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Due to insufficient backfilling and compaction, voids existing around the bottom of a buried pipe can have a negative effect on the mechanical behavior of the pipe. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) has been widely utilized in civil engineering as fill, backfill, moisture cutoff, and impact mitigation materials for falling rocks because of its light weight and workability. In this study, centrifuge model tests were conducted in order to investigate the possibility of pipe failure when voids existed around the bottom of the buried pipe, and the effect of installing EPS blocks as a countermeasure. In the test, a model polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe having a diameter of 140 mm was buried in the dry sand and loaded at the ground surface in a centrifugal field of 21G. Cases with voids around the bottom of the buried pipe and with EPS blocks were studied, and the differences in the pipe mechanical behavior under standard backfill conditions were discussed. The loading conditions and the shape of the EPS were varied. The test results showed that the loss of soil around the bottom of the pipe caused a stress concentration by a factor of more than 2.5 compared to the typical burial condition, and could directly cause pipe failure. In addition, it is clear that EPS installation was an effective countermeasure to avoid the risk of insufficient compaction, because it did not significantly affect pipe deformation and strain distribution, although the earth pressure tended to concentrate slightly at the bottom of the pipe. Practical Applications: Pipelines that are buried in the ground usually need to be backfilled uniformly with soil around the pipe. However, due to difficulties in construction, the backfilling and compaction may be insufficient on the bottom sides of the pipe, resulting in voids or localized low-density areas. In this study, centrifuge model tests were conducted to investigate the behavior of pipes buried in such nonuniform ground and the effectiveness of a countermeasure to install expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) blocks as a foundation instead of backfilling with soil. In the tests, a 150-mm-diameter polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe was buried in a container, and the strain of the pipe was measured in detail when a vertical load of up to 140 kPa was applied to the ground surface in a 20G centrifugal force field. As a result, when the soil in the lower part of the pipe is not uniform, a large strain is concentrated at the bottom of the pipe, which may lead to the pipe failure. Then, when EPS was installed, no large strains were measured, indicating that EPS installations are effective as a countermeasure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most geotechnical structures failed by formation and development of shear bands in soils. Thus, shear deformation and shear bands development evaluation are necessary to understand shear failure mechanism. During shearing, deformation behaviour analysis for soil particles within entire soil specimen are evaluated to understand the soil behaviour and shear strength characteristics. In this paper, a series of plane strain compression tests using Nevada sand and Ottawa sand were conducted to identify the shear strain and shear failure mechanism. With the results of plane strain compression tests, image analyses using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) were carried out in order to measure the change in position of soil particles and shear bands development. Deformation vectors and contours were constructed to see the entire deformation mechanism in the soil specimen. During shearing, shear band was identified after peak stress and most visually distinctive at residual state. However, shear band started to develop invisibly immediately after starting loading and this invisible development was able to be observed by horizontal and vertical movement analyses of PIV. Soil particles moved actively in horizontal and vertical direction to generate shear band in the beginning of shearing. After development of shear band, soil particles moved along the shear band.

A finite-element procedure was used to simulate the dynamic behavior of four full-scale reinforced soil retaining walls subjected to earthquake loading. The experiments were conducted at a maximum horizontal acceleration of over 0.8 g, with two walls subjected to only horizontal accelerations and two other walls under simultaneous horizontal and vertical accelerations. The analyzes were conducted using advanced soil and geosynthetic models that were capable of simulating behavior under both monotonic and cyclic loadings. The soil behavior was modeled using a unified general plasticity model, which was developed based on the critical state concept and that considered the stress level effects over a wide range of densities using a single set of parameters. The geosynthetic model was based on the bounding surface concept and it considered the S-shape load-strain behavior of polymeric geogrids. In this paper, the calibrations of the models and details of finite-element analysis are presented. The time response of horizontal and vertical accelerations obtained from the analyses, as well as wall deformations and tensile force in geogrids, were compared with the experimental results. The comparisons showed that the finite-element results rendered satisfactory agreement with the shake table test results. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)EM.1943-7889.0000108 CE Database subject headings: Finite element method; Dynamic analysis; Earthquake loads; Geosynthetics; Soil stabilization; Plasticity; Retaining walls. Author keywords: Finite element; Dynamic analysis; Earthquake; Geosynthetic; Reinforced soil; Generalized plasticity.

