Development in urban areas around the world has steadily increased in recent years. This rapid development has not been matched by the ever decreasing open space commonly associated with urban centers. Vertical construction, thus, lends itself a very useful solution to this problem. Deep excavation is often required for urban construction. Unfortunately, the ground movements associated with deep excavation can result in damage to adjacent buildings. Thus, it is critically important to accurately predict the damage potential of nearby deep excavations and designing adequate support systems. A new design method is proposed, as an attempt, to address the problem. The method is semi-empirical and directly links excavation-induced distortions experienced by nearby buildings and the components of the excavation support system. Unlike, the traditional limit equilibrium approach, the method is driven by the distortions in adjacent buildings. It goes further to propose a preliminary cost chart to help designers during the design phase. The benefit is that initial cost is known real time and will help speed up making business decisions. A new design flowchart is proposed to guide the designer through a step-by-step procedure. The method is validated using 2D Plaxis (the finite element program) simulation. Though the nature of deep excavation is three-dimensional, a plane strain condition is valid when the length of the excavation is long. Hence, two-dimensional finite element simulation was considered appropriate for this effort. Five hypothetical cases were compared and the model performed very well. The lack of available literature on this approach made verification difficult. It is hoped that future case histories will be used to ascertain the veracity of the deformation-based design method.

High density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes are normally used as part of a composite liner for waste containment facilities such as municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills and heap leach pads. Field conditions, which include physical stresses on the geomembrane, elevated operating temperatures, and contact with leachate constituents, have the potential to affect the service life of the HDPE geomembranes. This thesis examined the long-term performance of different HDPE geomembranes based on both conventional laboratory accelerated immersion tests and simulated landfill liner tests. A 1.5mm HDPE geomembrane was immersed in different synthetic leachates at different temperatures in order to evaluate the effects of leachate chemical constituents on the depletion of antioxidants. The results showed that a basic leachate with trace metals, surfactant, and a reducing agent was the most appropriate for evaluating the potential degradation of HDPE geomembranes. A similar immersion test was performed to evaluate the effects of thickness on the ageing of HDPE geomembranes. Three commercially available HDPE geomembranes having nominal thicknesses of 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5mm were immersed in a synthetic leachate at four different temperatures in this experiment. The results showed that a thicker geomembrane may have a longer service life if other things are similar. The depletion of antioxidants from a 1.5mm thick HDPE geomembrane was examined by conducting accelerated ageing tests at 55, 70, and 85oC under simulated landfill liner conditions. The results showed that the antioxidant depletion rate was consistently lower for the simulated landfill liner tests compared to the leachate immersion tests. The effectiveness of the aged HDPE geomembrane on the migration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was examined by conducting diffusion and partitioning tests using both unaged and aged HDPE geomembranes. The results showed that the ageing of HDPE geomembranes did not increase diffusive migration of organic contaminants, provided that the geomembrane remained intact. A new method was developed to estimate the service life of the HDPE geomembrane based on the landfill liner temperature history. The service lives of the HDPE geomembranes were calculated to be between 20 and 4700 years, depending on the geomembrane type, exposure conditions, and the time-temperature history examined. / Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-01-30 09:30:49.135

The loads applied to pile foundations installed offshore vary greatly from those encountered onshore, with more substantial lateral and torsional loads. For combined axial and lateral loading the current design practice involves applying an axial load to a deep foundation and assessing the pile behaviour and then considering a lateral load separately. For the problem of an altering directions of lateral loads (e.g. due to changes in the wind directions acting on offshore wind turbines) a clear design procedure is not available. There is thus a need for a clearly established methodology to effectively introduce the interaction between the four different loading directions (two lateral, one axial and one torsional). In this thesis, a model is presented that introduces a series of Winkler elasto-plastic elements coupled between the different directions via local interaction yield surfaces along the pile. The energy based method that is used allows the soil-pile system to be defined explicitly using two equations: the energy potential and the dissipation potential. One of the most interesting applications of this model is to piles subjected to a change in lateral loading direction, where the loading history can significantly influence the pile behaviour. This effect was verified by a series of experimental tests, undertaken using the Geotechnical Centrifuge at UWA. The same theory was then applied to cyclic loading in two dimensions, leading to some very useful conclusions regarding shakedown behaviour. A theoretically based relationship was applied to the local yielding behaviour for a pile subjected to a combination of lateral and axial loading, allowing predictions to be made of the influence of load inclination on the pile behaviour. The ability of this model to represent interaction between four degrees of freedom allows a more realistic approach to be taken to this problem than that considered in current design practice.

