O projeto de engenharia é desenvolvido baseado em um modelo de comportamento da estrutura a ser construída. Por sua vez, este modelo incorpora uma série de hipóteses de trabalho que, durante a fase de construção ou de utilização da obra, podem não ser observadas na sua totalidade. Dentro deste cenário, a retroanálise probabilista mostra-se uma ferramenta poderosa para avaliação contínua das hipóteses de trabalho durante a construção e toda a vida útil da estrutura, uma vez que permite incorporar novas informações ao modelo inicial através de métodos formalizados. Este trabalho apresenta uma revisão da retroanálise probabilista e sua aplicação prática na atualização do campo de permeabilidades de uma barragem de terra existente, com base em leituras piezométricas. Os resultados do estudo permitiram rever os valores dos parâmetros do modelo adotado, isto é, as permeabilidades dos diversos materiais, sugerindo ao mesmo tempo a aceitação do próprio modelo. Um estudo paramétrico destaca a importância relativa, para a retroanálise probabilista, das diversas variáveis envolvidas, indicando assim áreas em que a investigação complementar é mais necessária. / The engineering project is based upon a model that can predict the behavior of the facility to be constructed. Such model incorporates a series of working hypotheses which may or may not be fully realized during construction or operation. Under such circumstances, probabilistic back-analysis is a powerful tool for continuous evaluation of the working hypotheses, during construction and throughout the lifespan of the structure, given that it provides for the formal updating of the initial model and its parameters on the basis of incoming information. This study presents a review of probabilistic back-analysis and a practical application to the updating of the permeability field of an earth embankment, on the basis of piezometer readings. Results of the study led to updating of the parameters of the adopted model, that is, permeabilities of the several materials, while suggesting acceptance of the model itself. A parametric study reveals the relative importance of the several variables involved in the probabilistic back-analysis, thus indicating areas in which complementary research is mostly needed.

O presente trabalho visa a quantificação do escoamento de água na interação entre rio e aqüífero subterrâneo em uma bacia, através da utilização de infiltrômetros e de poços de observação de lençol freático na proximidade do rio. O Ribeirão da Onça, um afluente do rio Jacaré-Guaçú localizado no município de Brotas no estado de São Paulo, foi escolhido para a realização deste estudo sendo a sua bacia hidrográfica pertencente a importante área de recarga do aqüífero Guarani. O estudo da interação rio aqüífero foi realizado através de infiltrômetros colocados em três seções deste rio. Analisando-se o comportamento da interação ao longo de um período de 7 meses, verificou-se que a taxa média de surgimento foi de 300 mm/dia na área de afloramento do lençol freático. Ainda, observou-se a influência da chuva e da pressão atmosférica nos valores do surgimento, sendo a última de forma inversa. Tendo em vista os resultados satisfatórios dos experimentos, a utilização de infiltrômetros para determinação da taxa de troca entre rio e aqüífero representa um procedimento simples e adequado, mas requer cuidados contínuos para obter-se resultados consistentes. / The purpose of this work is to quantify the river-aquifer interaction in a river basin through the use of infiltrometers and observation wells located on the banks. Onça Creek, a tributary of the Jacaré-Guaçú river in the state of São Paulo, was chosen for this study being located in the recharge area of the regional Guarani aquifer. Infiltrometers were placed at three sections in the bed of Onça Creek. Analyzing the behavior of the river-aquifer interaction during 7 months, it is found that the average exfiltration rate is of the order of 300 mm/day in the seepage area. Further, the seepage rate is found to be influenced by rainfall events, atmospheric pressure and rate of rise or fall of river stage. In view of the satisfactory experimental results obtained in this study, the use of infiltrometers for the determination of the river-aquifer interaction is recommended as a simple and sound procedure if due care is taken in their installation in the river bed.

