abstract: Recent research efforts have been directed to improve the quality of pavement design procedures by considering the transient nature of soil properties due to environmental and aging effects on pavement performance. The main purpose of this research study was to investigate the existence of subgrade soil moisture changes that may have arisen due to thermal and hydraulic gradients at the Atlantic City NAPTF and to evaluate their effect on the material stiffness and the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) strength parameter of the clay subgrade materials. Laboratory data showed that at the same water content, matric suction decreases with increasing temperature; and at the same suction, hydraulic conductivity increases with increasing temperature. Models developed, together with moisture/temperature data collected from 30 sensors installed in the test facility, yielded a maximum variation of suction in field of 155 psi and changes in hydraulic conductivity from 2.9E-9 m/s at 100% saturation to 8.1E-12 at 93% saturation. The maximum variation in temperature was found to be 20.8oC at the shallower depth and decreased with depth; while a maximum variation in moisture content was found to be 3.7% for Dupont clay and 4.4% for County clay. Models developed that predicts CBR as a function of dry density and moisture content yielded a maximum variation of CBR of 2.4 for Dupont clay and 2.9 for County clay. Additionally, models were developed relating the temperature with the bulk stress and octahedral stress applied on the subgrade for dual gear, dual tandem and triple tandem gear types for different tire loads. It was found that as the temperature increases the stresses increase. A Modified Cary and Zapata model was used for predicting the resilient modulus(Mr) of the subgrade. Using the models developed and the temperature/moisture changes observed in the field, the variation of suction, bulk and octahedral stresses were estimated, along with the resilient modulus for three different gear types. Results indicated that changes in Mr as large as 9 ksi occur in the soils studied due to the combined effect of external loads and environmental condition changes. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2017

abstract: Design and mitigation of infrastructure on expansive soils requires an understanding of unsaturated soil mechanics and consideration of two stress variables (net normal stress and matric suction). Although numerous breakthroughs have allowed geotechnical engineers to study expansive soil response to varying suction-based stress scenarios (i.e. partial wetting), such studies are not practical on typical projects due to the difficulties and duration needed for equilibration associated with the necessary laboratory testing. The current practice encompasses saturated “conventional” soil mechanics testing, with the implementation of numerous empirical correlations and approximations to obtain an estimate of true field response. However, it has been observed that full wetting rarely occurs in the field, leading to an over-conservatism within a given design when partial wetting conditions are ignored. Many researchers have sought to improve ways of estimation of soil heave/shrinkage through intense studies of the suction-based response of reconstituted clay soils. However, the natural behavior of an undisturbed clay soil sample tends to differ significantly from a remolded sample of the same material. In this study, laboratory techniques for the determination of soil suction were evaluated, a methodology for determination of the in-situ matric suction of a soil specimen was explored, and the mechanical response to changes in matric suction of natural clay specimens were measured. Suction-controlled laboratory oedometer devices were used to impose partial wetting conditions, similar to those experienced in a natural setting. The undisturbed natural soils tested in the study were obtained from Denver, CO and San Antonio, TX. Key differences between the soil water characteristic curves of the undisturbed specimen test compared to the conventional reconstituted specimen test are highlighted. The Perko et al. (2000) and the PTI (2008) methods for estimating the relationship between volume and changes in matric suction (i.e. suction compression index) were evaluated by comparison to the directly measured values. Lastly, the directly measured partial wetting swell strain was compared to the fully saturated, one-dimensional, oedometer test (ASTM D4546) and the Surrogate Path Method (Singhal, 2010) to evaluate the estimation of partial wetting heave. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Engineering 2017

