Temperature changes occur in soils in a number of ways, e. g. landfill liners, around buried services and during sampling. An experimental programme was conducted to examine the effect of temperature (between 10 to 80 °C) on the volume change and shear behaviour of saturated clays. Testing included Liquid Limit (cone penetrometer), residual shear strength (modified Bromhead Ring Shear), laboratory vane shear ( at moisture contents between the Liquid and Plastic Limits) and oedometer tests. An extensive literature survey indicated that kaolinites and smectites would show extremes of thermal behaviour. To examine this two artificially pure clays were tested: English China Clay (a well crystallised kaolinite) and Wyoming Bentonite (a monovalent smectite). To supplement this four British soils were tested: Keuper Marl, Lower Lias Clay, London Clay and Oxford Clay. Full material data were obtained coupled with careful control of stress and thermal histories. It is concluded that two types of extreme thermal response exists: a thermomechanical and a thermo-physicochemical change exhibited by kaolinite and smectite respectively. The temperature sensitivity of clays relative to a particular parameter is positively related to its specific surface area. A quick and repeatable method to qualitatively assess this has been developed: the LUT method. Its advantages include that no temperature calibrations are needed and it has a relatively large operating temperature range, 10 to 80 °C having been successfully used. The consolidation pressure (in the oedometer) needed to change the nature of a soil's thermal response is negatively related to its specific surface area. This, it is postulated, occurs at the same 'critical' contact stress for all clays, i. e. the interparticle threshold stress at which a thermo-physicochemical response changes to a thermo-mechanical one. This threshold stress occurs at a anisotropic consolidation pressure of 60 kPa for a well crystallised kaolinite , at 250 kPa for reconstituted London Clay and at 480 kPa for a mono-valent smectite. Furthermore, greater parallel particle alignment or reconstituting a sample enhances a soil's temperature sensitivity in the oedometer. The thermal changes to consolidation and permeability coefficients can be typically predicted by the corresponding change to the dynamic viscosity of water. Deviations occur with smectites at normal stresses greater than 480 kPa, while for Keuper Marl this occurred at normal stresses of 50 kPa and greater than 850 kPa. Keuper Marl exhibits a greater temperature sensitivity of different parameters than predicted by index tests. This is strongly dependent on consolidation pressure and temperature. At elevated temperatures (>40 °C) and under increasing consolidation pressure, ped units tend to collapse, but once the pressure is removed ped reformation occurs. Thus knowledge of thermal and stress histories, coupled with full material data, is essential to effectively predict temperature effects on the engineering behaviour of soils with any degree of confidence.

A major design issue in the implementation of a Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) system for extensively crops such as alfalfa (i.e. crops that cover the entire surface as opposed to row crops), is the determination of the appropriate depth of placement of the drip line tubing. It is important to allow necessary farming operations with heavy equipment at harvesting times while still providing adequate water to meet the crop water requirements. It is also a need to ensure appropriate spacing between the dripline laterals to assure reasonable lateral irrigation uniformity for plant germination. In this study, the program HYDRUS-2D was used to determine the wetting pattern above and laterally from a subsurface drip emitter of an SDI system, for three soils typically found in Southern California and Arizona, a Sandy Clay Loam (SCL), a Clay Loam (CL) and a Loam (L). The design and management conditions from an experimental alfalfa field with an SDI system located at Holtville CA were used and analyzed. The first irrigation design was with a drip line depth of placement of 30 cm and the second design with an installation depth of 50 cm. The two different irrigation management schemes utilized by the farmers and producers in that area were: one with a running time of six hours and a frequency of every three days and the second one with an irrigation running time of twenty-four hours with a frequency of seven days or irrigation every week. After having carried out the analysis and studies of the irrigation designs and management schemes mentioned above, a new model with its corresponding management was proposed to meet the alfalfa water requirements under that particular field and weather conditions while we ensure a sufficiently dry soil surface at harvesting time for each soil case. This irrigation management includes twelve hours or irrigation every three days, for each of the three soils analyzed. It was found that the vertical rise