A comprehensive experimental program dealing with three-dimensional overtopping and breach development as well as two-dimensional overtopping physical tests of noncohesive earth embankments has been conducted on scale models in the Hydraulic Laboratory at the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Ottawa. The experimental program which consisted of three phases focused on geotechnical and hydraulic aspects of the embankment breach mechanism. The first two phases focused on two test series for the three-dimensional breach overtopping tests: drainage and compaction. The test series were designed to determine the embankment breach characteristics using test parameters which have not been adequately identified or controlled in past noncohesive physical models: initial soil-water state and optimum dry unit weight. Both parameters were controlled in laboratory tests by means of compaction effort and seepage through the embankment body, respectively. The dynamic compaction technique employed in the preliminary experimental phase was refined to represent a more realistic method. A novel method was thus designed to simulate the construction of a real-size prototype embankment, where a vibratory and static load was used to apply and control, respectively, the compaction effort. The hydraulic aspects of the embankment breach mechanism were also investigated. For the first time, scale series tests have been used to assess the Froude criterion using tilted and quasi-exact geometric scales under very low inflow within the scope of three-dimensional breach overtopping. Data measurements included a time-history of water surface levels and video footage captured from three locations: upstream, downstream and above the embankment models. The analysis for the spatial breach overtopping tests involved measurement of the breach outflow hydrograph and breach channel evolution at the upstream slope, using hydrologic routing and a developed photogrammetric technique using the video footage, respectively. An expression which estimates the breach outflow based on this apparent upstream control section was therefore derived. The relationship between the measured and estimated breach outflow was expressed in terms of breach discharge efficiency. The third phase of the experimental program was comprised of two-dimensional overtopping tests to investigate the erodibility of a steep slope in overtopped noncohesive embankment models. A novel experimental two-dimensional configuration used to measure the pore-water-pressures within the embankment model body was developed using micro and standard tensiometer-transducer-probe assemblies, designed, assembled and tested at the Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory. A transient flownet analysis was developed using ArcGIS and the time-history of the pore-water-pressure measurements. All flow parameters were computed using the free water surface and bed profiles captured using a photogrammetric technique and the developed hydrologic routing method. Using the one-dimensional Saint-Venant equations, an analytical expression for the bed shear stress was derived to take into account the effects of unsteady flow, boundary seepage and steep slopes. Using the measured erosion rates and the sediment continuity principle, the bed mobility relationship expressed by the Shields and transport parameters was revisited to account for the effects of unsteady and supercritical flow on a downstream steep slope in the presence of boundary seepage. This novel transient flownet approach will lead to the development of new sediment mobility relationships for breach flows, instead of the classical sediment transport-capacity formulations which are based on steady, subcritical and normal flow conditions.

Reservoir release patterns are determined by a number of purposes, the most fundamental of which is to manage water resources for human use. Managing our water resources means not only controlling the water in reservoirs but also determining the optimum release rate taking into account factors such as reservoir stability, power generation, water supply for domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses, and the river ecosystem. However, riverbank stability has generally not been considered as a factor, even though release rates may have a significant effect on downstream riverbank stability. Riverbank retreat not only impacts land properties but also damages structures along the river such as roads, bridges and even buildings. Thus, reservoir releases need to also take into account the downstream riverbank stability and erosion issues. The study presented here investigates the riverbank stability and erosion at five study sites representing straight as well as inside and outside channel meander bends located on the lower Roanoke River near Scotland Neck, North Carolina. Extensive laboratory and field experiments were performed to define the hydraulic and geotechnical properties of the riverbank soils at each site. Specifically, soil water characteristic curves were determined using six different techniques and the results compared to existing mathematical models. Hydraulic conductivity was estimated using both laboratory and in situ tests. Due to the wide range of experimentally obtained values, the values determined by each of the methods was used for transient seepage modeling and the modeling results compared to the actual ground water table measured in the field. The results indicate that although the hydraulic conductivities determined by in situ tests were much larger than those typically reported for the soils by lab tests, numerical predictions of the ground water table using the in situ values provided a good fit for the measured ground water table elevation. Shear strengths of unsaturated soils were determined using multistage suction controlled direct shear tests. The test method was validated, and saturated and unsaturated shear strength parameters determined. These parameters, which were determined on the basis of results from both laboratory and field measurements, and the associated boundary conditions, which took into account representative flow rates and patterns including peaking, drawdown and step-down scenarios, were then utilized for transient seepage analyses and slope stability analyses performed using SLIDE, a software package developed by Rocscience. The analyses confirmed that the riverbanks are stable for all flow conditions, although the presence of lower permeability soils in some areas may create excess pore water pressures, especially during drawdown and step-down events, that result in the slope becoming unstable in those locations. These findings indicate that overall, the current reservoir release patterns do not cause adverse impacts on the downstream riverbanks, although a gradual drawdown after a prolonged high flow event during the wet season would reduce unfavorable conditions that threaten riverbank stability. / Ph. D.

