The report is part of the development project run by Ingenjörsfirman Geotech AB, where some of the field investigations were carried out in collaboration with Bohusgeo AB. The aim of the thesis is to do field investigations with the new Vane Geotech Nova (Nova-vane) equipment, and compare the results with known and proven methods. The vane test is an in situ method that determines the undrained shear strength, for example for clay soils. Eight tests have been performed with the Nova-vane and they have been compared with the Nilcon-vane, an electronic Nilcon-vane, a CPT-probing and Direct shear tests in the laboratory. Parameter determination has been done with CRS-tests and ordinary laboratory routine examination. According to earlier research, the time for failure, waiting time and rotational speed are parameters that have been tested in order to know how they affect the evaluated shear strength in clay soils. Previous investigations from 1950 to 1990 show that the parameters mentioned above have a major impact on the evaluated shear strength. When comparing already known evaluation methods for the undrained shear strength, it has been found that the Nova-vane generates shear strength measurements are far too low. The reason why the Nova-vane shows lower undrained shear strengths than other methods may be due to a number of factors. The analysis of the tests shows that the rotation speed has not been constant, as the rotation is becoming faster and faster, the time to failure varies between a few seconds to several minutes over the recommended time to failure. Another major factor is the deviating angle compared to the vertical plane, the vane has been driven down with. In the eight tests, the rotational speed has been a difficult parameter to control. The electric engine used, a modified Geotech EVT 2000 electric vane instrument, could only apply different energies and are normally used for 22 mm probe rods. Which specific applied force on the rods generating the correct rotational speed, depends entirely on the properties of the clay. When 36 mm probe rods are used together with the electric engine the rotational speed is even more difficult to control. According to the SGF recommended standard from 1993 states that the time to failure of a vane test should be between 2 and 4 minutes, from the time the vane is activated. It primarily depends on the speed of rotation, which means that the time for failure was also a difficult parameter to control. The angle with which the Nova-vane is driven increases with depth to about 30° at 30 meters. While the angle of CPT-probing increases only 5° at 30 meters. The driven angle could have significance to the shear strength, although it is difficult to conclude what kind. The Nova-vane is the only vane borer that can measure which angle it is driven down with. The increasing angle is assumed to depend on the geometry of the instrument and not on the properties of the clay. The conclusion is that the measurement with the Nova-vane gives lower values than the other methods. However, the range of values proves only small differences down to the depth of 20 meters. The system as a whole is working with an acceptable accuracy, although a stronger engine and a more precise control of the engine speed is needed. More tests have to be done to determine how the Nova-system can be designed and how the investigation should be performed to get equal values as other proven methods. / Rapporten är en del av ett utvecklingsprojekt som drivs av Ingenjörsfirman Geotech AB, där viss del av fältundersökningar utförts i samarbete med Bohusgeo AB. Examensarbetets roll har varit att utföra fältförsök med den nya vingförsöksutrustningen typ Vane Geotech Nova (Nova-vingsond) för att sedan sammanställa och jämföra resultaten med redan kända och väl beprövade metoder. Vingförsöksmetoden är en in situ metod som bestämmer den odränerade skjuvhållfastheten i kohesionsjord. Åtta försök med Nova-vingsond har utförts och jämförts med Nilcon-vingar och eldriven Nilcon-vinge samt CPT-sondering och direkta skjuvförsök i laboratorium. Även CRS-försök och rutinundersökning i laboratorium har gjorts, för parameterbestämning. Enligt undersökningar i tidigare forskning har: tiden till brott, väntetiden och rotationshastigheten varit parametrar som testats för att se hur de påverkar den utvärderade skjuvhållfastheten i lerjordar. Tidigare forskning utförd mellan 1950 och 1990, visar att nämnda parametrar har en stor inverkan på den utvärderade skjuvhållfastheten. Vid jämförelser mellan Nova-vingsonden