Soils bear natural and artificial structures and sustain agricultural and biological activities. Understanding soil behaviour is the key to appropriating the benefits derivable from this material. Engineers are usually interested in the mechanical aspect of soil behaviour. This involves the study of volume change and shear response to applied stresses. In the past, soil shear and volume change behaviour were studied independently. But many practical problems involve shearing accompanied by volume change, therefore, it is desirable to consider this interaction in modelling soil behaviour. The critical state theory (Roscoe et al. 1958) was developed to combine both shear and volume change behaviour of soils. Early soil mechanics theories including the critical state theory, were developed for saturated soils. Because unsaturated soils are encountered in many situations, there is the need to adapt earlier theories or to formulate new ones for unsaturated soils. The major differences in the physical behaviour of saturated and unsaturated soils are due to an internal stress called matric suction formed at the air-water interface in the soil pores. Theories developed for unsaturated soil mechanics are based on the inclusion of the effect of matric suction on soil behaviour. In this study, the applicability of two major frameworks (i.e., critical state theory and unsaturated soil mechanics) to the study of agricultural soil behaviour was investigated. Soil behaviour was considered within a modified critical state framework that permits the application of critical state theories to an unsaturated soil. An experimental program involving tests in a modified state-of-the-art triaxial testing system was undertaken. Critical state soil parameters were obtained and state boundaries identified. The role of matric suction and soil structure on state parameters are presented. Changes in matric suction caused a shift (translation) in state boundaries, while changes in structure caused a rotation of the state boundaries. Results also showed that the assumption that matric suction is a constant variable depends on the stress level in the soil. Under low stress regimes, this assumption seems justifiable, however this is questionable under high stress regimes. This study also showed the importance of consideration of suction in the analysis of agricultural soil behaviour.

The main objective of this research is to present a robust numerical framework based upon Isogeometric analysis (IGA) for simulation of thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes in variably saturated soils. The proposed platform employs the Bézier extraction operator to connect IGA to the conventional finite element analysis (FEA), allowing to take advantage of features offered by the two methods. In the first part, the formulation and numerical implementation for fully coupled numerical simulation of THM problems in saturated porous media are presented. The results are compared against analytical solutions and experimental tests available in the literature. In the second part, the proposed method is used to study the temperature effect on the hydro-mechanical response of sd supporting hydrocarbon pipelines, an aspect that has been overlooked in the majority of previous studies. The results highlight the need for considering nonisothermal behavior in different analysis and design stages of sd-buried pipelines. In the third part, the proposed IGA-FEA framework is extended to evaluate the nonisothermal elasto-plastic behavior of unsaturated soils. Drucker-Prager yield surface is used as criterion to limit the modified effective stress where the model follows small strain, quasi-static loading conditions. The framework is used to simulate strain localization of unsaturated dense sand subjected to undrained compression loading. In comparison with FEA, the present method smoothly distributes plastic strain over the adjacent elements. The parametric study highlights the importance of considering temperature effects in elasto-plastic analysis of unsaturated soils.