of water above the emitters on the day of the cut, for our recommended SDI management was 26 cm, 29 cm, and 27 cm, with a moisture content at the soil surface of 14.9%, 24%, and 13% for the SCL, CL, and L soils respectively. Then, through the utilization of classical soil mechanics theory, an analysis to calculate the increase in stress on soils at any depth due to a load on the surface from a conventional tractor used during harvest operations was made for the proposed SDI system. The results from the increase in stress were then used together with soil strength properties such as shear strength as a function of soil moisture content to determine the minimum allowable depth of placement of the drip line tubing to ensure that soil failure does not occur. The load increase from a 3,300-kg four-wheel tractor was found to be 0.59 kg/cm2 under a rear tire at 10 cm below the surface and 0.07 kg/cm2 at 70 cm below the surface. To ensure that shearing failure does not occur, a stress analysis using Mohr’s circle indicated that the soil moisture content at 10 cm below the surface should be no greater than 26.8%, 32.7%, and 27% in the SCL, CL, and L soils respectively. The mimimum moisture content of 26.8% occur at 10 cm above the drip line for a SCL soil, which means that the minimum depth placement to avoid failure would be 40 cm below the surface. A similar analysis for the CL and L yielded minimum installation depths of 35 cm and 40 cm respectively. This type of analysis is useful in determining the depth of placement of SDI drip line tubing to ensure adequate trafficability of soil irrigated with subsurface drip irrigation systems. An additional outcome of the modeling study was the determination of the lateral extent of the wetted zone which can be used to determine the appropriate lateral spacing between drip line tubing. Thus, to ensure adequate spatial coverage by a subsurface drip system, the maximum horizontal spacing should be of 80 cm for SCL and L soils and 90 cm in CL soils.

Necessary information about soil properties, which is needed for designers and constructors, is obtained in each construction site while examining physical and mechanical properties of soils. Soil strength parameters and using them determined soil bearing resistance usually are defined with some errors. If we know the reasons of errors, disadvantages of testing equipment could be eliminated, methodology of data evaluation could be developed, soil parameters could be determined more precisely and foundation designed more economically. At present triaxial and direct shear tests are the most common tests for determination of soil shear strength parameters in laboratories. Different values of soil shear strength parameters are determined using laboratory equipment of various types. Triaxial test is the most widely used method for determination of soil shear strength parameters. This is one of the most reliable methods to model stress-strain state of ground. It is assumed that soil sample deforms uniformly during the triaxial test. But it is not often the case that a sample in triaxial apparatus deforms uniformly. Questions arise, what is stress-strain distribution in soil sample, when a load is transmitted in a prescribed way? What influence does a non-uniformity have on the soil strength parameters and on foundation size calculated using determined soil strength parameters? Why sandy soil strength parameters obtained from triaxial test are bigger than the one’s, obtained... [to full text] / Projektuojant ir statant įvairius pramoninius ir civilinius pastatus, visada reikalingi duomenys, kurie apibūdintų gruntų, sudarančių pastatų pagrindus, fizines ir mechanines savybes. Tokia projektuotojams ir statybos specialistams būtina informacija gaunama tiriant gruntų fizines, mechanines savybes kiekvienoje statybų aikštelėje. Šių savybių rodikliai ir pagal juos apskaičiuotas pagrindo stiprumas nustatomi su tam tikromis paklaidomis. Atskleidus tų paklaidų priežastis, šalinami tyrimo prietaisų trūkumai, tobulinami tyrimo duomenų apdorojimo metodai, tiksliau nustatomi grunto stiprumo rodikliai, ekonomiškiau projektuojami pamatai. Šiuo metu grunto kerpamojo stiprumo rodikliai dažniausiai nustatomi laboratorijose triašio slėgio ir tiesioginio kirpimo aparatais. Šių savybių rodikliai nustatyti įvairių konstrukcijų prietaisais gaunami skirtingi. Įtempimų ir deformacijų būvis grunto pagrinde geriau modeliuojamas triašio slėgio aparatu nei tiesioginio kirpimo aparatu, todėl triašio slėgio aparatas šiuo metu yra plačiai naudojamas pasaulyje nustatant grunto kerpamojo stiprumo savybių rodiklius. Daroma prielaida, kad bandinys bandymo metu deformuojasi vienodai. Šis teiginys yra pagrindinė triašio bandymo idėja. Tačiau dažniausiai bandinys deformuojasi nevienodai dėl grunto bandinio viršaus ir apačios horizontalių poslinkių suvaržymo, bandinio aukščio, nepakankamo drenavimo, guminės membranos poveikio, jo savojo svorio ir kt. Baigtinių elementų metodo analizė taip pat rodo, kad... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Projektuojant ir statant įvairius pramoninius ir civilinius pastatus, visada reikalingi duomenys, kurie apibūdintų gruntų, sudarančių pastatų pagrindus, fizines ir mechanines savybes. Tokia projektuotojams ir statybos specialistams būtina informacija gaunama tiriant gruntų fizines, mechanines savybes kiekvienoje statybų aikštelėje. Šių savybių rodikliai ir pagal juos apskaičiuotas pagrindo stiprumas nustatomi su tam tikromis paklaidomis. Atskleidus tų paklaidų priežastis, šalinami tyrimo prietaisų trūkumai, tobulinami tyrimo duomenų apdorojimo metodai, tiksliau nustatomi grunto stiprumo rodikliai, ekonomiškiau projektuojami pamatai. Šiuo metu grunto kerpamojo stiprumo rodikliai dažniausiai nustatomi laboratorijose triašio slėgio ir tiesioginio kirpimo aparatais. Šių savybių rodikliai nustatyti įvairių konstrukcijų prietaisais gaunami skirtingi. Įtempimų ir deformacijų būvis grunto pagrinde geriau modeliuojamas triašio slėgio aparatu nei tiesioginio kirpimo aparatu, todėl triašio slėgio aparatas šiuo metu yra plačiai naudojamas pasaulyje nustatant grunto kerpamojo stiprumo savybių rodiklius. Daroma prielaida, kad bandinys bandymo metu deformuojasi vienodai. Šis teiginys yra pagrindinė triašio bandymo idėja. Tačiau dažniausiai bandinys deformuojasi nevienodai dėl grunto bandinio viršaus ir apačios horizontalių poslinkių suvaržymo, bandinio aukščio, nepakankamo drenavimo, guminės membranos poveikio, jo savojo svorio ir kt. Baigtinių elementų metodo analizė taip pat rodo, kad... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Necessary information about soil properties, which is needed for designers and constructors, is obtained in each construction site while examining physical and mechanical properties of soils. Soil strength parameters and using them determined soil bearing resistance usually are defined with some errors. If we know the reasons of errors, disadvantages of testing equipment could be eliminated, methodology of data evaluation could be developed, soil parameters could be determined more precisely and foundation designed more economically. At present triaxial and direct shear tests are the most common tests for determination of soil shear strength parameters in laboratories. Different values of soil shear strength parameters are determined using laboratory equipment of various types. Triaxial test is the most widely used method for determination of soil shear strength parameters. This is one of the most reliable methods to model stress-strain state of ground. It is assumed that soil sample deforms uniformly during the triaxial test. But it is not often the case that a sample in triaxial apparatus deforms uniformly. Questions arise, what is stress-strain distribution in soil sample, when a load is transmitted in a prescribed way? What influence does a non-uniformity have on the soil strength parameters and on foundation size calculated using determined soil strength parameters? Why sandy soil strength parameters obtained from triaxial test are bigger than the one’s, obtained... [to full text]

This study was undertaken to develop an analytical model that is capable of predicting the torque requirements of a rotavator fitted with commercially available L-shaped blades. An analytical approach based on the limit equilibrium analysis was used to develop the proposed model. The proposed model was verified by comparing the model and measured torque requirements at predetermined rotavator blade angular positions from the horizontal for a down-cut rotavator. The study findings indicated that there was an optimum set tillage depth for each rotavator configuration and operational conditions at which the resultant horizontal thrust generated was greatest. This unique depth was influenced by the bite length. The validation of the proposed model showed that the predicted and measured torque requirements, at different angular blade positions from the horizontal, correlated reasonably well for all the set tillage depths. As the depth of tillage increased, however, the curve for the measured torque requirements exhibited a cyclic behaviour after the peak torque requirements value had been recorded. The cyclic behaviour was probably due to the re-tilling and the instability of the tool-frame carrier, which increased with the set tillage depth. The knowledge contributed by this research will afford the designers of active tillage tools a better understanding of the operations of the rotavator, particularly in deep tillage. The modelling approach, and instrumentation technique used in this research, can be extended to analyze the performance of rotavators fitted with other types of commercial blades. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Civil Engineering / unrestricted

The master’s thesis deals with numerical patterns for evaluation of the stability slopes. Solutions have been made with finite element method for different design situations with using programme system ANSYS. The results were compared with conventional approaches determining of the slope safety factor.