A prova de carga dinâmica é freqüentemente utilizada na determinação da capacidade de carga de fundações por estacas cravadas e há relatos de uso com sucesso deste ensaio em estacas escavadas e tubulões. Esta pesquisa envolveu a adaptação e execução da prova de carga dinâmica na placa de aço circular de diâmetro 0,80 m, com o objetivo de inferir a capacidade de carga do sistema placa-solo. Como a prova de carga dinâmica permite que seja feita a comprovação da carga durante a cravação, vislumbra-se também a viabilização desse tipo de ensaio em solos porosos por meio da cravação da placa o necessário para atingir a capacidade de carga exigida em um projeto. Os ensaios foram realizados no campo experimental da USP/São Carlos, com solo superficial não saturado, poroso e colapsível, por isso foram feitas medidas dos valores de sucção matricial, já que esta exerce forte influência sobre a capacidade de carga / The dynamic load test is frequently used in the determination of driven piles foundation bearing capacity. It is also reported the successful use of the test in bored piles and caissons. This research included the adaptation and execution of the dynamic load test in circular steel plate, to verify the bearing capacity of footing foundations. Since the dynamic load tests allow the bearing capacity to be verified during the construction, it is also glimpsed the possibility of using this test in porous soils by penetrating the plate into the soil until the expected bearing capacity is achieved. The tests were held at the USP/São Carlos experimental foundation camp, which has superficial unsaturated, porous and colapsive soil, so matric suction's measurement were made, since it has strong influence on the bearing capacity

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar o comportamento mecânico de uma areia não saturada, com e sem reforço de fibras, através de ensaios de placa realizados em densidade relativa de 50% e 90%. Para o reforço da areia foi acrescentada a quantidade de 0,5% de fibra de polipropileno em relação ao peso seco de solo. A análise dos resultados dos ensaios de placa indica que a inclusão de fibras influencia significativamente no comportamento carga-recalque do material. O melhor resultado foi obtido para o ensaio realizado na maior densidade relativa (DR = 90%) com adição de fibras, apresentando uma mudança significativa no comportamento carga-recalque. Ensaios triaxiais também foram realizados a fim de obter os parâmetros de resistência e deformação dos materiais estudados. Além disso, ensaios de sucção foram realizados para avaliar a sua influência sobre os parâmetros de resistência do solo não saturado, com e sem reforço. / The aim of present research was to study the mechanical behavior of unreinforced and fiber-reinforced unsaturated sand through plate load tests carried out at relative densities of 50% and 90%. For the reinforced sand, 50 mm long polypropylene fibers were added at a concentration of 0.5% by dry weight. The analysis of the plate test results indicates that the soil load-settlement behavior is significantly influenced by the fiber inclusion. The best performance was obtained for the densest (DR=90%) fiber-sand mixture, where a significant change in the load-settlement behavior was observed. Triaxial tests were also carried out in order to establish the strength and deformation parameters of the materials studied. Furthermore, suction tests were carried out to investigate its potential influence on the strength parameters of the unsaturated fiber-reinforced and unreinforced materials.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar o comportamento mecânico de uma areia não saturada, com e sem reforço de fibras, através de ensaios de placa realizados em densidade relativa de 50% e 90%. Para o reforço da areia foi acrescentada a quantidade de 0,5% de fibra de polipropileno em relação ao peso seco de solo. A análise dos resultados dos ensaios de placa indica que a inclusão de fibras influencia significativamente no comportamento carga-recalque do material. O melhor resultado foi obtido para o ensaio realizado na maior densidade relativa (DR = 90%) com adição de fibras, apresentando uma mudança significativa no comportamento carga-recalque. Ensaios triaxiais também foram realizados a fim de obter os parâmetros de resistência e deformação dos materiais estudados. Além disso, ensaios de sucção foram realizados para avaliar a sua influência sobre os parâmetros de resistência do solo não saturado, com e sem reforço. / The aim of present research was to study the mechanical behavior of unreinforced and fiber-reinforced unsaturated sand through plate load tests carried out at relative densities of 50% and 90%. For the reinforced sand, 50 mm long polypropylene fibers were added at a concentration of 0.5% by dry weight. The analysis of the plate test results indicates that the soil load-settlement behavior is significantly influenced by the fiber inclusion. The best performance was obtained for the densest (DR=90%) fiber-sand mixture, where a significant change in the load-settlement behavior was observed. Triaxial tests were also carried out in order to establish the strength and deformation parameters of the materials studied. Furthermore, suction tests were carried out to investigate its potential influence on the strength parameters of the unsaturated fiber-reinforced and unreinforced materials.