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This paper quantifies rates of shoreline change and investigates the influence of surficial geology on shoreline dynamics between 1950 and 2018 on Pelly Island, located 10 km off the Mackenzie Delta. Long-term changes in shoreline position were calculated using imagery analysis and Analysing Moving Boundaries Using R (AMBUR). The influence of shoreline exposure to predominant storm direction and influence of surficial geology were examined for northwestern and southeastern zones. The average annual linear regression rate (LRR) rate during the 1950–2018 observation period was −3.8 m·a−1. The end point rate (EPR) was calculated for seven observation periods: 1950–1972, 1972–1985, 1985–2000, 2000–2018, 2000–2013, 2013–2018, and 1950–2018. A mean EPR of −5.5 ± 0.7 m·a−1 was calculated for the 2000–2018 period, and a maximum retreat rate of 46.7 ± 2.1 m·a−1 was recorded during the 2013–2018 observation period. By comparing the rate of change for sections of historical shorelines with differing surficial geology and exposure to storms, it was possible to draw conclusions on why Pelly Island continues to have the highest retreat rates in the Mackenzie–Beaufort region. Greater retreat rates were observed in lacustrine deposits (5.3 m·a−1) compared with moraine deposits (2.7 m·a−1). In addition, shoreline exposure to the predominant storm direction from the northwest was found to be a major influence on rates of shoreline change in all observation periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of two-phase flows containing suspension particles, which are common in nature, on internal erosion with coupling effect of clogging remains unclear. This paper presents a three-dimensional coupled computational fluid dynamics and discrete element method (CFD–DEM) analysis of internal erosion considering different concentrations of suspension C (i.e., mass of the suspended particles in unit volume of fluid) in gap-graded granular soils with different fine fraction Fc (i.e., the percentage by mass of the fine particles in the gap-graded sample). The influences of C and Fc on the erosion and clogging behavior of soils are investigated from both the macroscopic and microscopic perspectives. It is found that for gap-graded samples being underfilled with Fc = 15%, the suspension flow (i.e., influent fluid with suspending particles) decreases the cumulative eroded fine particle loss and the increasing rate of soil hydraulic conductivity due to clogging at the top of the sample. The degree of clogging is found to jointly be determined by both constriction size distribution and the suspension concentration. Clogging in a local area usually occurs with the formation of the clusters, which have a high resistance to the drag force applied by the fluid flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal erosion (suffusion) is caused by water seeping through the matrix of coarse soil and progressively transporting out fine particles. The mechanical strength and stress–strain behavior of soils within water-retaining structures may be affected by internal erosion. Some researchers have set out to conduct triaxial erosion tests to study the mechanical consequences of erosion. Prior to conducting a triaxial test they subject a soil sample, which has an initially homogeneous particle-size distribution and density throughout, to erosion by causing water to enter one end of a sample and wash fine particles out the other. The erosion and movement of particles causes heterogeneous particle-size distributions to develop along the sample length. In this paper, a new soil sample formation procedure is presented that results in homogeneous particle-size distributions along the length of an eroded sample. Triaxial tests are conducted on homogeneous samples formed using the new procedure as well as heterogeneous samples created by the more commonly used approach. Results show that samples with homogeneous post-erosion particle-size distributions exhibit slightly higher peak deviator stresses than those that were heterogeneous. The results highlight the importance of ensuring homogeneity of post-erosion particle-size distributions when assessing the mechanical consequences of erosion. Forming samples using the new procedure enables the sample's response to triaxial loading to be interpreted against a measure of its initially homogenous state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel pier scour indicator is introduced, which uses the ratio between mode shape amplitudes identified at two points on an integral bridge structure to monitor the progression of scour erosion. The mode shape ratio (MSR) is investigated as an additional parameter to complement the use of changes in natural frequency as a scour indicator. The approach is demonstrated using numerical modelling and the MSR is extracted from acceleration signals arising in the structure due to modelled ambient and vehicle-induced vibrations. The MSR shows higher sensitivity to scour erosion than the more commonly researched natural frequency. Furthermore, the variation in MSR under temperature fluctuations is inversely related to that of frequency, in that it increases with increasing temperature whereas frequency decreases with increasing temperature. This inverse relationship potentially enables the separation of the scour effect from the temperature influence on the dynamics of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a discussion of the research paper "Influence of Particle-Size Distribution Homogeneity on Shearing of Soils Subjected to Internal Erosion" by S. Li, A. R. Russell and D. Muir Wood published in the "Canadian Geotechnical Journal" in 2020. The discussion provided a few observations about the test procedure and preparation of soil samples used to study the internal erosion process of granular soils. It also addressed the threshold value of fines.

Core overtopping in embankment dams is an important phenomenon that may lead to contact erosion along the core-filter interface. This paper presents new experimental results regarding erosion mechanisms at the core-filter interface during core overtopping. The experimental results were obtained using a reduced-scale model with a variable upstream water level. Digital image correlation (DIC), microcomputed tomography (μCT), and sediment collection at the outlet were used to quantify erosion. Four experimental runs were conducted with a till core and different filters. Only one of the four filters satisfied the filter criteria that were applied. No contact erosion occurred during this test. For filters that did not respect the filter criteria, piping occurred within the core along the downstream slope when the water level reached the top of the core. As a result of the self-healing process within the core material, the erosion rate decayed with time as the hydraulic gradient increased. Results for DIC mainly reflected settlements within the filter due to erosion and a soil arching effect. The magnitude of the displacement vector obtained with DIC is directly proportional to the volume of till eroded. μCT showed that contact erosion occurred continuously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seepage-induced internal erosion often happens in earth structures. This paper presents experimental investigations on the influence of initial fines content on fabric of soils subjected to internal erosion. The tested materials were the binary mixtures of silica No. 3 and silica No. 8, which correspond to the coarse and fine fractions, respectively. One group of specimens was prepared with initial fines contents of 0, 15%, 25%, and 35% by weight. The undrained monotonic compression tests were performed on this group to examine the influence of fines content on the undrained behavior. The other group was prepared with initial fines contents of 15%, 25%, and 35% by weight, on which the seepage tests and subsequent undrained compression tests were carried out to demonstrate the mechanical influence of the internal erosion. The undrained behavior of the first group of specimens reveals that the presence of fines would decrease the peak and residual strengths. A comparison between the undrained behavior of soils with erosion and that of soils without erosion shows that the soils become less contractive after the internal erosion. When the axial strain is less than 0.4%, the undrained secant stiffness of soils with erosion is larger than that without erosion at the same axial strain. Meanwhile, the undrained peak strength and residual strength are larger for soils with erosion than that for soils without erosion. The less amount of excess pore-water pressure is generated during the undrained compression for the eroded soils comparing to those of the uneroded soils. Furthermore, the eroded soils show a wider instability zone than that of the uneroded soils, which suggests that the instability zone be enlarged by the internal erosion. Besides, one-dimensional upward seepage tests were performed to investigate the change of fabric of the mixed sand with 15%, 25%, and 35% fines contents due to internal erosion. The recorded microscopic images of soils before and after erosion reveal that the fabric is altered by the internal erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author responds to a discussion of the research paper "Influence of Particle-Size Distribution Homogeneity on Shearing of Soils Subjected to Internal Erosion" published in the "Canadian Geotechnical Journal" in 2020.