No description available.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / At present, the construction of highways in Andean areas the connect the various most important towns and cities in South America has become has become a key element for its development, since these routes and viaducts allow free access to cover basic needs of education, work, food and health of the population. Much of the land in these areas is clay soils whose behavior is quite unpredictable because they present abrupt volume changes according to the variation of saturation in the soil. People who travel on roads on slopes of this type of soil are at high risk due to the slippage that the slopes suffer each year. The most recent was on April 3, 2020 because of the heavy rainfall that was registered in the area; there was a landslide that affected communication channels in the department of Cajamarca in Peru [1]. In this type of slopes landslides occur when the clayey soil is specifically saturated, because under these conditions the soil is not stable and loses cohesion between its particles, therefore it is important to make slope stability studies taking into account the partially saturated soil. This article presents results of tests allow to recognize the physical characteristics of the clay soil in the province of Chepén in Cajamarca. In addition, the filter paper method is used to elaborate the soil-water characteristic curve and a series of direct shear tests are carried cut at different degrees of saturation. With these results, the partially saturate soil fault surface is constructed that allows visualizing the value of the shear stress of the soil according to the saturation to which it is subjected. This value will be important for calculating the safety factor that the slope floor must have of the resistance shear of the soil according to the saturation, this value will be important for the calculation of the safety factor that the floor of the slope must have so that it does not fall. Therefore, considering this condition of the partially saturated soil in the slope stability analysis provides values of the safety factor that are closer to reality, without the need to carry out the analysis in the most critical condition, such as what it done in classical soil mechanics.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:28:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1091644 bytes, checksum: e1d6af20cbbbd1a4c083a7271719354c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-02-10 / Hydraulic conductivities of three non-saturated soils of the Viçosa region were studied with field tests, using the Guelph permeameter, and laboratory tests. In the field, the tests were performed with one and two hydraulic head heights. The corresponding results were analyzed with theoretical models proposed by REYNOLDS and ELRICK (1985). In the laboratory, water retention curves and saturated hydraulic conductivities of the soils were determined, with which variation of the hydraulic conductivities with suction were obtained using VAN GENUCHTEN (1980) and GARDNER (1958) empirical formulations. Finally, the non-saturated hydraulic conductivities obtained with the Guelph permeameter and the ones determined in the laboratory were compared. With the exception of soil 03, in which the walls of the hole made to execute the field test smeared, the saturated hydraulic conductivities values obtained in the field and in the laboratory were similar. With respect to the hydraulic conductivities variation with suction, it was verified that field and laboratory results agreed better when GARDNER (1958) model was used to represent the water retention curves than when the VAN GENUCHTEN (1980) model was used. / A condutividade hidráulica de três solos não saturados da região de Viçosa-MG é estudada através de ensaios de campo, empregando o permeâmetro Guelph, e ensaios de laboratório. No campo, os ensaios foram realizados com uma e duas alturas de carga. Os resultados obtidos foram analisados com os modelos teóricos proposto por REYNOLDS e ELRICK (1985). No laboratório, as curvas de retenção de água dos solos e as condutividades hidráulicas saturadas foram determinadas, o que possibilitou a determinação da variação da condutividade hidráulica com a sucção, através das fórmulas empíricas de VAN GENUCHTEN (1980) e GARDNER (1958). Por fim, os valores da condutividade hidráulica não saturada fornecidos pelo permeâmetro Guelph foram comparados com os obtidos no laboratório. Com exceção do solo 03, no qual as paredes do furo escavado para a execução do ensaio de campo colmataram, as condutividades hidráulicas saturadas dos solos obtidas no campo e no laboratório foram praticamente iguais. Com relação à variação da condutividade hidráulica com a sucção, verificou-se que os resultados de campo e laboratório tiveram uma maior concordância quando se usou o modelo de GARDNER (1958) para representar a curva de retenção de água dos solos do que quando se usou o modelo de VAN GENUCHTEN (1980).

No description available.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:28:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 2996441 bytes, checksum: f739a460b120b46bfec2445936cf3edb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-03-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In tropical countries, like Brazil, soils in non saturated condition are frequently encountered. Besides, the majority of geotechnical works load the ground according to stress paths in which the three principal stresses are different and vary independently. Therefore, the need to develop equipments able to test in the laboratory non saturated soil samples following these stress paths. In this thesis, a new cubic triaxial cell is presented. The equipment was developed to test soil samples in dry, saturated or with matric suction controlled conditions. Results of a test program realized with the new equipment in a young residual soil samples are presented. A bibliographic review is made dealing with axisymmetrical and cubical triaxial equipments able to test soil samples in non saturated conditions, and principal features of non saturated soil behavior. Following, components of the cubical triaxial device are described in full detail and, in the next Chapter, the main characteristics of the young residual soil tested, as well as the methodology used during the test program, are presented. Finally, test results are presented and discussed, including tests with saturated and