och andra utförda försök inom provtagningslokalen ger Nova-vingsonden lägre odränerad skjuvhållfasthet, vilket kan bero på flertalet faktorer. Analysen av försöken påvisar att hastigheten inte har varit konstant utan att rotationen blir allt snabbare, tiden till brott varierar mellan några få sekunder till flera minuter över den rekommenderade tiden till brott. Samt att neddrivningsvinkeln är avvikande från det tänkta vertikalplanet. I de åtta försöken har rotationshastigheten varit en svårstyrd parameter. Den elektriska rotationsmotorn som har använts är en modifierad Geotech EVT 2000. Den elektriska är dimensionerad för sondstänger med en diameter på 22 mm och har en effektinställning. Vilken rotationshastighet som den specifika effekten genererar beror helt på lerans egenskaper, vilket gör att rotationshastighet är svår att ställa in på rotationsmotorn, speciellt med 36 mm sondstänger. Tiden till brott för vingförsöksmetoden ska enligt SGF standard från 1993 vara mellan 2 och 4 minuter från dess att vingen aktiverats. Den beror framför allt av rotationshastigheten, vilket medför att även tiden till brott var en svårstyrd parameter. Nova-vingsonden visar en växande neddrivningsvinkel mot djupet, vid 30 meter cirka 30°, i jämförelse med CTP-sonden som endast ökade med 5° på 30 meter.  Neddrivnings-vinkeln kan ha betydelse för den erhållna skjuvhållfastheten, dock är det en svår att bestämma hur. Nova-vingsonden är den enda vingförsöksmetod som har en lodenhet. CPT-sonden har också en lodenhet, den gav mindre utslag. Neddrivningsvinkeln bero förmodligen på instrumentets geometri och inte på lerans egenskaper. För att kunna styra rotationshastigheten och på så vis tiden till brott behövs en utvecklad utrustning. Främst krävs en starkare motor som rotationshastgeten går att ställa in på, övriga komponenter anses vara tillräckligt noggranna, dock behöver viss systemutveckling ske. Slutsatsen blir att de utförda mätningarna med Nova-vingsonden visar lägre resultat än övriga bestämningar. Då det är många parametrar som har inverkan på resultatet, behövs fler undersökningar göras för att fastställa hur Nova-systemet ska konstrueras och hur försök ska utföras för att erhålla likvärdiga resultat som övriga metoder.

Vid geotekniska fältundersökningar används ofta ”Cone Penetration Test” (CPT-sondering). Denna metod ger en bedömning av jordlagerföljd samt en uppskattning av de geotekniska egenskaperna. Metoden används i lösa till fast lagrade jordar med kornstorlekar upp till grusfraktion, alltså jordar där en sond kan tryckas ned utan slag eller rotation.  När en CPT-spets penetrerar en vattenmättad tät jord sker en omlagring av jorden varvid en lokal ökning av portrycket sker. När ett portrycksutjämningstest utförs, stoppas den nedåtgående rörelsen av sonderingen under en viss tid och portrycket tillåts att klinga av.  Det portryck som sedan uppmäts förväntas motsvara det rådande porvattentrycket på nivån. Syftet med denna studie är att utreda om metoden är lämplig att använda vid mätning av portryck samt om den kan ersätta portrycksspetsar i vissa fall, exempelvis vid tidiga skeden av projekt etc. Studien utfördes för att bedöma hur lång tid portrycksutjämningsförsök tar beroende på jordens permeabilitet, om resultatet blir annorlunda om artesiskt portryck råder, hur resultatet skiljer sig beroende på vilken jordtyp försöket utförs i, om resultatet blir liknande som vid mätning med BAT-portrycksspets samt om det går att hitta samband mellan resultat för försök som är utförda i liknande jord. Den geotekniska fältundersökningen genomfördes i Röbäck som är beläget sydväst om Umeå centrum. Fältundersökningen var tidsmässigt begränsat till 3 dagar. Portrycksutjämnings-försöken tilläts pågå under maximalt 2 timmar per nivå eller till dess att portrycksutjämningen klingat av. Undersökningarna är huvudsakligen utförda i sulfidhaltig jord och endast en typ av CPT-utrustning har använts. Inga portryck som uppmättes vid portrycksutjämningsförsöken var lägre än de som mättes i de installerade portrycksspetsarna för samma nivå. Det tog längre tid för portrycket att klinga av där försöket utfördes på större djup under markytan. Resultatet blev inte annorlunda på de platser där artesiskt portryck uppmätts. Denna studie indikerar att en väntetid på 2 timmar i denna typ av jord endast var tillräckligt lång tid för portrycksutjämningstest ned till ca 7 meter under markytan. I jord med låg permeabilitet, så som i denna fallstudie, blir väntetiderna vid varje stopp väldigt långa. Detta försvårar det praktiska utförandet i fält.