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-07-19Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:31:23Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 pollo_ra_me_botfca.pdf: 609445 bytes, checksum: 9b1a94fd3e28c9c791aabdc91711ef6d (MD5) / O presente trabalho teve como objetivos principais avaliar num intervalo de 38 anos, por meio de fotografias aéreas referente ao ano de 1972 e imagem TM (Thematic Mapper) do satélite Landsat-5 de 2010, o uso e ocupação do solo, Áreas de Preservação Permanentes (APPs) e seus conflitos de uso, por meio de técnicas de geoprocessamento na bacia hidrográfica do ribeirão Paraíso, município de São Manuel – SP até sua jusante na divisa com o município de Areiópolis-SP. Essa bacia representa grande importância para São Manuel-SP, pois alguns de seus mananciais abastecem a área urbana do município, valendo salientar que uma de suas nascentes está próxima a um local que por muitos anos funcionou como depósito de lixo a céu aberto localizado no divisor de águas e o outro sendo utilizado ao seu redor por pastagem, com a presença de bovinos tendo acesso direto a nascente e este por sua vez está inserido na Área de Proteção Ambiental (APA) Perímetro Botucatu-SP, considerada uma área de recarga do Aquífero Guarani. O desenvolvimento da agricultura nos dias atuais enfrenta desafios, qual seja produzir mais alimentos sem causar impactos ao meio ambiente. Aliados a esta preocupação, as instituições de pesquisa tem buscado novas tecnologias que permitem a detecção e quantificação das ações antrópicas, possibilitando intervenções e minimizando os danos causados ao meio ambiente. Entre estas tecnologias podem ser citados os sistemas de informações geográficas, onde um grande volume de dados e informações armazenadas de uma região em diferentes épocas pode ser avaliado simultaneamente, sugerindo diversas abordagens sobre o planejamento do uso do solo. Os resultados do mapeamento das áreas de uso e ocupação do... / This work aimed to analyze, in a 38-year interval, by means of 1972 air photographs and TP (Thematic Mapper) image from the Landsat-5 satellite in the year of 2010, the use and occupation of the land, Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) and its conflicts of use, by means of techniques of geoprocessing in the Paraíso Stream Watershed, in the county of São Manuel-SP until its downstream in Areiópolis-SP. This watershed has great importance to São Manuel-SP, for some of its springs supply the urban area of the county, and it’s important to accentuate that one of its springs is near a place that was used as an open dump for many years, it was located in the watershed and another one was located around it for pasture, with the presence of cattle with straight access to the watershed, which is inserted in the Environment Protection Area (APA) Botucatu Perimeter-SP, considered an area of recharge for the Guarani Aquifer. The development of agriculture, nowadays, faces some challenges, for example, producing more food without harming the environment. Allied to this concern, the research institutions have been looking for new technologies that allow us to detect and quantify anthropogenic actions, enabling interventions and minimizing the harm to the environment. Among these technologies, we can mention the geographic information systems, where a great data volume and stored information of a region in different epochs can be evaluated simultaneously, suggesting several approaches of the land use planning. The results of the mapping of the land using and occupying areas totalized nine sorts of use in 1972, and coffee cultivation represented the greatest occupation (37,94%) of the total of the area. The 2010 mapping resulted in twelve sorts... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-11-04Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:21:04Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 bariquello_lmp_me_botfca.pdf: 1946346 bytes, checksum: 8dd0e2295e86a5088d5bdf5b2762dbbe (MD5) / O objetivo deste trabalho foi o de identificar e analisar a dinâmica da expansão urbana da cidade de Botucatu – SP, ao longo de 48 anos (série temporal 1962 – 1972 – 1977 – 2000 – 2005 e 2010), mediante o auxílio do Sistema de Informação Geográfica ArcGIS 9.3, integrando-se os dados socioeconômicos e naturais envolvidos neste processo. Para tal, buscou-se estabelecer um paralelo entre a configuração do relevo, a distribuição espacial das indústrias, das instituições públicas de ensino e dos eixos rodoferroviários, bem como os fatores históricos e econômicos que propiciaram o desenvolvimento de cada período aos vetores da expansão urbana ao longo do tempo. Tomou-se, para isso, como base, o material cartográfico disponível, a interpretação de fotografias aéreas e imagens de satélite, as quais possibilitaram a obtenção dos dados que permitiram a classificação do uso da terra urbana e a identificação das direções do crescimento urbano de cada período analisado. A expansão urbana do município acompanhou o processo de desenvolvimento do país, ainda que num ritmo mais tímido e paulatino, refletindo as políticas governamentais e o desempenho socioeconômico que caracterizou cada período. A instalação de instituições técnicas e superiores públicas de ensino e de indústrias de grande porte levaram a cidade a tornar-se região de influência em escala regional e nacional e a exercer importante papel no crescimento 2 populacional e na ocupação urbana, que é marcada pela