non saturated soil samples, realized in conventional stress paths in which two principal stresses are equal, and in non conventional stress paths in which the three principal stresses vary independently. The main conclusions state that the developed equipment is working adequately and seems to be appropriate to study the behavior of non saturated soils. / Em países de clima tropical como o Brasil, frequentemente, se encontram solos em condições não-saturadas. Além disso, a maioria das obras geotécnicas solicita o solo em trajetórias de tensão nas quais as três tensões principais são diferentes e variam independentemente. Daí a necessidade de se construir equipamentos capazes de ensaiar no laboratório amostras de solos não saturados seguindo essas trajetórias de tensão. Nesse trabalho, um novo equipamento triaxial cúbico é apresentado. O equipamento foi desenvolvido para ensaiar amostras de solo em condições secas, saturadas ou com sucção matricial controlada. Faz-se uma revisão bibliográfica sobre equipamentos triaxiais assimétricos e cúbicos capazes de ensaiar solos não-saturados, e sobre aspectos importantes do comportamento de solos não saturados. Em seguida, apresentam-se e descrevem-se todos os elementos que compõem a célula triaxial cúbico sedo feita uma descrição detalhada de todo o equipamento. O Capítulo seguinte apresenta as principais características do solo residual jovem ensaiado, bem como a metodologia usada durante a realização do programa de ensaios. Finalmente, apresentam-se e discutem-se os resultados dos ensaios realizados com o solo residual em condições saturadas, não saturadas, em trajetórias de tensão convencionais, em que duas tensões principais são iguais, e em trajetórias não convencionais, nas quais as três tensões principais variam independentemente. As principais conclusões apontam que o equipamento desenvolvido está funcionando adequadamente e parece ser muito apropriado para estudar o comportamento de solos não saturados.

Lors du dimensionnement des ouvrages en terre : remblais, digues, on observe que la plupart des matériaux sont compactés à l’optimum Proctor ou coté humide. En général, ce compactage implique que le sol se trouve dans un état où le degré de saturation est très élevé. Cruz et al (1985) ont montré qu'à un degré de saturation élevé (supérieur à 85%, voire 90% dans le cas de certains sols), la phase liquide est continue alors que l’air présent sous forme de bulles est occlus ; ce qui rend le comportement du sol complexe. L’élaboration d’un modèle de comportement pour ce type de sols nécessite une compréhension approfondie des phénomènes physico-mécaniques intervenant au sein de l’air occlus, de l'eau liquide contenant de l'air dissous et du squelette solide. Dans ce sens, un nouveau modèle hydromécanique a été développé. Ce modèle prend en compte le comportement physico-mécanique et la cinématique propre de chacun des constituants du milieu polyphasé (eau liquide, air dissous, air sous forme gazeuse et matrice solide). En particulier, dans ce modèle, nous tenons compte de la tension de surface, de la migration des phases gazeuse et liquide qui ont des impacts importants sur le comportement mécanique des sols. Le développement du modèle conduit à un système d’équations aux dérivées partielles fortement non linéaire qui peut être résolu numériquement en utilisant la méthode des éléments finis. Ce nouveau modèle a été implémenté dans un code de calcul écrit en C++ « Hydromech », développé à l'origine par Pereira (2005), qui permet de simuler les essais oedométriques suivant différents trajets de chargement hydromécanique. En particulier, ce code de calcul permet de simuler de façon cohérente la transition entre différents régimes de saturation, aussi bien dans l'espace (translation progressive d'une frontière entre deux régimes voisins) que dans le temps (passage d'un régime à l'autre en un point donné) ; ce qui constitue un problème de modélisation difficile. Les études numériques réalisées montrent que ce modèle donne des résultats cohérents et mettent en évidence sa capacité à simuler avec précision le comportement hydromécanique des sols quasi-saturés comportant de l'air occlus. / The behaviour of quasi-saturated materials is an important factor to be considered when designing cuttings and embankments in which earthwork materials are compacted to the optimum proctor density. Typically, soil compaction is performed at the optimum Proctor or on the wet side of the optimum, which means that the soil is in a highly saturated state. Cruz et al (1985) have shown that at a high degree of saturation (greater than 85% or even 90% in the case of certain soils), the liquid phase is continuous whereas the gas phase in the form of entrapped air bubbles is discontinuous. It is the presence of the entrapped air bubbles which makes the soil behaviour complex. The construction of a theoretical model for this type of soils requires the consideration of various physical-mechanical phenomena and their couplings occurring within the tri-phasic medium consisting of the solid grains, liquid water containing dissolved air and the entrapped air bubbles. In this sense, a new hydromechanical model has been developed that takes into account the physical-mechanical interactions between different phases as well as the kinematics of each constituent (liquid water, dissolved air, gaseous air and solid grains). In particular, the model accounts for the interfacial tension, migration of gaseous and liquid phases, which have important impacts on the mechanical behaviour. The development leads to a system of highly non-linear partial differential equations which can be solved numerically using the finite element method. This new model has been implemented in a numerical code “Hydromech” written in C++, developed originally by Pereira (2005) that has been used to simulate oedometer tests with different hydromechanical loading paths. In particular, this code allows to simulate consistently the transition across different regimes of saturation, both with respect to space (progressive translation of a boundary between two neighbouring regimes) and to time (transition of one regime to another at a fixed material point); which constituted a difficult modelling problem at the start. Numerical studies carried out show that this model gives consistent results providing a clear demonstration of its ability to simulate with precision the hydro-mechanical behaviour of quasi-saturated soils containing entrapped air.