This paper demonstrates the use of a centrifuge modeling technique in studying slope instability. The slope models were prepared from sand, and sand mixed with 15 and 30% fines by weight, compacted at optimum water content. The validity of the modeling technique was confirmed using slope models of different heights, inclinations, and soil types. The soil behavior was studied under triaxial and plane strain conditions, and the extended Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion was found relevant for expressing the strength of unsaturated compacted soil based on the angle of internal friction and apparent cohesion. The Bishop's circular mechanism, together with the extended Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion, was able to simulate the slope failure reasonably well. The rainfall of different intensities was then induced on the 60[degrees] stable slopes of sand with 15% fines. It was found that the failure of slope under rainfall may be interpreted as a reduction in apparent cohesion. The centrifuge tests also allowed the rainfall intensity-duration threshold curve (local curve) to be generated for the test slopes, and the accumulated rainfall corresponded well to some of the reported field observations. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000024 CE Database subject headings: Slope stability; Centrifuge models; Limit equilibrium; Rainfall intensity; Clays; Sand; Mixtures.

Cyclic loading has been known to induce fluid flow and thus mechanotransduction in bones. In the past, four-point bending tests have been used exclusively in studying fluid flow in bones. In order to better understand the mechanism of deformation and fluid flow under loading, compression tests were done on trabecular bone specimens under drained and undrained conditions. In the drained tests, the volume change was observed, whereas in the undrained tests, excess pore fluid pressure was measured. Cyclic loading tests were conducted in addition to monotonic loading tests to observe the permanent volume change or excess pore fluid pressure with loading cycles. A fast loading rate gave a sharp rise in the excess fluid pressure compared to a slow loading rate. The strength and stiffness of the specimens appeared to deteriorate with an increased speed of loadings, but there was no appreciable difference between the results obtained from drained and undrained tests. The drained and undrained tests as described allowed a better understanding of bone behavior under loadings for a coupled stress-flow analysis. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9399(2009) 135:5(375) CE Database subject headings: Human factors; Biological properties; Mechanical properties; Deformation; Cyclic loads.

This paper summarizes the seismic response of five large-scale retaining walls having a geocell facing. The walls were 2.8 m high and the backfill and foundation soil were a fine sand compacted to 90% standard Proctor density (relative density of 55%). The first two walls were of the same geometry, with a tapered facing made of geocells each of height 20 cm, one infilled with gravel and the other with sand. In Wall 3, a facing of depth 60 cm was constructed while the backfill sand was reinforced with a polyester geogrid. Wall 4 was similar to Wall 3 except that the backfill was reinforced with several geocell layers. Wall 5 had thin geocell layers of 5 cm height as reinforcements in order to improve the performance compared with Wall 4. The walls were subjected to the scaled horizontal and vertical motions as recorded during the 1995 Kobe earthquake, 4.5 m/[s.sup.2] (450 gal) and 9.0 m/[s.sup.2] (900 gal) maximum horizontal accelerations in the first and second excitations, respectively. In an attempt to induce failure, and therefore, to investigate the failure mechanism, Walls 3-5 were subjected to a third shaking in which the horizontal accelerations were scaled to 12.0 m/[s.sup.2] (1,200 gal). The walls were fully instrumented with accelerometers, laser displacement transducers, force transducers, and strain gauges. All five walls performed satisfactorily under the simulated earthquake motions. An improved wall performance was seen with the geocells acting as reinforcement layers. The study showed that geocells can be used successfully to form gravity walls as well as reinforcement layers even when subjected to a very high seismic load beyond that of the Kobe earthquake. CE Database subject headings: Seismic effects; Earthquakes; Retaining walls; Experimentation.