Detta examensarbete har haft som mål att undersöka tjällyftningen hos en väg i en fältstudie och utvärdera reliabiliteten hos två olika modeller för skattning av tjällyftning. Modellerna som har studerats är Trafikverkets nuvarande, vilken är implementerad i deras vägdimensioneringsverktyg PMS Objekt, samt segregation potential theory. Den studerade vägsträckan är belägen i Kiruna. I vägen har borrkärneprover tagits och vägens obundna lager, inklusive terassmaterial, har blivit analyserade i laboratorium. Dessa tester inkluderar både geoteknisk klassificering och endimensionella frysförsök på terassmaterialet. Materialets tjälfarlighet har klassificerats enligt både Trafikverkets eget och det amerikanska USACEs system. Alla prover, inklusive terrassmaterialet, består huvudsakligen av grus och sand. Enligt båda de använda klassificeringssystemen bedöms alla prover som icke tjälfarliga. Nivåmätningar utförda på vägen visar dock att tjällyftning ändå förekommer i vägen. Denna tjällyftning har inte kunnat modelleras framgångsrikt i PMS Objekt, där ingen tjällyftning alls fås trots att en dimensionerande vinter tillämpas i analysen. Däremot har en god överensstämmelse mellan bakåträknad och empiriskt beräknad tjälfarlighetsklassificering med SP0-värde enligt segregation potential theory kunnat ses. Även när detta beräknas utifrån utförda frysförsök fås en relativt god överensstämmelse. Studiens främsta fynd är att den visar på att även material som bedöms som ej tjällyftande enligt de två systemen för tjälfarlighetsklassificering faktiskt orsakar tjällyftning och att detta omfattar både terrass- och överbyggnadsmaterial. Studien visar att detta tjällyft främst beror på primärt lyft, varför klassificeringarna stämmer ganska väl om endast det sekundära lyftet avses. Studien har även visat på att Trafikverkets nuvarande modell är otillräcklig när det kommer till att modellera tjällyftning för grovkorniga jordar. Slutligen har studien även visat på möjligheten att bedöma jords tjälfarlighet med hjälp av segregation potential theory, även om också denna metod endast kan användas för att modellera sekundärt lyft. / The aim of the master thesis has been to examine the frost heaving of a road in a field study and to evaluate the reliability of two different models for estimation of frost heaving. The studied models are the current one of the Swedish Transport Administration, which is implemented in their road design tool PMS Objekt, and the segregation potential theory. The studied road section is located in Kiruna, in the northern part of Sweden. The road has been cored and the unbound layers of it, including the subgrade, have been analyzed in laboratory. These analyses include both geotechnical characterization and one-dimensional frost heave tests of the subgrade material. The frost susceptibility of the collected material has been classified according to both the Swedish Transport Administrations system and the American USACE’s system. All samples, including the subgrade, consist mainly of gravel and sand. According to both the used classification systems all samples are classified as not frost susceptible. However, the elevation measurements of the road show that frost heaving occurs in it despite this. This heaving has not been possible to model successfully in the program PMS Objekt. In it the frost heave prediction yields no heave at all, despite applying a design winter (worst case) in the analysis. A good conformity has however been observed between back-calculated and empirically evaluated frost susceptibility using segregation