reduzida verticalização e acentuado espraiamento. A expansão da mancha urbana deu-se aos saltos no território, fugindo dos fundos de vale e sugerindo que a especulação imobiliária é intensa e representa um ônus ao Poder Público com a extensão da infraestrutra. O front da cuesta é um limitador à... / The purpose of this work was to identify and assess the dynamics of urban expansion in the city of Botucatu-SP over 48 years (time series 1962 – 1972 – 1977 – 2000 – 2005 and 2010), with the aid of the geographic information system ArcGIS 9.3, integrating the socioeconomic and natural data involved in this process. Based on the cartographic material available and the interpretation of satellite and aerial photographs, we were able to collect data that allowed classifying urban land use, and identifying the directions of urban growth trends during each period assessed. Urban expansion in the municipality, although at a lower and more gradual scale, followed a development pattern similar to that of the country, reflecting the government policies and socioeconomic performance characteristic of each period. The settling of large industries and higher education institutions enabled the city to be of influence at the regional and national level, and played a leading role in urban occupation and population growth, which is characterized by reduced verticalization and the spreading of the urban area, which occurred with leaps and bounds avoiding valley bottoms, and suggesting intense real estate speculation that poses burden to the public system by requiring the expansion of infrastructure. The cuesta front is a barrier to urban expansion... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Submitted by LUIZ HENRIQUE PEREIRA null (e_luizh@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-12-20T11:04:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 pereira_lh_geo_RC.pdf: 6871364 bytes, checksum: 830de7380f478a93aeff860b974bc3ce (MD5) / Rejected by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br), reason: Solicitamos que realize uma nova submissão seguindo a orientação abaixo: Incluir o número do processo de financiamento nos agradecimentos da dissertação/tese. Corrija esta informação e realize uma nova submissão com o arquivo correto. 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No. of bitstreams: 1 pereira_lh_dr_rcla.pdf: 6574636 bytes, checksum: c3702d008829fade5dc14e767d174030 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-10-28 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Atenuar incertezas nos resultados de modelos dinâmicos que estimam a produção de sedimento na vertente e o transporte do material no canal fluvial torna-se fundamental quando se considera a premência de políticas territoriais em minimizar o risco de sub ou super exploração dos recursos naturais, bem como indicar a disponibilidade de água em bacias hidrográficas. A aplicação de modelos de simulação de processos ambientais tem sido amplamente favorecida pelo avanço das geotecnologias, em especial dos Sistemas de Informações Geográficas, que viabilizam a extração, tratamento, análise e integração de dados geoespaciais. No entanto, observa-se que pouca atenção tem sido dada à análise e avaliação dos fatores responsáveis pela discrepância entre estimativas e observações. Diante o exposto, este trabalho apresentou como principal objetivo caracterizar a variabilidade espacial da incerteza propagada pela aplicação dos modelos hidrossedimentológicos EUPS, MEUPS e REUPS, e indicar sua correlação espacial com características geomorfométricas da área em análise. As atividades foram desenvolvidas com o escopo teórico da modelagem de sistemas ambientais, e baseadas em técnicas de geoprocessamento e sensoriamento remoto. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que a sensibilidade dos parâmetros é específica para cada tipo de bacia modelada, sendo os Fatores C, P os mais sensíveis para bacia do Monjolo Grande, e os Fatores C e LS os mais sensíveis para a bacia do ribeirão Jacutinga. As incertezas possuem maior expressividade nas áreas predominantemente de solos arenosos, e há correlação significativa do grau de incerteza dos resultados dos modelos com as características geomorfológicas, sobretudo em áreas de vertentes côncavas. / Lessening the uncertainties in the results from geospatial dynamic models, considering those that estimate the sediment production in the hillslope and the transportation of sediments over the river-channel, becomes essential when considering the current need to gather trustworthy quantitative information. In this sense, the contribution of hydro-sedimentological modeling is a significant part on the landscape planning phase, effectively composing the process of agricultural land management. The application of geospatial modeling has been widely benefited by the improvement on geotechnologies. However, it´s application has been applied indiscriminately from the procedures and methods for gathering entrance data. Differences in spatial scale of analysis, the characteristics of the geographical area of interest