Slope instabilities have been affecting the grade slope of Provincial Trunk Highway 5 near the junction with Provincial Trunk Highway 10 in northwestern Manitoba for over 50 years. In recent years, the instabilities have resulted in significant damage to the highway pavement surface. In 2011, Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation initiated a geotechnical investigation to gain a better understanding of the failure, identify possible failure mechanisms, and explore various remedial design alternatives in order to stabilize the slope. The site was instrumented with slope inclinometers and vibrating wire piezometers, and monitored over a period of two years. An extensive laboratory testing program was completed to compare the results of direct shear tests and torsional ring shear tests for determining the shear strength of the underlying Cretaceous clay shale. Measured values were compared with values back analyzed using limit equilibrium analysis. A coupled finite element model was used to model the expected excess porewater pressure response, and therefore the stability of the slope, during construction of a stabilization berm. It was subsequently calibrated to agree with the measured porewater pressure responses from the instrumentation. Finally, spring flood conditions were simulated to determine the effect of multiple flash flood events on the stability of the slope.

In February of 2017 after a period of heavy rainfall, a slope destabilized behind Fremont Hall on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The geology of this slope stability failure is the Franciscan Complex. The Franciscan Complex, when weathered in place, results in clay soil that makes up the typical soil mantle on the hills throughout the region. Peak strength is the typical parameter tested to assess the strength of the soil. For the Franciscan-derived clay, the residual strength is the focus of this study to understand slope failure since the clay is the weakest portion of the matrix in the Franciscan Complex. Both intact and remolded specimens were processed from the samples obtained from the slide for laboratory testing. The tested material is considered representative of the soil found in the Franciscan Complex along the California coast and other similar regions worldwide where the presence of this mélange results in slope instabilities. Three different shearing tests were performed to study the residual strength: direct shear reversal, ring shear, and large-scale direct shear reversal. Sampling soil from the slide took place twice: once in 2017 and once in 2019. A block of soil sampled in 2017 was taken after the toe of the slope was cut for reconstruction which resulted in an exposed slide plane. In 2019, additional samples were retrieved near the toe of the slope after subsequent failure of the slope. Although the material was assumed to be from the slide plane, there is a possibility it may have originated from the surrounding matrix. Intact and remolded specimens were tested in direct shear reversal tests, and remolded specimens were tested in ring shear tests. The 2019 source was tested in the large-scale direct shear reversal tests because the material obtained during 2017 was not enough to replicate the large specimen. Remolded specimens were prepared by passing through sieve No. 40. A secondary set of tests were performed on specimens prepared by passing through sieve No. 200. When comparing remolded against intact specimens, the clasts within the intact material exhibited an influence on the residual strength by an approximate difference of 20%. The results also indicated the liquid limit (LL) had an impact on the residual strength; higher value LL exhibited lower residual strength, and lower value LL exhibited higher residual strength. When comparing the laboratory results against in situ CPT tests, the values from the CPT fell within the range of the laboratory residual strength corresponding to the slide’s depth of movement. The results from testing these specimens showed the soil obtained directly from the slide failure exhibited a residual strength represented as friction angle of 14° ± 2° for intact soil specimens, 11° ± 3° for remolded specimens of the 2017 failure plane passing through No. 40 sieve, and 22° ± 2° for remolded specimens of the 2019 sample location passing though No. 40 sieve. The remolded specimens passing through sieve No. 200 produced even lower results. However, since all clasts were removed by the No. 200 sieve, those results are not considered representative of field conditions. Based on the test results, and the infinite slope limit equilibrium slope stability analysis, a median range of residual strength for this slide is approximately 12.5 to 14.0°.

<p>Discrete element method (DEM) modeling is a common way to model particulate systems and processes. Since the number of particles in most pharmaceutical processes is incredibly large, modeling these substantial magnitudes of particles individually using DEM is not computationally reasonable. To simplify the DEM modeling, agglomerates or groups of particles are modeled instead. This change creates a disconnect between the real particle parameter values and the simulated particle parameter values. Thus, efficient and accurate calibration is needed for effective modeling. </p> <p>The methodology proposed in this thesis utilized a single commonly used bulk flowability measurement device, an annular shear cell, to calibrate for these DEM parameters with the help of dimensional analysis, design of experiments, and statistical tools. Three bulk responses were studied from the ring shear cell: the incipient yield internal friction angle, the critical state internal friction angle, and the bulk cohesion. The most important DEM parameters were isolated and subjected to a dimensional analysis to increase the generality of the results. A modified full-factorial study was then set up using the identified dimensionless parameters. The final calibration results were then validated using an independent flow through an orifice test using a Flodex^TM. </p> <p>This thesis demonstrates this proposed calibration methodology using three different powder samples, lactose, (hydroxypropyl) methyl cellulose (HPMC), and ABT-089. Using the DEM simulation results and the experimental measurements, predictive models were created for all three powder samples. For HPMC, the calibration errors were large while using spherical particles, so a non-spherical particle shape was introduced using the glued-sphere model in DEM. The calibration process was repeated with simulated non-spherical particles with an aspect ratio of two to create a new model for HPMC. </p> <p>The overall calibration procedure and the three models, when validated with the Flodex simulations and measurements, successfully predicted the Flodex results within one Flowability index range for all three powder samples. This demonstrates that this methodology can be used to successfully calibrate various DEM simulation parameters.</p>