A análise e projeto de grandes estruturas de engenharia requerem, geralmente, a utilização de fundações profundas baseadas em estacas de aço ou concreto armado. Sendo o problema de natureza tridimensional pelas condições de contorno e a variação espacial das propriedades do solo, necessita-se de uma ferramenta computacional capaz de simular esse tipo de problema em situações de interesse, tais como carregamento sísmico ou quase-estático por consolidação. Neste trabalho, propõe-se um modelo numérico tridimensional baseado no método dos elementos finitos sob pequenas deformações para a modelagem do problema de interação solo-estaca sob carregamento estático, quase-estático e dinâmico. Elementos finitos hexaédricos são utilizados para representar o meio poroso saturado e as estacas de concreto armado. Considera-se a interação parcial entre ambos meios, mediante a inclusão de elementos de interface capazes de simular separação e escorregamento. A não-linearidade física de todos os materiais envolvidos é considerada mediante a utilização da teoria de plasticidade, onde esquemas de integração explícita são utilizados. Um modelo constitutivo baseado na teoria de plasticidade generalizada é utilizado para simular o fenômeno de liquefação em areias. No caso da estaca de concreto armado, utilizou-se um modelo de fissuras distribuídas para representar o processo de fissuração, enquanto a armadura de reforço pode ser representada por uma camada distribuída equivalente ou por um modelo discreto incorporado. Exemplos numéricos são apresentados para validar a correta implementação do modelo numérico. / Deep foundations using steel or reinforced concrete piles are conmmonly used in large civil engineering structures. Due to the three-dimensional nature of the problem, its boundary conditions and spatial variability of soil properties, it is necessary to employ numerical models that must be able to simulate this problem under seismic loading as well as under quasi static consolidation processes. A three-dimensional numerical model based on the finite element method, for the static, quase-static and dynamic analysis of the soil-pile interaction problem under the small strain assumption is proposed in this work. For this purpose, coupled hexahedral finite elements are used to represent soil and concrete piles. Interface elements are used to simulate slip, bonding and opening processes at the soil-pile interface. Material nonlinear behaviour of the soil and concrete are considered by using the theory of plasticity, where explicit integration schemes are used. A suitable constitutive model based on the generalized theory of plasticity is employed to represent the liquefaction phenomena in sands under cyclic loading. For the concrete pile, a smeared approach is used to represent concrete cracking due to traction stresses, while both an equivalent smeared layer representation or a discrete unidimensional representation can be used for modeling the reinforcing steel. Numerical examples are presented in order to validate the implementation of the numerical model.