and the evaluation of the trustworthiness of the results are not taken into account. With these issues exposed this paper aimed to characterize the spatial variables and the uncertainties programed by the applications of the hydro-sedimentological models USLE, MUSLE e RUSLE. Indicating it´s spatial correlation with the geomorphometry characteristics of the analyzed areas it was possible to propose an objective criteria for the selection of the models based on the area´s geomorphological characteristics searching to minimize the statistical uncertainties thus offering measurements of trustworthiness in the final results. The activities were developed with the theoretical scope of environmental systems modeling and based on geoprocessing and remote sensing techniques. Results gathered show that the sensitivity of the parameters is specific to each type of watershed that was modeled, C and P factors being the most sensitives for Monjolo Grande river basin (sandy soil), and C and LS factors were the most sensitives for Jacutinga river basin (clay soil). The uncertainties are more prominent in the areas where the soil is predominantly sandy. There was a significant correlation between the level of uncertainty and the results from the models with geomorphological characteristic, especially in concave hillslope areas. / FAPESP: 2013/13885-0

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T16:55:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cristiane.pdf: 6512604 bytes, checksum: 20c1dd546b2b074a6cba3a662954c8d0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The knowledge of risks areas liable of flood occurance it is essencial information for public administration, aiming to get a decision for land readjustment or to organize aid actions, from civil defense, in emergency flood situation. As a theorical support, the research considered the scientific definitions of land readjustment, watershed, envirmental desasters and geotechnology. In this research it was done evaluated as well mapped the environmental parameters that act in the flood process, which was considered: slope, soil, geomorfopogy and land use. The methodology considered a weight decision for each parameter and besides overlap and match them aiming to get a new thematic map , using the algorithm of weighted mean through Geographic Information System (GIS). The result was a thematic map called susceptibility map for areas liable of flood occurance for Cachoeira River watershad Joinville|SC.. The methodology applied for wathershed Cachoeira River showed that 56% of study area are considered too high and high range of flood susceptibility, besides these areas are located closed to downtown. These results shows the urgent update of land readjustment that consider the effects of flood occurance from the urban planners, as well to use GIS tool for efficiently urban growing plan / O conhecimento das áreas de risco sujeitas a inundações é uma informação fundamental para o poder público, seja para ações ligadas ao ordenamento territorial como também para a organização das ações da defesa civil em situações de emergência ligadas a eventos desta natureza. Como abordagem teórica, a pesquisa sustentou-se, especialmente, nos conceitos ligados a ordenamento territorial, bacias hidrográficas, desastres naturais e geotecnologias. Realizou-se a avaliação e mapeamento das variáveis ambientais atuantes no processo de inundação para a área de estudo, sendo consideradas: declividade, solos, geomorfologia e uso do solo, com vistas a identificação das áreas suscetíveis a inundação. Atribuiu-se pesos a estas variáveis e utilizou-se o Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG) para executar a sobreposição e cruzamento dos mapas temáticos utilizando o algoritmo de média ponderada. Obteve-se como resposta gráfica a definição das áreas de suscetibilidade a inundações na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Cachoeira Joinville/SC. A aplicação do método proposto indicou que 56% da área de estudo encontra-se inserida em classe de suscetibilidade a inundação alta e muito alta, sendo estas localizadas junto ao centro urbano do referido município. Este indicativo reflete a necessidade de desenvolvimento de instrumentos de ordenamento territorial que busquem minimizar os efeitos do evento de inundação bem como conduzir a expansão do município de forma planejada e ordenada