I över 125 år har LKAB bedrivit verksamhet i Kiirunavaara och Malmberget. Då brytningen pågått under lång tid har djupet och därmed även bergspänningarna successivt ökat med tiden. Detta har föranlett ett antal olika problem och utmaningar i anslutning till produktionen såsom utfall av berg samt ökade deformationer. LKAB har tidigare använt sig av längsgående skivrasbrytning i vissa områden vilket har medfört omfattande malmförluster på ett antal nivåer. Men då tillredningskostnaden för detta alternativ är relativt liten jämfört med den mer vanliga tvärgående layouten vill LKAB utreda om det är fördelaktigt att bryta en av malmkropparna, Hoppet, med längsgående brytning. För att studera detta utfördes en sammanställning av produktionen i Hoppets närområde, Alliansen och Printzsköld, med information från befintliga databaser. Därefter kunde en uppskattning av malmförlusterna i området göras. Antal ortmeter för tvärgående layouter mättes i befintliga planer medan ortmetrar för längsgående layout uppskattades med hjälp av geologiska kartor. Tillredningskostnad beräknades sedan för respektive alternativ genom att applicera ett á-pris per meter ort framtaget av LKAB. En modelleringsstudie av längsgående layout gjordes med det finita elementprogrammet RS2 för att bekräfta brottsorsaken samt undersöka om någon placering eller layout av längsgående ortar fungerar bättre. Detta kompletterades med en strukturkartering av aktuellt område med sprickmodellering för att undersöka om längsgående eller tvärgående orientering av ortarna är mer fördelaktig ur strukturgeologisk synvinkel. Produktionssammanställningen visade att hittillsvarande malmförluster i området uppgick till omkring 6,3 miljoner ton, motsvarande ca 4 miljarder SEK vid ett malmpris av 70 USD. Vid längsgående brytning har i snitt 32-42 % av ortmetrarna tillredda för raslastning gått förlorade. Samma tal för tvärgående beräknades till mellan 3-9 %. Problemen med längsgående brytning härleddes till biotitskikt i anfanget mot liggväggen. När skikten lastades av i vertikal led uppstod glidning vilket fick rasborrhålen att gå igen samt förstärkning att spricka upp på grund av deformationen som uppstod. Tillredningskostnaderna för en längsgående layout mellan nivåerna 1109 – 1225 beräknades bli omkring 200 miljoner mindre än kostnaden för motsvarande tvärgående layout. Resultatet från modelleringen pekade på att den i fält observerade brottsmekanismen, avlastning av biotitskikt och påföljande skjuvbrott, var huvudorsaken till brott. Modelleringen visade även att det vid längsgående brytning är mer fördelaktigt att använda sig av en ort som drivs mer mitt i malmkroppen istället för nära liggväggskontakten. Vid malmkropp bredare än 35-40 meter bör dubbla parallella längsgående ortar användas istället för en ort vid längsgående skivrasbrytning då detta ger en mer fördelaktig spänningsfördelning över nivån. Vad gäller strukturmodelleringen påvisade modellerna att ingen avsevärd skillnad avseende strukturstyrda brott finns mellan tvärgående- och längsgående brytning. Skall dagens teknik tillämpas vid ortdrivningen rekommenderas att använda tvärgående skivras ned till nivå 1225. Längsgående kan övervägas endast om möjlighet finns att med mycket exakt precision bestämma biotitens läge så att produktionsorten kan drivas helt i malm så att biotitskikten kan undvikas.

