality. ·         The compaction computer implies that it can be used as a complementary tool to support the traditional methods to ensure compaction quality of lager areas.  ·         The compaction computer allows the user to detect faults in real time during the compaction prosses. Our results indicate that the compaction computer can be uses as a complementary tool to support the traditional methods but not as its own method. To ensure the reliability of the compaction computer MCA-3000 further studies needs to be conducted to see how it preform with different ground material condition.  Limitations: Our result was limited by access of data. We were only able to collet data from a single project in a relatively small area, this means we only were able to get three data sources of compaction quality conducted with a tradition method. Another limitation was that the entire area had the same ground condition which means the result is only applicable in our case.

A laboratory test program was conducted to determine the moisture-suction relationships of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs). Moisture-suction relationships were determined by combining suction data from pressure plate tests, contact filter paper tests, and relative humidity tests, then fitting water retention curves (WRCs) to the data. WRCs were determined for wetting processes and drying processes in terms of gravimetric moisture content and volumetric moisture content. The effects of GCL type, hydration solution, wet-dry cycles, and temperature on the moisture-suction relationships were analyzed. The three GCLs of the test program consisted of configurations of woven and nonwoven geotextiles reinforced with needlepunched fibers. A geofilm was adhesively bonded to the nonwoven side of one of the GCL products. The hydration solution tests involved hydrating GCLs with deionized water, tap water, 0.1 M CaCl2, or soil water from a landfill cover test plot for a 30-day conditioning period prior to testing. Cyclic wet-dry tests were conducted on the GCL specimens subjected to 20 wet-dry cycles from 50% to 0% gravimetric moisture content prior to testing. Temperature tests were conducted at 2°C, 20°C, and 40°C. GCL type affected moisture-suction relationships. The GCLs with an adhesively-bonded geofilm exhibited lower air-entry suction and higher residual suction than GCLs without a geofilm. The degree of needlepunched fiber pullout during hydration contributed to hysteresis between wetting WRCs and drying WRCs. Hysteresis was high for suction values below air-entry suction and was low for suction values greater than air-entry suction. Cation exchange reduced the water retention capacity for all three GCL types. The saturated gravimetric moisture contents were reduced from approximately 140% to 70% for wetting WRCs and 210% to 90% for drying WRCs for GCLs hydrated in deionized water compared to CaCl2 solution. Hysteresis of the nonwoven product decreased from 71%, to 62%, to 28% with respect to deionized water, tap water, and CaCl2 solution. Hysteresis of the woven product exposed to soil water was 24% and 0%, in terms of saturated gravimetric moisture content and saturated volumetric moisture content, respectively. The swell index, Atterberg Limits, mole fraction of bound sodium, and scanning electron microscopy images that were determined of bentonite from the conditioned GCLs indicated that changes in water retention capacity corresponded with cation exchange. Wet-dry cycles and temperature affected the moisture-suction behavior for GCLs. Wet-dry cycles reduced hysteresis and increased the swelling capacity of GCL specimens. Microscopy images indicated that wet-dry cycles caused weak orientation of the clay particles. Increasing temperature resulted in a small decrease in water retention capacity. Results of the test program provided a means for predicting unsaturated behavior for GCLs.