A subestrutura ferroviária é uma parte importante da via permanente, pois seu comportamento pode afetar significativamente o desempenho global da via, impactando em manutenção e custos. O fato é que os materiais da subestrutura, como o subleito, estão no estado não-saturado na maior parte do tempo, e suas propriedades hidromecânicas dependem diretamente do grau de saturação e dos valores de sucção. Além disso, o estado não-saturado do solo é regido pelas ações atmosféricas e climáticas, o que torna fundamental a análise da influência de características ambientais e geotécnicas, tais como a precipitação, evaporação, tipo de solo e drenagem na resposta estrutural do subleito. Países de clima tropical/subtropical, como o Brasil, possuem elevada taxa de precipitação anual, e, por isso, merecem atenção especial quando se trata da interação via-clima. Mudanças da umidade ou sucção ou da taxa de infiltração no interior do subleito podem impactar significativamente no seu estado de tensões. O principal objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a influência da variação da umidade e sucção no comportamento hidromecânico de um subleito ferroviário, localizado na região costeira do estado de São Paulo, considerando-se as características geotécnicas e climáticas locais. A interação via-clima foi investigada através de análises numéricas em elementos finitos (MEF) de infiltração saturada/não-saturada, aplicando-se parâmetros determinados em laboratório e monitoramento de campo. Para as simulações numéricas foi utilizado o software SEEP/W, enquanto no monitoramento de campo foram empregados sensores de matriz granular para medição do potencial matricial no solo. A caracterização mecânica do solo de subleito se baseou em resultados de módulo de resiliência obtidos por ensaios triaxiais cíclicos, em diferentes condições e ciclos de umidade e sucção. As simulações numéricas apresentaram importantes variações da sucção no solo em função das condições geotécnicas e climáticas, verificando-se a significância dos aspectos climáticos no comportamento hidráulico e mecânico do subleito da via férrea. / The track substructure is an important part of a railway that requires attention when considering its whole global mechanical performance. Improving the long-term resistance to deformation behavior and therefore reducing maintenance problems during the operation of a track is always presented between engineers and researchers. The fact is that the substructure materials, such as the subgrade, are mostly in unsaturated state, and their hydro-mechanical properties are directly dependent on saturation degree and suction values. Besides, unsaturated state of the soil is controlled by atmospheric actions and climate conditions. Considering this, it is fundamental to analyze the influence of the environmental and geotechnical characteristics such as precipitation, evaporation, soil type, and drainage in the subgrade structural response. Countries with tropical/subtropical climate, such as Brazil, which have a high average annual precipitation rate, deserve special attention concerning climate-track interaction in railway performance. A little variation in the water content or infiltration rate into the subgrade may affects significantly their stress state. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the influence of the water content and suction changes on mechanical behavior of a track substructure in a Brazilian coastal region, at São Paulo state, considering geotechnical characteristics and local climate. The climate-track interaction was evaluated through field monitoring and finite element numerical analysis with parameters obtained in the laboratory for all the materials involved. Numerical simulations were performed using SEEP/W software and the field monitoring was realized through granular matrix sensors (GMS). Soil mechanical characterization was based on resilient modulus values determined through cyclic triaxial tests in different moisture/suction conditions. Numerical results showed an important variation of soil suction over time in function of geotechnical and climate data. In the simulated scenario, considering tropical local climate it was observed the importance of climate aspects in the hydraulic and mechanical behavior of the geotechnical components of the railway track.

Flow and mean residence time in epikarst and unsaturated zone was studied above the Ochoz cave in the Moravian Karst. I studied various flow components with different residence time in unsaturated zone and the influence of soil and epikarst on seepage composition and residence time by means of several methods (longterm monitoring of conductivity, flowrate of seepage and soil water, use of environmental tracers - 18 O, 3 H, CFC and SF6, flow into the soil and detailed sampling during intesive rain events). Seepage sites Kašna in the Rudické propadání cave system and Mapa Republiky in Býčí skála were reference localities in unsaturated zone. For comparison I modeled residence time in saturated zone: at Kaprálka outlet close to the Ochoz cave, at Stará řeka (Rudické propadání) and Konstantní přítok (Amatérská cave). Mean residence time in unsaturated zone above the Ochoz cave reaches 7 - 20 years, while it is only few months in the soil (1 - 8 months, depending on the depth). At Kašna seepage site, the reasidence time is similar to the Ochoz cave - about 18 - 20 years, at Mapa republiky seepage site, it reaches 150s year due to unusual geological settings. Mean residence time in order of 10 - 20 years corresponds to storativity values (0.6 % in average) calculated from parallel water level recession...