The static and dynamic behaviors of reinforced soil structures are possibly subjected to the effects of creep or stress relaxation due to the time-dependent behavior of geosynthetic inclusions and backfill. To simulate the time-dependent monotonic and cyclic behavior of geosynthetics, an isothermal constitutive model is formulated within the framework of elastoplasticity--viscoplasticity. The concept of bounding surface plasticity is first utilized to formulate a time-independent cyclic model of geosynthetics. In order to capture the hardening stiffness of some polyester geosynthetics, an exponential bounding curve is used in simulating the primary loading. The time-independent version of the model was extended into an elastoplastic--viscoplastic model using overstress viscoplasticity with reference to available experimental data. The model was evaluated using creep, stress relaxation, monotonic, and cyclic loading test results obtained for different geosynthetics. It was then incorporated into a finite-element code and the static and dynamic behavior of a geosynthetic reinforced soil wall was analyzed. The analyzed results, with and without consideration to the time-dependent behavior of the reinforcements, were compared. It was demonstrated that although the end-of-construction behavior of the reinforced soil wall was less influenced by the time-dependent properties of geogrids, the long-term performance was considerably affected. The seismic response was also affected to some extent by the rate-dependent behavior of geogrids. The effects were more significant for short and/or large vertical spacing reinforcement layout. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9399(2007)133:7(801) CE Database subject headings: Time dependence; Geosynthetics; Viscoplasticity; Creep; Plasticity.

Based on the critical state concept and with the use of a state parameter, a unified generalized plasticity model is proposed for sand. The model uses a nonlinear critical state line. The plastic modulus, loading vectors and plastic flow direction vectors of a generalized plasticity model were modified so that they depend on the state parameter. With a single set of parameters, the model simulates the stress-deformation behavior of sand of different densities and pressure levels, under both drained and undrained conditions. A total of 12 parameters are required for monotonic loading and additional five parameters are included to consider cycling loading. The model is calibrated using the results of a minimum of two triaxial compression tests conducted on specimens of different densities and confining pressures. The model has been validated against the monotonic and cyclic test results of Toyoura sand, Nevada sand, and Fuji River sand. The comparison between simulations and test results showed that the model is capable of simulating sophisticated sand behavior. Its limitation in simulating monotonic loading following series of cyclic loadings of dense sand is discussed. CE Database subject headings: Sand; Plasticity; Parameters; Models.

The existing design guidelines for buried flexible pipes are limited to depth up to l0 m. The increasing use of difficult terrains for infrastructure, landfills, and residential and industrial developments has prompted installation of drainage pipelines under 20-30 m high fills. This paper presents the behavior of an instrumented flexible pipe buried under a 47.1 m deep fill. For filling above 20 m, the measured vertical stress above the pipe exhibited a concave distribution, corresponding to 90 and 110% of the average vertical pressure at the center and edges of the pipe, respectively. The measured results suggest that a triangular lateral pressure distribution can lead to overly conservative and uneconomical results for high fills while Spangler's analysis is unconservative. Based on the measured results, a revised vertical and lateral earth pressure diagram was proposed for the design of flexible pipe under high fills >20 m. This paper proposes closed-form analyses for estimating the moments and displacements of the pipe subjected to high fill earth pressures. These closed-form solutions agree well with the measured pipe displacements and strains. CE Database subject headings: Pipelines; Fills; Flexible pipes; Earth pressure; Deflection.

