After the excavation of a cut slope ongoing deformations on the slope surface can often be measured. These deformations can be induced due to various processes and can also be used as an indicator of slope stability. If the reasons for the deformations are known, selective stabilization methods can help to decelerate, or stop, the movements. The potential for the recognition of displacement patterns in excavated slopes is studied in this dissertation.
In the laboratory, the analysis of displacement patterns due to various processes is difficult as identical initial test conditions can hardly be reproduced. Furthermore, measurements of displacements can only be conducted to a limited degree. Therefore, numerical calculations using the finite element method were applied to simulate excavation processes and analyse the displacements. In addition, a suitable mathematical model has to be used to represent the stress-strain behaviour during the unloading process.
Three different advanced constitutive soil models were chosen to calculate an excavation process of an idealized slope assuming drained conditions:
- elasto-plastic Modified-Cam-Clay model
- rate-independent hypoplastic model according to Masin
- rate-dependent visco-hypoplastic model according to Niemunis
Before conducting the excavation simulation, the soil parameters of the constitutive models were calibrated by means of numerical element tests, depicting the stress paths of conventional laboratory tests. Within the literature, those conventional laboratory tests are recommended for the determination of parameters for the constitutive models. A parameter set for the visco-hypoplastic model was chosen from literature. The parameters were adapted for the remaining models. Thus, all three models predicted approximately the same stress-strain behaviour during conventional laboratory tests. Despite the correlations during the element tests, the constitutive models predicted different displacements during the calculation of the excavation of an idealized slope under drained conditions. Thereupon, load-controlled triaxial compression tests were conducted reproducing the characteristic stress paths during an excavation process. At the same time, numerical calculations were carried out to reproduce the triaxial compression tests, and the measured and calculated displacement behaviour was compared.
Different processes such as pure unloading due to excavation, excavation in overconsolidated soil, excavation coupled with consolidation, excavation coupled with previous ground water lowering and consolidation as well as the influence of creep effects were considered in the analysis of the displacement patterns during an excavation. It can be stated that the evaluation of displacements and changes in displacements in a single point on the slope surface cannot provide sufficient information about a certain physical process. Only the combination of displacement paths at different survey points will lead to a reliable conclusion. Thus, representative displacement patterns for different processes are recognizable during and after the excavation, which can be used for the identification.
During the numerical simulation of an in-situ model test, where a slope was brought to failure by excavation, the calculated displacements were analysed for identifiable displacement patterns. It can be stated that despite different slope systems, consistencies were found within characteristic survey points. These points can be used to identify patterns within the displacement contours.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:29952 |
| Date | 06 December 2016 |
| Creators | Nitzsche, Kornelia |
| Contributors | Herle, Ivo, Springman, Sarah, Cudmani, Roberto, Technische Universität Dresden |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | German |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | doc-type:doctoralThesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa2-715774, qucosa:71577 |
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