O conhecimento de zonas potencialmente instáveis no fundo do mar é de fundamental importância para o desenvolvimento das estruturas marinhas, pois permite posicionar estruturas offshore em áreas mais seguras, reduzindo-se possíveis danos, custos e eventual poluição ambiental. Nesse contexto, o objetivo do presente trabalho é investigar, através de uma abordagem analítico-numérica, a estabilidade de maciços submarinos submetidos ao carregamento cíclico da onda. O efeito das ondas de água sobre o leito submerso é descrito pela propagação de uma onda de pressão ao longo de sua superfície, empregando-se a teoria linear de Stokes. São considerados maciços com superfície superior horizontal e inclinada, constituídos por material coesivo (argilas) e material granular (areias). Em maciços constituídos por solos finos, a capacidade resistente do material é modelada pelo critério de Tresca não-homogêneo e a análise da estabilidade é desenvolvida em condição não drenada. Por outro lado, em leitos granulares, a resistência do meio depende explicitamente do valor da poropressão, sendo descrita classicamente pelo critério de Coulomb sem coesão. A análise de estabilidade é então desenvolvida em tensões efetivas e o gradiente de poropressão atua como uma força volumétrica sobre o esqueleto, caracterizando o modo de carregamento principal deste material. Em razão da tendência a se densificar quando submetido a um estado de tensões desviadoras cíclicas, ocorre, em geral, a acumulação de excesso de poropressão no maciço granular. Consequentemente, o acoplamento entre o comportamento do material e o carregamento cíclico tem fundamental importância sobre o cálculo do excesso de poropressão desenvolvido. Para determinação das forças de percolação, considera-se uma abordagem simplificada baseada na partição das deformações em contribuições reversível e irreversível, que permite desacoplar o cálculo da pressão intersticial induzida pela onda. Aplicando-se conceitos da teoria da Análise Limite é possível formular limites inferiores e superiores da máxima amplitude segura do carregamento da onda. Finalmente, os efeitos da declividade da superfície do leito e da espessura de camada de solo sobre a estabilidade são analisados. / The knowledge of potentially unstable areas on the seabed is of fundamental importance to the development of marine structures, because it allows to install offshore structures in safer areas, reducing possible damages, costs and eventual environmental pollution. In this context, the objective of the present work is to investigate the stability of submarine soil masses subjected to the wave cyclic loading through analytical-numerical approaches. The effect of water waves on the submerged bed is described by the propagation of a pressure wave along its surface, using the Stokes’s linear theory. Soil masses with horizontal and sloped upper surface, composed of cohesive material (clays) and granular materiais (sands) are considered in this study. In soil masses constituted of fine soil, the material strength capacity is modeled by the non-homogeneous Tresca criterion and the stability analysis is carried out in undrained condition. On the other hand, in granular beds, the strength explicitly depends on the pore pressure value, being classically described by the Coulomb criterion without cohesion. Then, the stability analysis is developed in effective stress and the pore pressure gradient acts as a volumetric force on the skeleton, characterizing the main charging mode of this material. Due to the tendency to densify when subjected to a cyclic deviatoric stress state occurs, in general, the build-up of pore pressure excess in the granular mass. Consequently, the coupling between the material behavior and the cyclic loading has fundamental importance in the calculation of the pore pressure excess generated. In order to define the seepage forces, a simplified approach based on the partition of deformations in reversible and irreversible contributions is considered, which allows to decouple the wave-induced pore pressure calculation. Applying the concepts of the limit analysis theory it is possible to formulate upper and lower boundaries of the maximum safe amplitude of the wave loading. Finally, the effects of the seabed surface steepness and of the soil layer thickness on the stability are analyzed.

No description available.

The Batumi Seep Area, offshore Georgia, Black Sea, has been intensively cored (gravity cores and TV-guided multi-cores) to investigate the methane turnover in the surface sediments. The seep area is characterized by vigorous methane gas bubble emanations. Geochemical analyses show a microbial origin of the methane and a shallow fluid source. Anaerobic methane oxidation rapidly consumes the SO4 2- within the top 5-20 cm, but significant upward fluid advection is not indicated by the porewater profiles. Hence, the Batumi Seep Area must be dominated by methane gas seepage in order to explain the required CH4 flux from below. 1-D transport-reaction modelling constrains the methane flux needed to support the observed SO4 2- flux as well as the rate of near-surface hydrate formation. The model results correlate well with the hydro-acoustic backscatter intensities recorded and mapped bubble release sites using the sonar of a ROV.

No description available.