The finite element procedures are extremely useful in gaining insights into the behavior of reinforced soil retaining walls. In this study, a validated finite element procedure was used for conducting a series of parametric studies on the behavior of reinforced soil walls under construction and subject to earthquake loading. The procedure utilized a nonlinear numerical algorithms that incorporated a generalized plasticity soil model and a bounding surface geosynthetic model. The reinforcement layouts, soil properties under monotonic and cyclic loadings, block interaction properties, and earthquake motions were among major variables of investigation. The performance of the wall was presented for the facing deformation and crest surface settlement, lateral earth pressure, tensile force in the reinforcement layers, and acceleration amplification. The effects of soil properties, earthquake motions, and reinforcement layouts are issues of major design concern under earthquake loading. The deformation, reinforcement force, and earth pressure increased drastically under earthquake loading compared to end of construction. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9399(2005)131:10(1056) CE Database subject headings: Soil stabilization: Finite elements; Earthquake loads; Plasticity; Parameters; Retaining walls.

Several modular-block reinforced-soil retaining walls failed during the 1999 Ji-Ji (Chi-chi) earthquake of Taiwan. Similar walls showed distress during the 1994 Northridge, Calif., earthquake. The instability or failure of these walls offered an opportunity to validate the simplistic pseudostatic limit-equilibrium procedures. In this study, the Ta Kung Wall of the Ji-Ji earthquake is analyzed, and the Gould and Valencia Walls of the Northridge earthquake are revisited with an improved estimation of local site acceleration. The local acceleration was estimated by using simple attenuation relationships obtained through the earthquake records. The results of analysis indicate that these three walls had adequate internal stability under estimated site acceleration. The geosynthetic length was inadequate to resist compound modes of failure where the potential failure surface extends beyond the reinforced zone. The external stability was most critical in the presence of horizontal and vertical accelerations. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0887-3828(2005)19:2(117) CE Database subject headings: Earth reinforcement; Retaining walls; Geosynthetics; Earthquakes; Failure investigation.

An advanced generalized plasticity soil model and bounding surface geosynthetic model, in conjunction with a dynamic finite element procedure, are used to analyze the behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced soil retaining walls. The construction behavior of a full-scale wall is first analyzed followed by a series of five shaking table tests conducted in a centrifuge. The parameters for the sandy backfill soils are calibrated through the results of monotonic and cyclic triaxial tests. The wall facing deformations, strains in the geogrid reinforcement layers, lateral earth pressures acting at the facing blocks, and vertical stresses at the foundation are presented. In the centrifugal shaking table tests, the response of the walls subject to 20 cycles of sinusoidal wave having a frequency of 2 Hz and of acceleration amplitude of 0.2g are compared with the results of analysis. The acceleration in the backfill, strain in the geogrid layers, and facing deformation are computed and compared to the test results. The results of analysis for both static and dynamic tests compared reasonably well with the experimental results. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9399(2004)130:8(911) CE Database subject headings: Retaining walls; Soil structures; Geosynthetics; Plasticity; Finite elements.

This study focused on the behavior of a large-diameter burial pipe with special reference to its stability against flotation subject to soil liquefaction. Centrifugal modeling technique was used where the results are presented for a total of eight shaking table tests conducted on the burial pipe in a laminar box under 30g gravitational field. The ground was prepared with Nevada sand at a relative density of 38% and shaken with a sinusoidal wave at an amplitude of 0.5g. The use of a viscous fluid in a saturated soil deposit satisfied the time scaling relationships of both dynamic and dissipation phenomena. The centrifugal modeling technique simulated flotation of pipeline as the soil liquefied. A technique that used gravels and geosynthetic material was used to mitigate flotation. The response of the soil deposit, in terms of acceleration and excess pore pressure, was investigated. The uplifting of the pipe, earth pressure response and ground surface deformation were also presented. Based on the test results, a design procedure was proposed for the burial pipe in resisting flotation due to soil liquefaction. The deadweight and stiffness of the gravel unit, which was confined by geosynthetic, were important items in design. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2003)129:12(1092) CE Database subject headings: Centrifugal models; Liquefaction; Geosynthetics; Buffed pipes; Nevada; Remedial action.