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Design of column-supported embankments (CSE) requires the evaluation of global stability using the conventional limit equilibrium method (LEM). Yet, for CSEs using unreinforced concrete columns and load transferring geogrids, the failure mechanisms and corresponding soil-structure interactions are not well understood. There is increasing evidence pointing to large bending moments in columns and failure of columns in flexure, as opposed to a failure by shear as assumed in limit equilibrium analyses. In response to these design uncertainties, the failure height, failure mode, and deformations of eight column-supported embankment scenarios were investigated using three-dimensional (3D) numerical analyses. For the same embankment scenarios at failure height, factors of safety (FS) were then calculated using the two-dimensional (2D) LEM for investigating its applicability in evaluating global stability of CSEs. The 3D numerical analyses examined CSE stability for the limiting conditions at undrained end-of-construction and after long-term dissipation of excess pore water pressures. The numerical model included representations of flexural tensile failure in the concrete columns and tensile failure in the geosynthetic reinforcement. Scenarios consisted of a base case with typical concrete column design, five single-parameter variations using base case conditions, and two multiparameter variations using base case conditions. The undrained condition was the most critical, and two failure modes were found: (1) multisurface shearing in the embankment coupled with bending failure of columns and near-circular shear failure in the clay, and (2) multisurface shearing in the embankment coupled with bending failure of columns and shearing in the upper portion of the soft foundation clay. Both failure modes were accompanied by a rupture of the geosynthetic when included in the load transfer platform. Soil-column interactions were complex, and many columns failed in bending at lower embankment heights than those that produced collapse. The factors of safety calculated using the LEM were overstated. This is because the LEM assumes failure by shear, which has limited applicability for examining the complex mechanisms by which CSEs fail. The practical implication is that the LEM should not be used for evaluating global stability of this system type and, by extension, other system types in which soil-structure interactions result in failures controlled by mechanisms other than shear.

Lateral spreading analysis of column-supported embankments (CSEs) requires an understanding of lateral thrust distribution. This includes quantifying the portion of thrust that is resisted by tension in geosynthetic reinforcements installed in the load transfer platform. Results from a three-dimensional (3D) numerical parametric study using a half-embankment domain and totaling 140 scenarios are presented in terms of lateral thrust distribution. Forces examined include the lateral thrusts in the embankment and foundation soil, the geosynthetic tension, and the base shear at depth, and results are presented for the limiting cases of lateral spreading (i.e., undrained end-of-construction and long-term dissipated). Results show that lateral thrusts induced by embankment loading are significant in the embankment, foundation soil, and base shear beneath the columns. However, the portion of lateral thrust carried by the geosynthetic is limited, though it increases with the geosynthetic stiffness. Results also indicate that lateral spreading in CSEs is more critical at the undrained end-of-construction condition than in the long-term condition after excess pore water pressures have dissipated. Correlations for the thrust distribution at these limiting conditions and different embankment locations (i.e., centerline, shoulder, and toe) are provided.

Statistical analyses of data sets from five case histories indicate that soil-bentonite hydraulic conductivity is distributed log normally. The advection-diffusion equation was used to investigate the impact of log-normal variation in hydraulic conductivity on both steady-state and transient contaminant flux through a cutoff wall with idealized initial and boundary conditions. The results demonstrate that contaminant flux through cutoff walls increases as the variability in hydraulic conductivity increases while all other variables are held constant, including the area-weighted average conductivity. The effect of variability is most pronounced when advective transport and diffusive transport act in opposite directions, as occurs for circumferential cutoff walls that are operated with inward-directed hydraulic gradients to contain contaminated ground water. In this case, the increase in total outward flux due to variability of hydraulic conductivity occurs because the increase in inward advective flux in areas where the seepage velocity is higher than average is more than offset by the increase in outward diffusive flux in areas where the seepage velocity is lower than average. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE) 1090-0241 (2005) 131:8 (951) CE Database subject headings: Bentonite; Core walls; Hydraulic Conductivity; Contaminants; Transport rate.

