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Post-Katrina investigations revealed that most earthen levee damage occurred on the levee crest and land-side slope as a result of either wave overtopping, storm surge overflow, or a combination of both. This study addresses erosion resistance performance of a levee strengthening technique-high performance turf reinforcement mat under combined wave and surge overtopping conditions using full-scale flume tests as well as erosion function apparatus (EFA) tests. Based on the results of full-scale flume tests, an 'upper limit' of soil loss is observed for certain flow conditions. Erosion rate was presented as a function of velocity and freeboard. The effect of duration of overtopping on the erosion depth is also determined. The results of EFA tests indicate that the presence of grass roots substantially improve the critical velocity and soil erodibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy piles make use of constant and moderate ground temperature for efficient thermal control of buildings. However, this use introduces new engineering challenges because the changes of temperature in the foundation pile and ground induce additional deformations and forces in the foundation element and coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical phenomena in the soil. Several published full-scale tests investigated this aspect of energy piles and showed thermally induced deformation and forces in the foundation element. In parallel, significant progress has been made in the understanding of thermal properties of soils and on the effect of cyclic thermal load on ground and foundation behavior. However, the effect of temperature on the creep rate of energy piles has received practically no attention in the past. This paper reports the experimental results of an in situ tension thermo-mechanical test on an energy pile performed in a very stiff high plasticity clay. During the in situ test, the pile was subjected to thermal loading by circulating hot water in fitted pipes, simulating a thermal load in a cooling-dominated climate, at different levels of mechanical loading. The axial strain and temperature in the pile, and the load-displacement of the pile were monitored during the tension test at different locations along the center of the pile and at the pile head, respectively. The data showed that as the temperature increases, the observed creep rate of the energy pile in this high plasticity clay also increases, which will lead to additional time-dependent displacement of the foundation over the life time of the structure. It was also found that the use of geothermal piles causes practically insignificant thermally induced deformation and loads in the pile itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]