Au cours des conflits récents, les véhicules ont été sujet à des attaques impliquant une grande quantité d'explosif enterré. En général, les planchers sont visés, et leurs déformations absorbent une partie de l'énergie. Le véhicule subit également une impulsion, transmise par la détonation, qui peut blesser gravement les occupants. L'intensité de l'impulsion dépend principalement de trois paramètres: le degré de saturation du sol, la nature du sol dans lequel l'explosif est enterré, et la profondeur d'enfouissement de la charge. Les simulations numériques doivent reproduire le processus intégral de l'explosion, incluant l'initiale interaction entre la charge et le sol, l'expansion des produits de détonation, la propagation de l'onde de choc jusqu'au plancher du véhicule, et la grande déformation des projections de sol. L'information mécanique transmise jusqu'au niveau du plancher doit être suffisamment précise car les effets sur le véhicule constituent l'objectif des simulations. Développer un modèle constitutif de sol est par conséquent délicat.%délicat. un défi. tâche difficile. Le modèle de sol est visco-plastique avec un cap écrouissable, une surface de rupture pour limiter les contraintes de cisaillement et un cut off contre les contraintes excessives de tension. La surface de charge est entièrement lisse afin que les incréments de déformation plastique soient continus. Un mécanisme de rigidification est présenté pour tenir compte de la compression de l'air et des très grandes contraintes dans l'environnement immédiat de la charge. Le taux d'humidité du sol est également pris en compte. Deux séries d'essais ont été réalisés à DGA TT pour servir de référence pour les simulations numériques. Une première campagne a mis en jeu de petites quantités d'explosif à plusieurs profondeurs d'enfouissement. Les pressions aériennes ont été mesurées à plusieurs hauteurs et comparées aux simulations. Un moyen d'essai a été utilisé lors de la seconde campagne d'essais pour mesurer à la fois la déformation d'une plaque représentant un plancher de véhicule, mais aussi l'impulsion transmise par l'explosion enfouie. Un certain nombre de taux d'humidité, profondeurs d'enfouissement, épaisseurs de plaques et gardes au sol a été étudié. Au cours des essais, le sol STANAG, composé de sable et de graviers, défini dans l'AEP 55 relatif au STANAG 4569, a été utilisé. Des simulations Eulériennes ont été réalisées et sont en accord avec les résultats d'essais. Le rôle des trois parties de la surface de charge, des mécanismes de rigidification élastique et d'écrouissage plastique a été évalué. La masse volumique initiale du sol et la position initiale du cap sont les paramètres ayant la plus grande influence sur les pressions aériennes. Quant à l'impulsion, elle est principalement contrôlée par le degré de saturation du sol. / In recent conflicts, vehicles have been facing underbelly attacks involving a large quantity of buried explosive. A part of the energy is absorbed by the deformation of the belly. Still the vehicle is subjected to the impulse transmitted by the detonation which may severely injure occupants. The intensity of the impulse is highly dependent on three main parameters which are the degree of saturation of the soil, the nature of the soil in which the explosive is buried and the depth of burial of the charge. Computer simulations should follow the complete process of the explosion, including the early interaction of the charge with the soil, the expansion of the detonation products, the propagation of the shock wave up to the vehicle floor, and the large deformation of the soil projections. The mechanical information transmitted up to the floor level should be sufficiently accurate because the impact on the vehicle is the key target of the simulations. Developing a constitutive soil model is therefore a challenging task. The soil model is visco-plastic with a hardening cap surface, a failure surface to limit shear stresses and a cut off surface against excessive tension. The entire yield surface is smooth so that the plastic strain increments are continuous. A stiffening mechanism is introduced to account for air compression and accommodate the huge stresses in the immediate neighborhood of the charge. The water content of the soil is also taken into account. Two sets of experiments were carried out at DGA TT to serve as a reference for computer simulations. A first campaign involved small quantity of explosive at several depths of burial. The aerial pressures were measured at various heights and compared to simulations. The second set of experiments used a test rig to measure both the deformation of a floor simulating plate and the impulse transmitted by the buried explosion. A range of soil water contents, depths of burial of the explosive, plate thicknesses and stand off distances has been explored. For all the experiments, the sandy gravel STANAG soil defined in AEP 55 of STANAG 4569 has been used. Eulerian simulations were run and fit with these experiments. The roles of the three parts of the yield surface, of the elastic stiffening and plastic hardening mechanisms could be assessed. The initial soil density and the initial cap position were found to have the largest influence on aerial pressures. As for the impulse transmitted to the metallic plate, it was observed to be mostly controlled by the degree of saturation of the soil.