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第17868号 / 工博第3777号 / 新制||工||1577(附属図書館) / 30688 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科社会基盤工学専攻 / (主査)教授 寶 馨, 教授 木村 亮, 准教授 立川 康人 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第19285号 / 工博第4082号 / 新制||工||1629(附属図書館) / 32287 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科社会基盤工学専攻 / (主査)教授 寶 馨, 教授 角 哲也, 准教授 佐山 敬洋 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第19955号 / 理博第4222号 / 新制||理||1607(附属図書館) / 33051 / 京都大学大学院理学研究科地球惑星科学専攻 / (主査)教授 釜井 俊孝, 准教授 王 功輝, 教授 林 愛明 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

The shear stress in an unsaturated soil increases rapidly with limited shear strain to a peak value and then drops gradually with a further increase in the shear strain until a residual value is reached. In other words, there is a significant strain-softening behavior under large shear deformation. A variety of geotechnical structures (e.g., slopes, foundations, retaining walls and piles) associated with unsaturated soils typically undergo a large progressive deformation prior to reaching failure conditions due to the influence of environmental factors (e.g., rainfall infiltration and wetting-drying cycles). As a result, the shear strength of soils in sliding zones typically reduces from a peak to a residual value with the progressive development of large shear deformation, while the shear strength of soils in other zones are still at the peak level. In other words, in many scenarios the strain-softening behavior of unsaturated soils can significantly influence the mechanical behavior of geo-structures. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the shear strength behavior of unsaturated soils during strain-softening is required to reliably interpret the mechanical behavior of geo-structures that undergo large shear deformation. Significant advances have been made during the last thirty years to understand and model the strain-softening behavior of unsaturated soils. Most of these studies however focus on the strain-softening behavior within a relatively small shear deformation due to the limitations of the experimental apparatuses. Only limited experimental studies under large shear deformation were reported based on the modified suction-controlled ring shear apparatus. Therefore, more investigations are still required to provide a comprehensive understanding of the shear strength behavior of unsaturated soils during strain-softening under large shear deformation. Studies presented in this thesis are directed towards investigating the shear strength behavior of unsaturated soils during strain-softening and its application in geotechnical engineering practice. The following studies have been conducted: (i) A state-of-the-art review of the strain-softening behavior of unsaturated soils published in the literature during the past three decades is summarized. The physical mechanisms and modelling methods of the strain-softening behavior and the peak, critical and residual shear strength of unsaturated soils are investigated. (ii) A disturbed state concept model is proposed to predict the variation of shear stress in unsaturated soils during strain-softening process under drained condition. Five sets of experimental data gathered from the literature on unsaturated soils varying from coarse- to fine-grained soils are used to verify the proposed model. The proposed model can provide reasonable predictions for the strain-softening stress-strain relationships of various types of unsaturated soils. The model is simple in concept and all the required parameters can be obtained from conventional saturated and unsaturated shearing tests and pressure plate tests. (iii) Two sets of suction-controlled multistage ring shear tests are conducted on unsaturated SP-SM soil and Indian Head till (IHT), respectively. The variation of the shear stress, void ratio, and water content of specimens during shearing (the shear displacement reaches 100 mm) under multi levels of net normal stress and matric suction are described and discussed. The influence of matric suction and net normal stress on the residual shear strength envelops of unsaturated soils are critically discussed. (iv) A model for predicting the residual shear strength for a wide range of unsaturated soils comprising coarse- to fine-grained soils is developed in terms of two stress state variables (i.e., the net normal stress and matric suction) by using the soil water characteristic curve as a tool. The model is formulated and validated based on experimental data in a series of suction-controlled ring shear tests using the axis-translation technique, including the two sets of tests (SP-SM and IHT) conducted in this research and another three sets of tests (SM, SC-SM and CH) gathered from the literature. The fitting parameters are related to the plasticity index (Iₚ); thus, only four basic parameters (i.e., cᵣ', φᵣ', Sᵣ and Iₚ) are included in this approach. (v) A series of slope stability analyses of a landslide in unsaturated condition are conducted using Geoslope software based on the peak and residual shear strength parameters. The analyses results highlight the role of residual shear strength in the slope stability of unsaturated soils. In summary, the mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils under large shear deformation is comprehensively investigated in this thesis. The experimental results of the suction-controlled ring shear tests reported in this research contribute towards understanding the fundamental shear strength behavior of unsaturated soils during strain-softening under large shear deformation. The models proposed in this research provide simple tools to predict the shear strength of unsaturated soils under different levels of shear deformation.