potential theory. A quite good conformity has also been observed when the same thing is evaluated from the preformed freeze tests. The most important finding of the study is that even material that is categorized as non-frost susceptible according to the two studied systems actually does heave. This finding includes both subgrade aswell as the unbound material in the superstructure. It has been found that the total frost heave observed in this study originates mainly from primary heaving, meaning the studied systems are quite correct in their frost susceptibility classification if only secondary heaving is intended. The study has also shown that the current model applied in PMS Objekt is poor in predicting the amount of heaving in coarse subgrades. Finally, the study has also shown the possibility to evaluate a soils frost susceptibility using segregation potential theory, although this model aswell is only applicable to secondary heave

Syfte: Återanvändningen av schaktmassor inom anläggningsbranschen är i dagsläget begränsad. Bland annat på grund av otydliga regelverk samt låga kostnader och hög tillgänglighet av jungfruliga material. Trots att schaktmassor har en hög potential att återanvändas finns det andra alternativ för överskottsmassor som uppstår i ett projekt som är mer fördelaktiga för entreprenörer. Svårigheterna kring återanvändning av schaktmassor är det som skall undersökas och målet med rapporten är följaktligen att undersöka möjligheterna att främja återanvändning av schaktmassor inom anläggningsbranschen. Målet kommer att besvaras med hjälp av två frågeställningar: (1) Hur kan återanvändningen av schaktmassor främjas inom anläggningsbranschen? (2) Hur kan en återanvändningsterminal öka återanvändningen av schaktmassor? Metod: Metoderna som valts för att samla empiri till studien är litteraturstudie, dokumentanalys och intervjuer. Litteraturstudien och dokumentanalysen skapade en kunskapsuppbyggnad inom ämnet som bland annat låg till grund för utformningen av intervjuerna. Intervjuerna har genomförts tillsammans med tio respondenter från åtta olika företag inom anläggningsbranschen. Resultat: De regelverk och lagar som finns kring hanteringen av schaktmassor ses som det största hindret för återanvändningsmöjligheterna. Svårigheterna att få ekonomisk vinst i återanvändningsprocessen samt långa transporter är också bidragande orsaker. Även de geotekniska egenskaperna på schaktmassornas kan vara problematiskt, dels för att massorna skall klassificeras enligt sin byggbarhet samt att de skall vara jämförbara med jungfruligt material. Konsekvenser: Slutsatserna som dragits utifrån studien är att det krävs ett ökat samarbete inom branschen för att återanvändningen av schaktmassor skall främjas. Tydligare kommunikation behövs samt att planering kring masshanteringen bör ske i ett tidigare skeden i projekten. De regelverk och riktlinjer som finns idag behöver omarbetas för att bli tydligare och möjliggöra för ökad återanvändning. En återanvändningsterminal av storskalig verksamhet som placeras centralt skulle bidra till att återanvändningen av schaktmassor ökar vilket minskar miljöpåverkan och gynnar branschen. Begränsningar: Studien är begränsad och utförd inom Jönköpings län och intervjurespondenterna är valda utefter de verksamheter som verkar inom länet. Arbetets generaliserbarhet begränsar sig till Sverige eftersom att regelverk och tillvägagångssätt gällande hantering av schaktmassor ser olika ut i andra länder. Nyckelord: Utgrävd mark, återanvändning av schaktmassor, återanvändningsterminal, återanvändning av bergmaterial.