Orientador: Anna Silvia Palcheco Peixoto / Banca: Vagner Roberto Elis / Banca: George de Paula Bernardes / Resumo: A resistividade elétrica vem sendo somada junto aos estudos de investigação geotécnica devido ao seu apelo ambiental, visto que esta técnica se dá por meio da imposição de um fluxo de corrente elétrica em uma amostra de solo, permitindo-se avaliar as condições geológicas locais por um método não destrutivo. A obtenção dessa medida vem sendo somada aos estudos de investigação geotécnica devido ao seu apelo ambiental, otimizando as amostragens e permitindo a avaliação das condições geológicas locais por meio de um método não destrutivo. Dessa maneira, o objetivo dessa dissertação de mestrado é avaliar, em laboratório, o comportamento da resistividade elétrica variando-se o teor de salinidade no fluido de percolação em dois solos tropicais: um arenoso, sedimentar, característico da região de Bauru, e outro argiloso, resultado do intemperismo do Diabásio, proveniente do município de Piracicaba. As análises foram realizadas utilizando-se resultados, dos ensaios de caracterização, compactação, permeabilidade e curva de retenção. o teor de salinidade do fluido foi considerado, tanto na compactação, como na percolação em três concentrações: água destilada, 250 ppm e 500 ppm de NaCI, além de abastecimento, controlando-se o teor de umidade, a compactação, o índice de vazios e o grau de saturação. Os resultados mostraram-se que a resistividade elétrica tende a ser constante no ramo úmido da curva de compactação e também quando o grau de saturação está acima de 80%. Notou-se também que a curva de resistividade versus sucção pode ser divida em dois trechos: o primeiro corresponde às baixas sucções, com a continuidade da água nos poros e resistividade menores; o segundo trecho, que se inicia na primeira entrada de dar, conduz a um nítido aumento nos valores de... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The electrical resitivity of a homogeneous material could be defined as the measurements of the difficult of crossing of the electrical current and it depends of the dimension and type of material. However, when that material is soil, composed by three phases (solid, liquid and gas), this measure is influenced by several factors that could be controlled in laboratory tests. The electrical resistivity has been used geotechnical research studies since this technique improve the sampling of environmental works and allowing the evaluation of local geological conditions through a non-destructive method. Thus, the goal of the study was evaluate the behavior of electrical resistivity of two tropical soils varying the salinity concentration in the percolation fluid: a sandy sediment, characteristic of the Bauru city; a clayey soil, Weathered of Diabase from Piracicaba City. Results of soil mechanics laboratory tests as characterization tests, compaction, permeability and soil-water retention curve were used in the analyses. In both, compaction and permeability tests, the procedure were carried out varying the fluid salinity: distilled water, water supply; 250ppm and 500ppm of NaCi. The moisture content, compaction energy, void ratio and degree of saturation. The tests results showed the rsistivity values tend to be constant in the wet density curve and when the degree of saturation is above 80%. It was also noted that the curve of resistivity suction could be divided into two segments: the first corresponds to low suctions where there is continuity of water in the porous leading to low resistivity values; the second segment begins in the first air entrance, with discountinuous state of pore-water and sa sharphy increase in the resistivity values. The formation factors (FF) were obtained during the permeability tests: 7,5 to the sandy soil and... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

abstract: One of the most economical and viable methods of soil improvement is dynamic compaction. It is a simple process that uses the potential energy of a weight (8 tonne to 36 tonne) dropped from a height of about 1 m to 30 m, depending on the project requirement, on to the soil to be compacted hence densifying it. However, dynamic compaction can only be applied on soil deposits where the degree of saturation is low and the permeability of the soil mass is high to allow for good drainage. Using dynamic compaction on saturated soil is unsuitable because upon application of the energy, a part of the energy is transferred to the pore water. The technique also does not work very well on soils having a large content of fines because of the absence of good drainage. The current research aims to develop a new technology using biogenic gas production to desaturate saturated soils and extend the use of dynamic compaction as a ground improvement technique to saturated soils with higher fines content. To evaluate the feasibility of this technology an experimental program has been performed. Soil columns with varying soil types have been saturated with substrate solution, resulting in the formation of nitrogen gas and the change in soils volume and saturation have been recorded. Cyclic triaxial tests have been performed to evaluate the change in volume and saturation under elevated pressure conditions and evaluate the response of the desaturated soil specimens to dynamic loading. The experimental results showed that soil specimens treated with MIDP under low confinement conditions undergo substantial volume expansion. The amount of expansion is seen to be a factor of their pore size, which is directly related to their grain size. The smaller the grain size, smaller is the pore size and hence greater the volume expansion. Under higher confining pressure conditions, the expansion during gas formation is suppressed. However, no conclusive result about the effect of the desaturation of the soil using biogenic gas on its compactibility could be obtained from the cyclic triaxial tests. / Dissertation/Thesis / Data sheets / Masters Thesis Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2018