Os movimentos de massa de solo, geralmente, estão relacionados com a mobilização da resistência de uma ou várias superfícies de ruptura pré-existentes. Dessa maneira, o conhecimento da propriedade que rege esse comportamento (resistência ao cisalhamento residual) é de extrema importância no estudo da estabilidade de solos. Segundo Skempton (1985), resistência ao cisalhamento residual é a resistência mínima constante que o solo pode atingir, a baixas taxas de cisalhamento, após sofrer grandes deslocamentos. A determinação dos parâmetros de resistência ao cisalhamento residual pode ser realizada através de ensaios de cisalhamento por torção do tipo ring shear, adequado para estudar os mecanismos atuantes na ruptura, uma vez que permite a continuidade dos deslocamentos no solo. Nesse contexto, a pesquisa teve por objetivo desenvolver um equipamento de cisalhamento torsional baseado no ring shear descrito por Bishop et al. (1971) para avaliar o comportamento do solo a grandes deformações. O equipamento projetado foi validado, preliminarmente, segundo os resultados já publicados na literatura. / Landslides, generally, are related with the mobilization of shear strength of one or more preexisting rupture surfaces. Thus, knowledge of the property that governs this behavior (residual shear strength) has extreme importance in the stability soils study. According to Skempton (1985), residual shear strength is the minimum constant strength attained at low shear rates, at large displacements. The residual shear strength parameters can be accomplished through ring shear tests, suitable for studying the mechanisms in the rupture, since it provides continuity of displacements in the soil. In this context, the research aimed to develop a device based on ring shear described by Bishop et al. (1971) to evaluate the soil behavior in large deformations. The equipment designed was validated, preliminarily, according to the results already published in the literature.

Os movimentos de massa de solo, geralmente, estão relacionados com a mobilização da resistência de uma ou várias superfícies de ruptura pré-existentes. Dessa maneira, o conhecimento da propriedade que rege esse comportamento (resistência ao cisalhamento residual) é de extrema importância no estudo da estabilidade de solos. Segundo Skempton (1985), resistência ao cisalhamento residual é a resistência mínima constante que o solo pode atingir, a baixas taxas de cisalhamento, após sofrer grandes deslocamentos. A determinação dos parâmetros de resistência ao cisalhamento residual pode ser realizada através de ensaios de cisalhamento por torção do tipo ring shear, adequado para estudar os mecanismos atuantes na ruptura, uma vez que permite a continuidade dos deslocamentos no solo. Nesse contexto, a pesquisa teve por objetivo desenvolver um equipamento de cisalhamento torsional baseado no ring shear descrito por Bishop et al. (1971) para avaliar o comportamento do solo a grandes deformações. O equipamento projetado foi validado, preliminarmente, segundo os resultados já publicados na literatura. / Landslides, generally, are related with the mobilization of shear strength of one or more preexisting rupture surfaces. Thus, knowledge of the property that governs this behavior (residual shear strength) has extreme importance in the stability soils study. According to Skempton (1985), residual shear strength is the minimum constant strength attained at low shear rates, at large displacements. The residual shear strength parameters can be accomplished through ring shear tests, suitable for studying the mechanisms in the rupture, since it provides continuity of displacements in the soil. In this context, the research aimed to develop a device based on ring shear described by Bishop et al. (1971) to evaluate the soil behavior in large deformations. The equipment designed was validated, preliminarily, according to the results already published in the literature.

Os movimentos de massa de solo, geralmente, estão relacionados com a mobilização da resistência de uma ou várias superfícies de ruptura pré-existentes. Dessa maneira, o conhecimento da propriedade que rege esse comportamento (resistência ao cisalhamento residual) é de extrema importância no estudo da estabilidade de solos. Segundo Skempton (1985), resistência ao cisalhamento residual é a resistência mínima constante que o solo pode atingir, a baixas taxas de cisalhamento, após sofrer grandes deslocamentos. A determinação dos parâmetros de resistência ao cisalhamento residual pode ser realizada através de ensaios de cisalhamento por torção do tipo ring shear, adequado para estudar os mecanismos atuantes na ruptura, uma vez que permite a continuidade dos deslocamentos no solo. Nesse contexto, a pesquisa teve por objetivo desenvolver um equipamento de cisalhamento torsional baseado no ring shear descrito por Bishop et al. (1971) para avaliar o comportamento do solo a grandes deformações. O equipamento projetado foi validado, preliminarmente, segundo os resultados já publicados na literatura. / Landslides, generally, are related with the mobilization of shear strength of one or more preexisting rupture surfaces. Thus, knowledge of the property that governs this behavior (residual shear strength) has extreme importance in the stability soils study. According to Skempton (1985), residual shear strength is the minimum constant strength attained at low shear rates, at large displacements. The residual shear strength parameters can be accomplished through ring shear tests, suitable for studying the mechanisms in the rupture, since it provides continuity of displacements in the soil. In this context, the research aimed to develop a device based on ring shear described by Bishop et al. (1971) to evaluate the soil behavior in large deformations. The equipment designed was validated, preliminarily, according to the results already published in the literature.