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / In this research we study the geomechanical behavior of municipal solid waste from the Metropolitan West Caucaia landfill (ASMOC) where tests were performed on the soil surface and on residue of an experimental cell of municipal solid waste (MSW). Laboratory tests for the soil samples characterization consisted of granulometric analyzes, density, consistency indices, compaction Energy Standard Proctor and Index Support California (ISC) and for the characterization of solid waste in situ tests were performed like composition of gravimetric, moisture and specific weight. In field, tests were developed to determine the natural moisture content, through Speedy, natural specific weight through sand flask, standard penetration test (SPT) and plate load test.To evaluate the capacity of the MSW landfill, it was also held a standard penetration test (SPT) and plate load tests on a portion of the former landfill waste inside the ASMOC. It was settled yet superficial landmarks for the settlements monitoring in the experimental cell. After analyzing the results, we evaluated the future use of the study area for instance the foundation of small buildings, subgrade small access roads or green area of playgrounds. Based on the results, it can be stated that it is possible to use the MSW disposal area as support from foundations of small buildings, subgrade small access roads and green area of playgrounds, since biodegradation processes have been terminated, drainage systems of gas and leachate are rightly designed and that the soil surface is properly compacted. / Na presente pesquisa estuda-se o comportamento geomecÃnico dos resÃduos sÃlidos urbanos provenientes do Aterro SanitÃrio Metropolitano Oeste de Caucaia (ASMOC), onde foram realizados ensaios no solo de cobertura e no resÃduo, de uma cÃlula experimental de resÃduos sÃlidos urbanos (RSU). Os ensaios de laboratÃrio para caracterizaÃÃo das amostras de solo constou de anÃlises granulometrica, massa especÃfica, Ãndices de consistÃncia, compactaÃÃo na Energia de Proctor Normal e Ãndice de Suporte CalifÃrnia (ISC) e para a caracterizaÃÃo dos resÃduos sÃlidos in situ foram realizados ensaios de composiÃÃo de gravimÃtrica, umidade e peso especÃfico. Em campo, foram desenvolvidos ensaios para determinaÃÃo do teor de umidade natural, por meio do Speedy, do peso especÃfico natural, atravÃs do frasco de areia, sondagens à percussÃo (SPT) e provas de carga direta. Para a avaliaÃÃo da capacidade de carga do aterro de RSU realizou-se ainda uma sondagem à percussÃo (SPT) e provas de carga direta em uma porÃÃo do aterro de resÃduo antigo no interior do ASMOC. Instalaram-se ainda marcos superficiais para o monitoramento dos recalques na cÃlula experimental. ApÃs a anÃlise dos resultados avaliou-se o uso futuro da Ãrea em estudo como: fundaÃÃo de pequenas edificaÃÃes, subleito de pequenas vias de acesso e como Ãrea verde de parques recreativos. Com base nos resultados pode-se afirmar que à possÃvel o uso da Ãrea de disposiÃÃo de RSU como suporte de fundaÃÃes de pequenas edificaÃÃes, subleito de pequenas vias de acesso e Ãrea verde de parques recreativos, desde que os processos de biodegradaÃÃo tenham sido cessados, os sistemas de drenagem de gases e de chorume estejam devidamente dimensionados e que o solo de cobertura esteja adequadamente compactado.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar o comportamento mecânico de uma areia não saturada, com e sem reforço de fibras, através de ensaios de placa realizados em densidade relativa de 50% e 90%. Para o reforço da areia foi acrescentada a quantidade de 0,5% de fibra de polipropileno em relação ao peso seco de solo. A análise dos resultados dos ensaios de placa indica que a inclusão de fibras influencia significativamente no comportamento carga-recalque do material. O melhor resultado foi obtido para o ensaio realizado na maior densidade relativa (DR = 90%) com adição de fibras, apresentando uma mudança significativa no comportamento carga-recalque. Ensaios triaxiais também foram realizados a fim de obter os parâmetros de resistência e deformação dos materiais estudados. Além disso, ensaios de sucção foram realizados para avaliar a sua influência sobre os parâmetros de resistência do solo não saturado, com e sem reforço. / The aim of present research was to study the mechanical behavior of unreinforced and fiber-reinforced unsaturated sand through plate load tests carried out at relative densities of 50% and 90%. For the reinforced sand, 50 mm long polypropylene fibers were added at a concentration of 0.5% by dry weight. The analysis of the plate test results indicates that the soil load-settlement behavior is significantly influenced by the fiber inclusion. The best performance was obtained for the densest (DR=90%) fiber-sand mixture, where a significant change in the load-settlement behavior was observed. Triaxial tests were also carried out in order to establish the strength and deformation parameters of the materials studied. Furthermore, suction tests were carried out to investigate its potential influence on the strength parameters of the unsaturated fiber-reinforced and unreinforced materials.