abstract: Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is attracting increasing attention as a sustainable means of soil improvement. While there are several possible MICP mechanisms, microbial denitrification has the potential to become one of the preferred methods for MICP because complete denitrification does not produce toxic byproducts, readily occurs under anoxic conditions, and potentially has a greater carbonate yield per mole of organic electron donor than other MICP processes. Denitrification may be preferable to ureolytic hydrolysis, the MICP process explored most extensively to date, as the byproduct of denitrification is benign nitrogen gas, while the chemical pathways involved in hydrolytic ureolysis processes produce undesirable and potentially toxic byproducts such as ammonium (NH4+). This thesis focuses on bacterial denitrification and presents preliminary results of bench-scale laboratory experiments on denitrification as a candidate calcium carbonate precipitation mechanism. The bench-scale bioreactor and column tests, conducted using the facultative anaerobic bacterium Pseudomonas denitrificans, show that calcite can be precipitated from calcium-rich pore water using denitrification. Experiments also explore the potential for reducing environmental impacts and lowering costs associated with denitrification by reducing the total dissolved solids in the reactors and columns, optimizing the chemical matrix, and addressing the loss of free calcium in the form of calcium phosphate precipitate from the pore fluid. The potential for using MICP to sequester radionuclides and metal contaminants that are migrating in groundwater is also investigated. In the sequestration process, divalent cations and radionuclides are incorporated into the calcite structure via substitution, forming low-strontium calcium carbonate minerals that resist dissolution at a level similar to that of calcite. Work by others using the bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii has suggested that in-situ sequestration of radionuclides and metal contaminants can be achieved through MICP via hydrolytic ureolysis. MICP through bacterial denitrification seems particularly promising as a means for sequestering radionuclides and metal contaminants in anoxic environments due to the anaerobic nature of the process and the ubiquity of denitrifying bacteria in the subsurface. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Engineering 2013

abstract: Urbanization and infrastructure development often brings dramatic changes in the surface and groundwater regimes. These changes in moisture content may be particularly problematic when subsurface soils are moisture sensitive such as expansive soils. Residential foundations such as slab-on ground may be built on unsaturated expansive soils and therefore have to resist the deformations associated with change in moisture content (matric suction) in the soil. The problem is more pronounced in arid and semi arid regions with drying periods followed by wet season resulting in large changes in soil suction. Moisture content change causes volume change in expansive soil which causes serious damage to the structures. In order to mitigate these ill effects various mitigation are adopted. The most commonly adopted method in the US is the removal and replacement of upper soils in the profile. The remove and replace method, although heavily used, is not well understood with regard to its impact on the depth of soil wetting or near-surface differential soil movements. In this study the effectiveness of the remove and replace method is studied. A parametric study is done with various removal and replacement materials used and analyzed to obtain the optimal replacement depths and best material. The depth of wetting and heave caused in expansive soil profile under climatic conditions and common irrigation scenarios are studied for arid regions. Soil suction changes and associated soil deformations are analyzed using finite element codes for unsaturated flow and stress/deformation, SVFlux and SVSolid, respectively. The effectiveness and fundamental mechanisms at play in mitigation of expansive soils for remove and replace methods are studied, and include (1) its role in reducing the depth and degree of wetting, and (2) its effect in reducing the overall heave potential, and (3) the effectiveness of this method in pushing the seat of movement deeper within the soil profile to reduce differential soil surface movements. Various non-expansive replacement layers and different surface flux boundary conditions are analyzed, and the concept of optimal depth and soil is introduced. General observations are made concerning the efficacy of remove and replace as a mitigation method. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering 2013