Neste trabalho, descreve-se o processo de produção de tecnologias educacionais e de Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação (TICs), relacionando-as ao uso do ensino em Engenharia Geotécnica. Desenvolveu-se um sistema de informação baseado num modelo que integra recursos educacionais produzidos em diferentes formatos eletrônicos e um software baseado na Web para gestão destes recursos e das informações da disciplina Fundações. O software, denominado ENGEO, auxilia a estruturação do conhecimento envolvido no domínio de aplicação, fornecendo ao professor, ou equipe de gestão, ferramentas remotas de administração dos conteúdos e dos recursos educacionais. Aos alunos, a aplicação ENGEO fornece disponibilidade de informações e de conteúdo em um ambiente flexível. Este aplicativo foi desenvolvido para o curso de Engenharia Geotécnica, particularizado para Engenharia de Fundações, com o objetivo de introduzir e incentivar a utilização de sistemas baseados na Web para compartilhamento de conteúdo das disciplinas, implementar Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação em aplicações para fins educacionais e fomentar discussões a respeito da identidade e perfil do Engenheiro e o papel da TICs no processo de formação do profissional de Engenharia. / This research describes and analyzes the production of an educational applicative based on Communication and Information Technologies (ICTs) developed for the field of Geotechnical Engineering. An information system based on a model that integrates produced educational sources in different digital formats and a Web software developed for management of these sources is described. The software, denominated as ENGEO, contains information related to the subject of Foundation Engineering. It assists structuring the knowledge in the domain of application, organizing in the Web various medias related to the subject, enabling remote administration by the lecturer or management team from tools implemented using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Attempts are made to produce free and flexible assess to students of the contents of course. The experience was designed to stimulate a debate on the needs and identity of engineers and to put into perspective the role of ICTs in producing such identity.

Purpose: The aim of this degree project is to control the set-up for a longer period by means of the workplace at the use of the total station for then comparing calculated outcomes with real outcomes. Method: A combination of both quantitative and qualitative studies have been used in this degree project, consisting of literature studies and a case study including interviews, document analyzes, site visits and measurements. The case study is based on an ongoing project in the municipality of Nassjo, where a skate park is constructed and whose soil consists of peat. Preload in the form of overload has been applied. Findings: The result indicates the occurrence of a difference between calculated outcome and actual outcome regarding set rate and time course when using preload in the form of overload. The deviation is about 20 cm. Preload in the form of overload is a good method for peat land, but it is unlikely to be remarkably improved by vertical drainage. Implications: In view of the measurements produced by the authors, this shows that the method of loading in the form of overload on peat field works, however, gives the calculation model which has been used to be uncertain. The result described in more detail regarding vertical drainage on peat fields will not accelerate the process because the peat is already well drained. This means that it will cost extra without benefiting from the method. Limitations: The work has limited to two reinforcement methods on peat fields. A case study has been limited to only one area. There was preload in the form of overload, whose soil material consists of peat. Keywords: Peat, Permeability, Preloading in the form of overload, settlements, total station, vertical drainage, water quota. / Syfte: Syftet med detta examensarbete är att kontrollera sättningen under en längre period genom mätningar som skett på arbetsplatsen vid användning av totalstation för sedan kunna jämföra beräknat utfall med verkligt utfall. Metod: En kombination av både kvantitativa och kvalitativa studier har använts i detta examensarbete, bestående av litteraturstudier och en fallstudie inbegripande intervjuer, dokumentanalyser samt platsbesök och mätningar. Fallstudien grundar sig i ett pågående projekt i Nässjö kommun där det byggs en skatepark vars jordmaterial består av torv och där förbelastning i form av överlast har tillämpats. Resultat: Resultatet indikerar på förekomsten av en skillnad mellan beräknat utfall och verkligt utfall gällande sättningshastighet och tidsförlopp vid användning av förbelastning i form av överlast. Avvikelsen ligger på ungefär 20 cm. Förbelastning i form av överlast är en bra metod för torvmark men att det sannolikt inte anmärkningsvärt går att förbättra genom vertikaldränering. Konsekvenser: Med hänsyn till de mätresultat som rapportförfattarna har bringat fram visar detta att metoden förbelastning i form av överlast på torvmark fungerar, dock ger beräkningsmodellen som har använts osäkra resultat. Resultatet som beskrivs mer detaljerat gällande vertikaldränering på torvmark kommer inte påskynda processen eftersom torven redan är väl dränerad d.v.s. porerna är genomträngliga och vattnet kan lätt rinna ut vid användning av förbelastning i form av överlast. Detta innebär att det kommer medföra extra kostnader utan att få nytta av metoden. Begränsningar: Arbetet har begränsats till två förstärkningsmetoder på torvmark. En fallstudie har begränsats till endast ett område, där förbelastning i form av överlast utförs på jordmaterial som består av torv. Nyckelord: Förbelastning i form av överlast, permeabilitet, sättningar, Torv, totalstation, vertikaldränering, vattenkvot.