A prova de carga dinâmica é freqüentemente utilizada na determinação da capacidade de carga de fundações por estacas cravadas e há relatos de uso com sucesso deste ensaio em estacas escavadas e tubulões. Esta pesquisa envolveu a adaptação e execução da prova de carga dinâmica na placa de aço circular de diâmetro 0,80 m, com o objetivo de inferir a capacidade de carga do sistema placa-solo. Como a prova de carga dinâmica permite que seja feita a comprovação da carga durante a cravação, vislumbra-se também a viabilização desse tipo de ensaio em solos porosos por meio da cravação da placa o necessário para atingir a capacidade de carga exigida em um projeto. Os ensaios foram realizados no campo experimental da USP/São Carlos, com solo superficial não saturado, poroso e colapsível, por isso foram feitas medidas dos valores de sucção matricial, já que esta exerce forte influência sobre a capacidade de carga / The dynamic load test is frequently used in the determination of driven piles foundation bearing capacity. It is also reported the successful use of the test in bored piles and caissons. This research included the adaptation and execution of the dynamic load test in circular steel plate, to verify the bearing capacity of footing foundations. Since the dynamic load tests allow the bearing capacity to be verified during the construction, it is also glimpsed the possibility of using this test in porous soils by penetrating the plate into the soil until the expected bearing capacity is achieved. The tests were held at the USP/São Carlos experimental foundation camp, which has superficial unsaturated, porous and colapsive soil, so matric suction's measurement were made, since it has strong influence on the bearing capacity

A large amount of research has been conducted to investigate the influence of incorporating geosynthetics in highway pavements in laboratory-scale and full-scale experiments, and performance improvement has been well documented. In most cases, geosynthetics have been found to improve rutting resistance or reduce vertical pressure on the subgrade. Airfield pavements are typically thicker than highway pavements and are subjected to higher wheel loads and tire pressures. Thus, the benefit of geosynthetics within airfield pavements may not be as pronounced as that observed in relatively thin highway pavements. Prior to the writing of this dissertation, few documented studies focused on the performance of geosynthetic inclusion in airfield pavements and existing Department of Defense (DOD) guidance for geosynthetic inclusion had not been updated for several decades. The primary objectives of this dissertation were to update the DOD geosynthetic design methodology, to interpret results of laboratory-scale and full-scale experiments conducted specifically to evaluate geosynthetic performance in airfield pavements, and to determine if a competitive market exists for geosynthetic inclusion in airfield pavements. The main body of this dissertation is a compilation of four complementary articles that build upon the primary components of the main objectives. Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 present an introduction and a literature review, respectively. Updates to the DOD design methodology are presented in Chapter 3, results of laboratory-scale and full-scale evaluations are presented in Chapter 4 and Chapter 5, respectively, and potential implications of geosynthetic inclusion in airfield pavements are presented in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 presents overall conclusions and recommendations. Overall, it was found that, while some geosynthetics can be beneficial in airfield pavements, more rutting than would typically be allowed on an operational airfield was required to realize a meaningful performance benefit. In cases where geosynthetics were included in an airfield pavement, it was found that an extension of service life rather than a reduction in aggregate thickness was more optimal in assigning a geosynthetic value. Finally, the results of this dissertation indicated that geosynthetic inclusion in airfield pavements did not yield the same benefit level as that documented in the literature for highway pavements.

Over the past 50 years, several advancements have been made in the research area of the mechanics of unsaturated soils. These advancements can be categorized into two groups; (i) development (or improvement) of testing techniques (or apparatus) to determine the mechanical properties of unsaturated soils and (ii) development of (numerical, empirical or semi-empirical) models to estimate the variation of mechanical properties of unsaturated soils with respect to suction based on the experimental results. Implementation of the mechanics of unsaturated soils in conventional geotechnical engineering practice, however, has been rather limited. The key reasons for the limited practical applications may be attributed to the lack of simple and reliable methods for (i) measuring soil suction in the field quickly and reliably and (ii) estimating the variation of mechanical properties of unsaturated soils with respect to suction. The main objective of this thesis research is to develop simple and reliable techniques, models or approaches that can be used in geotechnical engineering practice to estimate sol suction and the mechanical properties of unsaturated soils. This research can be categorized into three parts. In the First Part, simple techniques are proposed to estimate the suction values of as-compacted unsaturated fine-grained soils using a pocket penetrometer and a conventional tensiometer. The suction values less than 300 kPa can be estimated using a strong relationship between the compressive strength measured using a pocket penetrometer and matric suction value. The high suction values in the range of 1,200 kPa to 60,000 kPa can be estimated using the unique relationship between the initial tangent of conventional tensiometer response versus time behavior and suction value. In the Second Part, approaches or semi-empirical models are proposed to estimate the variation of mechanical properties of unsaturated soils with respect to suction, which include: - Bearing capacity of unsaturated fine-grained soils - Variation of bearing capacity of unsaturated fine-grained soils with respect to matric suction - Variation of initial tangent elastic modulus of unsaturated soils below shallow foundations with respect to matric suction - Variation of maximum shear modulus with respect to matric suction for unsaturated non-plastic sandy soils (i.e. plasticity index, Ip = 0 %) In the Third Part, approaches (or methodologies) are suggested to simulate the vertically applied stress versus surface settlement behavior of shallow foundations in unsaturated coarse-grained soils assuming elastic-perfectly plastic behavior. These methodologies are extended to simulate the stress versus settlement behavior of both model footings and in-situ plates in unsaturated coarse-grained soils. The results show that there is a reasonably good comparison between the measured values (i.e. soil suction, bearing capacity, elastic and shear modulus) and those estimated using the techniques or models proposed in this thesis research. The models (or methodologies) proposed in this thesis research are promising and encouraging for modeling studies and practicing engineers to estimate the variation of mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils with respect to matric suction.