Spent Fuel Repository for low and intermediate radioactive waste, SFR, is owned by SKB (Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co). The repository needs more monitoring of groundwater seepage and improvement of the monitoring methods. Seepage is currently managed by a system that collects the seepage in 2 levels before pumping it to the surface. The current method only allows for the continuous measurement of groundwater seepage in one location in the system. Seepage is measured once per year in different locations in the repository to monitor the amount of seepage in the different parts of the repository. The seepage is primarily caused by deformation zones in the vicinity of the facility. The suggested improvements to the measuring system are to increase the number of places that measure groundwater seepage and up dated the current system in order to increase the measuring accuracy.

A today common soil reinforcement method is the installation of lime-cement columns. Lime-cement columns have been used since the 1970’s and have been a useful method for stabilizing soil at great depths. It is mostly used for stabilizing road and railway embankments because the method is economically viable and the columns are easy to install. The total costs for the installation of the lime-cement columns is dependent on the numbers of installed columns, what percentage of lime and cement that has been used and the pattern in which the columns has been installed. It has been found that the method is more preferred from an environmental perspective than other stabilizing methods from a transport and pollution point of view. A problem with the installation of lime-cement columns is that the stability of the columns has been varying, and that has contributed to costly quality controls. In many cases has a higher security factor than necessary been used, leading to more costs. In this master thesis it has been evaluated whether is exists a relationship between the soils initial undrained shear strength and the evaluated shear strength of the lime-cement column reinforced soil. If such a relationship can be proved, the initial test of the soil might contribute to an easier estimation of how the strength in the columns will develop. It might also contribute to simplify the estimated quantity of the binder and facilitate the estimation of where the tests will be executed. By using different probing and samplings results, the undrained shear strength and other parameters have been evaluated in about 50 sampling points. These have been compared to the shear strength in about 150 lime-cement columns along the new E45 between the cities Bohus and Nödinge in the south of Sweden. The area has been divided into 5 parts to see differences in the geographical areas. The lime-cement columns have been tested after 2 weeks and after 4 weeks after the installation to see the changes due to time. An analysis of how the shear strength in the columns is dependent of the shear strength in the soil along with the depth has been made. The result indicates that the properties of the soil don’t vary significantly along the area, meaning that the differences in the results are dependent on the installation methods of the lime-cement columns and not by the changes in the soil. It can be concluded that the shear strength in the soil increases by the depth, which is a result of the increasing in-situ stress along with the depth. When analyzing the columns tested after 2 weeks it can be stated that there are no significant change of the shear strength along with the depth due to the increasing in-situ stress, and a week relationship could be seen when the columns had been tested after 4 weeks. The reason for this might be the impact of the hydration process meaning that the in-situ stress has a higher impact on the lime-cement columns by time. The variation of the shear strength in the lime-cement in columns with the depth along the distance is independent of the shear strength in the soil, as can be seen from the determination coefficient in the studied intervals that didn’t exceed 10 % with reservation for a few misleading results. The geographical placement has a negligible impact on the lime-cement column-complex.

The precipitation system CIPS (Calcite In-situ Precipitation System) has been created as a permeation grouting system based on a two component fluid with the intention of slowly permeate and fill the pores. It causes cementation through a chemical reaction which bonds the soil particles together at the contact points. CIPS mimics one of the natural reactions in nature where sandstone is formed through calcite precipitation. This system is used in Australia with excellent results and there are many factors governing the outcome of the method, some of these factors are: flow rate, pressure, time, chemical recipe, temperature, composition of the soil matrix and number of performed injections at the same point of location. Some of these factors have been the focus of this report and where they have been examined from a Scandinavian point of view where our ground temperature conditions and soil compositions have governed the outcome of the accomplished results. The strength increase has been examined through laboratory tests where natural sand from a building site with known particle size and dry density has been treated once with the CIPS Fluid. This treatment was completed in a temperature controlled room of 12 degrees after which the treated soil was tested by unconfined compression tests. Even a rather low increase in bearing capacity of the soil would result in benefits during the construction of temporary constructions during the early building stages foundation