Neste trabalho, descreve-se o processo de produção de tecnologias educacionais e de Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação (TICs), relacionando-as ao uso do ensino em Engenharia Geotécnica. Desenvolveu-se um sistema de informação baseado num modelo que integra recursos educacionais produzidos em diferentes formatos eletrônicos e um software baseado na Web para gestão destes recursos e das informações da disciplina Fundações. O software, denominado ENGEO, auxilia a estruturação do conhecimento envolvido no domínio de aplicação, fornecendo ao professor, ou equipe de gestão, ferramentas remotas de administração dos conteúdos e dos recursos educacionais. Aos alunos, a aplicação ENGEO fornece disponibilidade de informações e de conteúdo em um ambiente flexível. Este aplicativo foi desenvolvido para o curso de Engenharia Geotécnica, particularizado para Engenharia de Fundações, com o objetivo de introduzir e incentivar a utilização de sistemas baseados na Web para compartilhamento de conteúdo das disciplinas, implementar Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação em aplicações para fins educacionais e fomentar discussões a respeito da identidade e perfil do Engenheiro e o papel da TICs no processo de formação do profissional de Engenharia. / This research describes and analyzes the production of an educational applicative based on Communication and Information Technologies (ICTs) developed for the field of Geotechnical Engineering. An information system based on a model that integrates produced educational sources in different digital formats and a Web software developed for management of these sources is described. The software, denominated as ENGEO, contains information related to the subject of Foundation Engineering. It assists structuring the knowledge in the domain of application, organizing in the Web various medias related to the subject, enabling remote administration by the lecturer or management team from tools implemented using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Attempts are made to produce free and flexible assess to students of the contents of course. The experience was designed to stimulate a debate on the needs and identity of engineers and to put into perspective the role of ICTs in producing such identity.

Kungsängen är ett centralt beläget område i Uppsala. Området har stora mäktigheter av lera som når drygt 100 meters djup på sina håll. För att bygga på denna typ av jord måste långtidssättningar såsom konsolidering och krypning tas i beaktning. Att fastställa och beräkna krypningens storlek är dock svårt på grund av att det är en matematiskt komplicerad process. Det råder även oenigheter gällande när krypning inträder under sättningsförloppet samt gällande lämplig beräkningsmetod. För att erhålla en djupare förståelse för Kungsängslerans krypning samt för att finna en lämplig beräkningsmetod togs detta arbete fram i samarbete med Bjerking. Höjdavvägningar från dubbar och fixpunkter belägna i Kungsängen sammanställdes och resultaten visade att byggnader i Kungsängen som byggdes för 80–170 år sedan utsätts för krypning än idag. Medelvärdet av den relativa krypsättningen erhölls till 0,134 promille av lermäktigheten per år för dubbavvägningarna respektive 0,067 för fixpunktsavvägningarna. Ytterligare påvisade resultaten att både tid och lermäktighet var två drivande faktorer bakom Kungsängslerans krypning. Den europeiska standarden Eurokod 7 undersöktes för att finna förslag på beräkningsmetoder för krypning. Standarden hade dock inga konkreta förslag utan hänvisade till allmänt erkända metoder. Av denna anledning undersöktes tidsmotståndsteorin samt Chalmersmodellen med kryp. Tidsmotståndsteorin beräknade både realistiska och överskattade krypsättningar beroende på typ av lera. Vissa lerprover antydde att laster under cirka 45 kPa gav en försumbar krypning med andra lerprover indikerade annorlunda. Tidsmotståndsteorin har dock potential att vara en lämplig metod för beräkning av Kungsängslerans krypsättning. Chalmersmodellen med kryp tillämpades för att modellera ödometerförsök och resultaten visade att modellen generellt överskattade den totala deformationen och underskattade kryphastigheten. För att kunna förkasta eller verifiera modellen som lämplig vid beräkning av krypsättningar för Kungsängslera