Este trabalho apresenta resultados de provas de carga em placa com monitoramento do teor de umidade e da sucção matricial do solo, realizadas a 1,5 m de profundidade em um solo não saturado e colapsível, considerado representativo da região centro-oeste do estado de São Paulo. Foram executados ensaios com e sem inundação da cava, do tipo lento (SML), rápido (QML) e misto (lento até um determinado estágio, passando a rápido a partir de então). O acompanhamento do teor de umidade e da sucção durante os ensaios foi realizado através de pesagem de amostras, com a utilização da técnica de reflectometria no domínio do tempo (TDR) e com o auxílio de tensiômetros. A partir dos dados obtidos, procedeu-se a uma análise da influência da sucção na resposta do sistema solo-placa. Foi observado que o aumento da sucção provoca um crescimento substancial da capacidade de carga do solo. Comparando-se ensaios inundados com não inundados, observou-se que o colapso do solo mostra-se mais proeminente com o aumento da sucção. Com respeito à técnica de reflectometria no domínio do tempo, a mesma demonstrou um desempenho satisfatório para medidas de teor de umidade in situ. / This work presents results of plate load tests with measurements of soil moisture content and matric suction, carried out at a 1.5 m depth in an unsaturated collapsible soil, considered as representative of the middle-west region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The tests were performed with and without the wetting of the pit. Three test methods were used: slow maintained load (SML), quick maintained load (QML), and mixed tests (SML up to a certain stage, switched to QML from there on). Soil moisture content and suction were measured through gravimetric determination on samples, the time domain reflectometry technique (TDR), and tensiometers. The gathered data allowed an assessment of the influence of the soil suction over the soil-plate system response. It was observed that the increase in suction causes a substantial increase in soil bearing capacity. Comparisons between wet and non-wet tests showed that soil collapse is higher when suction rises. The time domain reflectometry technique showed a promising performance with respect to in situ water content measurements.

Este trabalho apresenta alguns parâmetros geotécnicos do solo arenoso na região litorânea de João Pessoa/PB, após a melhoria com estacas de compactação, instaladas pelo método denominado vibro-deslocamento. Esse procedimento é um método de melhoria de solos arenosos em que as estacas de areia e brita são introduzidas em solos de baixa resistência com o propósito de aumentar sua resistência e diminuir os recalques da fundação. Realizaram-se ensaios de cone, prova de carga em placa, sondagem SPT e anotação do diagrama de cravação das estacas, para se estudarem os efeitos da melhoria do solo arenoso por meio de estacas de compactação. São mostradas correlações entre o 'N IND.SPT', antes e após a compactação do solo, entre a resistência de ponta do cone e 'N IND.SPT', antes e após a compactação, bem como os resultados de provas de carga em placa, realizadas nos solos natural e compactado. Observou-se que a diminuição do espaçamento entre estacas aumenta a resistência do solo. Com base no 'N IND.SPT', é apresentada uma forma de previsão da capacidade de carga de fundações por sapata, instaladas em solo arenoso compactado com estacas de areia / This work presents some geotechnical parameters in sandy soil improved by compaction piles installed by vibro-displacement on the cost of the city of João Pessoa in Northeastern Brazil. Significant increases on bearing capacity can be achieved with this ground improvement technique allowing the use of shallow foundation, even in the case of high buildings. Forty eight sand piles with diameter of 0,30 m and 3,5 m long were installed on three different groups varying distance between the piles. Standard penetration tests, cone penetration tests and plate load tests were carried out before and after the installation of piles. The comparison between the tests allows quantify the benefit of soil improvement by compaction piles. Empirical relationships between 'N IND.SPT' before and after improvement, and relationships between qc and 'N IND.SPT' were established. These relations and results of plate load tests allowed an assessment of the influence of distance between the piles in the compacted soil. A prediction of bearing capacity of shallow foundations in sandy soil improved by sand piles, based on 'N IND.SPT' values is presented