work. Since the desired increase in bearing capacity of the soil is fairly low, 50-100 kPa, the investigations has concentrated on one single injection, in order to study if there is a clear trend in the increase in bearing capacity, and if it can be roughly predicted. In addition to the above mentioned laboratory work a small scale field test has been conducted, where the CIPS Fluid was injected into the ground with the aim of creating a column shaped object. This column was left for a certain time, a time long enough for the calcite crystal to bond the soil grains and generate an increase in strength. When the assumed cementation had occurred an ocular assessment was carried out in order to predict whether the strength had increased or not, and to what degree. Based on the laboratory results, some evidence of that strength increase occurs due to either the discharge of the spent fluid containing ammonium chloride or the process of drying. Either way, the strength increase takes place during the grounds natural process of adjusting towards the natural water content equilibrium for the specific site of interest. A strength increase at the laboratory experiments of between approximately 60-220 kPa has been achieved. The field tests where slightly less rewarding when difficulties of injecting the CIPS Fluid into the sandy soil arose due to challenging task of designing a pumping system where both a low pressure, less than the overburden pressure, and a low flow rate, less than 7 litres per minute, could be controlled. The flow rate could be controlled but with the effect of the pressure rising to too high levels. Due to the observations of CIPS Fluids exiting the ground at other points than near the injection spear, soil fractures are assumed to have occurred at one ore many locations. The volumes treated with CIPS Fluid displayed no increase in strength as long as they appeared somewhat wet with the spent fluid. When this fluid containing ammonium chloride vanished from the treated soil and the pH-value dropped, the build up in strength through calcite crystallisation at the contact points began. This crystallization which leads to a cementation was observed at the centre of the small spheres achieved through injection in the ground, which proves that the Calcite In-situ Precipitation System has caused a cementation of the soil grains treated.

Ground improvement by deep mixing (DM) is a generic term used for a number of methods in which a binding agent, often lime and/or cement, is mechanically mixed with the soil to increase its engineering properties. The inherent variability with respect to the engineering properties of the improved soil is high due to the variations in geology and the complex mixing process. High variability introduces uncertainty in estimating improved soil properties and the performance of the structure. Current design methodology deals with soil properties deterministically and the uncertainties involved are incorporated in a single value represented by a total factor of safety (FS). The chosen FS is highly dependent on the engineer’s judgment and past experience, in which both of these factors vary between different geotechnical designers. Therefore, current design methodology used in practice for DM does not deal with uncertainties in a rational way. In order to design a geotechnical system with the desired level of confidence, the uncertainties involved must be integrated in the DM design. This can be achieved by using reliability-based design (RBD) methods. The research work in this thesis is presented as a collection of three papers. In the first paper, a comprehensive statistical analysis of cone penetration test (CPT) data is described. The objective was to make a contribution to empirical knowledge by evaluating the strength variability of lime-cement columns within the group of tested columns. In the second paper, the effect of the spatial variability and statistical uncertainty with regard to the embankment’s reliability was investigated within the framework of RBD. The study in the third paper investigated the strength variability in lime-cement columns based on two test methods, namely CPT and column penetration test (KPS). In this study, the effect of different test methods on the evaluation of the design value was addressed. The main conclusions from this study can be summarized as follows. First, the probability distribution function (PDF) for the undrained shear strength of lime-cement columns can be modeled in RBD as normal or log-normal distributions. However, the use of log-normal distribution is recommended for RBD analyses. Second, the evaluated scales of fluctuation indicate ranges of 2 to 4 m and 0.2 to 0.8 m in the horizontal and the vertical directions respectively. This means that in order to fulfill the requirements of independent/uncorrelated samples for assessment of the design value, the spacing between samples must exceed the horizontal scale of fluctuation. It is therefore proposed that the spacing between individual samples should be at least 4 meters. Third, the design values evaluated using CPT and KPS were approximately the same. However, the inherent variability evaluated differs due to the larger volume tested with the KPS probe than with the CPT probe. However, this difference was not significant between the two tests. Fourthly, due to the limitation in the deterministic design in terms of dealing with uncertainties, it is recommended that RBD design should be used in parallel with the deterministic design of lime-cement column. / <p>QC 20120110</p>