bör dock utförligare studier genomföras. / Kungsängen, a central area in Uppsala of Sweden, has a considerable depth of clay which stretches down to 100 m at some sites. In order to build at this type of soil one has to take long-term settlements into consideration, such as consolidation and creep. However, methods for calculating the latter aren’t straight forward since the mathematics behind the process is complicated. The starting time of creep is still unsettled and this is also the case regarding calculation methods. In order to enhance the understanding of creep of Kungsängen clay this study was developed in collaboration with Bjerking AB. Altimetry data from studs and fixed points from Kungsängen was compiled and the results showed that buildings in Kungsängen are experiencing creep even though some of them were built 80–170 years ago. The mean value of relative creep was found to be 0,134 per mille/year for the stud data and 0,067 per mille/year for fixed points. Another finding was that time and depth of clay were two factors behind the creep of Kungsängen clay. Another aim of the study was to investigate creep calculations methods in Eurocode 7. However, it was found that no method was proposed in the standard and therefore some other methods such as the time resistant theory and the Chalmer’s model with creep were investigated. It was found that the time resistant theory predicted creep realistically but with an overestimation in some cases, depending on the type of clay. Some clay specimen gave a negligible creep for loads under 45 kPa and other specimen indicated otherwise. All in all, this suggests that the time resistant theory might be an appropriate creep calculation method for the clay of Kungsängen. The Chalmer’s model with creep overestimated the total deformation but underestimated the creep when modelling odometer loads. Even so, the study of the model was not detailed enough in order to reject it or not. Therefore, a more detailed study of the model should be considered.

Neste trabalho, descreve-se o processo de produção de tecnologias educacionais e de Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação (TICs), relacionando-as ao uso do ensino em Engenharia Geotécnica. Desenvolveu-se um sistema de informação baseado num modelo que integra recursos educacionais produzidos em diferentes formatos eletrônicos e um software baseado na Web para gestão destes recursos e das informações da disciplina Fundações. O software, denominado ENGEO, auxilia a estruturação do conhecimento envolvido no domínio de aplicação, fornecendo ao professor, ou equipe de gestão, ferramentas remotas de administração dos conteúdos e dos recursos educacionais. Aos alunos, a aplicação ENGEO fornece disponibilidade de informações e de conteúdo em um ambiente flexível. Este aplicativo foi desenvolvido para o curso de Engenharia Geotécnica, particularizado para Engenharia de Fundações, com o objetivo de introduzir e incentivar a utilização de sistemas baseados na Web para compartilhamento de conteúdo das disciplinas, implementar Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação em aplicações para fins educacionais e fomentar discussões a respeito da identidade e perfil do Engenheiro e o papel da TICs no processo de formação do profissional de Engenharia. / This research describes and analyzes the production of an educational applicative based on Communication and Information Technologies (ICTs) developed for the field of Geotechnical Engineering. An information system based on a model that integrates produced educational sources in different digital formats and a Web software developed for management of these sources is described. The software, denominated as ENGEO, contains information related to the subject of Foundation Engineering. It assists structuring the knowledge in the domain of application, organizing in the Web various medias related to the subject, enabling remote administration by the lecturer or management team from tools implemented using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Attempts are made to produce free and flexible assess to students of the contents of course. The experience was designed to stimulate a debate on the needs and identity of engineers and to put into perspective the role of ICTs in producing such identity.