Lime-cement columns have been used in Sweden to improve poor soil conditions since the 1970’s. The method is inexpensive and flexible, but is difficult to test since the columns are manufactured in-situ. Many test-methods have been developed for testing the column strength during the years. Most of them need to be evaluated using an empirical correction-factor known as the cone factor. The column penetration test, KPS, is the most commonly used method in Sweden, it is considered to be reliable since a large part of the column cross-section is tested. The problem is that the probe easily deviates out of the column to the softer surrounding soil. Today a pre-drilled guiding-hole, a soil-rock sounding, helps the probe to stay vertical. Although the soil-rock sounding is commonly not used for evaluation of column strength, the penetration resistance is recorded. A visual comparison between the plotted penetration resistances from the two methods shows similarities in both hard and soft areas of the columns. The relation can be measured using statistics, such as the correlation coefficient. A strong correlation was also found, suggesting that a similar equation used to evaluate the undrained shear strength from the column penetration tests can be applied with the data from the soilrock soundings. The statically pushed column penetration test probe and the rotated soil-rock sounding bit bore are likely to cause different failure modes in the column. This means that different empirical cone factors are needed when the undrained shear strength is evaluated. By evaluating the ratio between the cone factors of the column penetration test and the data from the soil-rock soundings from three sites, E-road E18 north of Stockholm, E-road E45 outside Gothenburg and at a construction site at Lidingö, the following aspects of the ratio was investigated: if the ratio was site-specific; the sensitivity to the binder content; the sleeve friction and; the sensitivity to rotational speed and rate of penetration. Average columns formed from the penetration resistance at depth from each site were used during the evaluations. The Swedish geotechnical society has standardised two methodologies that can be used for pre-drilling. The soil-rock sounding methodology which has no fixed rate of penetration or rotational speed, and the total sounding methodology, based on the Norwegian total sounding methodology which has fixed rate of penetration and rotational speed. The latter is to prefer when comparing results between sites. To remove the sleeve friction, the data from the soil-rock soundings needed to be de-trended. The amount of de-trending needed to find a constant cone factor varied at the sites between 0.5 kN/m and 1.0 kN/m. This however caused high interference, partly from scaling the variation. The cone factor for the total sounding methodology was found to be between 0.30- 0.45 times the cone factor for the column penetration test.

Shallow Tunneling through highly populated areas of big cities is a challenging task. Almost in all the tunneling projects of shallow tunnel some or the other types of tunneling problems have been encountered and are still being faced. The stability of shallow tunnel is also influenced by many factors, primarily the in situ stress, geological structures, groundwater, rock mass quality, shape of tunnel etc. The design of shallow tunnel in past was almost purely a matter of experience. During last decays computational methods have been introduced as powerful design aids tool to arrive at safe and economical shallow tunnel structure. The purpose of this thesis work is to provide technical criteria and guidance for the design, and stability of Norra Länken shallow tunnel in rock for civil works projects. The design of shallow tunnels in highly dense areas is an iterative process. A good starting point is essential to the process and facilitates safe and economic design. Currently there are many practical two and three-dimensional software tools available for carrying out the task. This master thesis provides an overview of a methodology being used by tunneling experts, which captures the three-dimensional essentials of tunnel behaviour with two-dimensional analysis tools, PLAXIS. Though it is not a full and final situation and conclusion, but there is a lot to learn from such conditions .

Background: Restrictions on induced abortion varies widely across the globe and so does the rate of induced abortion and maternal mortality (MM). Safe abortions – done by trained providers in hygienic settings and early medical abortions carry fewer health risks and reduce maternal mortality rates (MMR). However, nearly 7 million women in developing countries are treated for complications from unsafe abortions annually, and at least 22,000 die from abortion-related complications every year. Aim: The aim was to explore national and regional patterns of abortion laws, the abortions percentages and the maternal mortality rates (MMR), to see if patterns could be distinguished and how they differentiate to each other. Method: With a shape-file containing polygons representing the world’s countries, and the computer program ArcMap, was used to gather and join data. Result: The result showed that many African countries has a restrictive abortion law, and they also have a high MMR. In the Nordic countries they have a liberalized abortion law and they have low MMR. Another finding is that a restricted abortion law does not correspond to a low percentage of abortions. This is clearly demonstrated in South America, where they have a high abortion percentage, and extremely restricted abortion laws. Conclusion: This result revealed patterns showing that countries with restricted abortion laws, does not contribute to a low MMR, and restricted abortion law does not decrease the percentage of abortions.