The hydraulic conductivity of soil--bentonite backfill in three pilot-scale cutoff walls was measured using laboratory tests on disturbed samples, laboratory tests on undisturbed samples, piezocone dissipation tests, and piezometer tests (also known as slug tests or single-well tests). In addition, a global measurement of the average hydraulic conductivity of the soil--bentonite backfill in one of the cutoff walls was made using the pilot-scale test facility. Two main factors distinguish these five different methods of measuring hydraulic conductivity: remolding and sample size. Remolding of samples tested in American Petroleum Institute filter press equipment significantly reduced their hydraulic conductivity compared to the hydraulic conductivity of undisturbed samples, which were of similar size. For the other tests, where the degree and extent of remolding were less significant, hydraulic conductivity was found to increase as sample size increased, with the global measurement producing the highest value. The existence of bentonite filter cakes on trench walls reduces the influence of sample size on the equivalent hydraulic conductivity of the barrier. Findings regarding locating defects with a piezocone and hydraulic fracture in piezometer tests are also presented. CE Database subject headings: Core walls; Hydraulic conductivity; Laboratory tests; In situ tests; Piezometers; Backfills.

The most important mechanism by which bentonite-water slurry supports long trenches in sand is lateral pressure from the slurry. The effectiveness of this support can be compromised if filter cakes do not form on the trench walls. Criteria for filter cake formation are presented, along with the depth of slurry penetration and effects of the slurry on the strength of coarse granular soil when filter cakes do not form. Closed-form expressions are provided for global stability when filter cakes do form and for local stability when they do not form. A method for analyzing global stability when filter cakes do not form is also discussed. Increasing the bentonite concentration of the slurry has three beneficial impacts on stability: (1) the stagnation gradient increases, which improves local and global stability in cases where filter cakes do not form, (2) larger particles can become suspended in the slurry, which promotes filter cake formation on the walls of trenches excavated in coarse soils, and (3) more particles and larger particles can become suspended in the slurry, which increases the unit weight of the slurry and improves stability whether or not filter cakes form. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2004)130:9(915) CE Database subject headings: Slurry trenches; Core walls; Sand; Slurries; Filters.

A relatively simple, four-parameter extended hyperbolic model for interfaces was developed for use in soil-structure interaction analyses. The model accommodates arbitrary stress path directions and includes three important elements: (1) development of a yield surface during interface shear; (2) a formulation for yield-inducing shear stiffness that is applicable to any stress path orientation; and (3) a formulation for unloading-reloading shear stiffness. The model was evaluated against the results of shear tests performed at the interface between three different types of sand and a concrete surface under a variety of stress paths. Comparisons between measured and calculated interface response indicate that the model provides accurate estimates of the response of sand-to-concrete interfaces. CE Database subject headings: Models; Sand; Concrete; Soil-structure interaction; Interfaces; Retaining walls.

Three important mechanisms that contribute to the compression of municipal solid waste are instantaneous compression in response to applied load, secondary mechanical creep, and time-dependent biological decomposition. A composite compressibility model that explicitly takes these mechanisms into account was developed and implemented in a computer program to calculate landfill settlements. The model performance was assessed using data from the Bandeirantes Landfill, which is a well-documented landfill located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and upon which an instrumented test fill was constructed. Model parameter values were obtained by nonlinear regression analysis, and it was found that the composite model tracked observed patterns of landfill settlement very well. Furthermore, the average parameter values from nonlinear regression analyses for 20 instruments exhibited small deviations between calculated and observed settlements, indicating that a single set of parameter values can provide reasonably good representation of all the waste in the vicinity of the test fill. Recommendations for applying the model to other landfills are provided. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2003)129:4(372) CE Database subject headings: Municipal wastes; Solid wastes; Compressibility; Landfills; Settlement.

Cellular structures constructed of interlocking steel sheet piles are used in marine environments as cofferdams, bulkheads, mooring dolphins, and lock guide walls. In addition to providing safety against sliding, bearing failure, overturning, and tilting, cellular structures must also be designed to prevent sheet pile interlock rupture, which can lead to catastrophic failure if the cell fill is lost. Methods commonly used to estimate sheet pile interlock tensions were developed in the 1940's, 1950's, and 1970's. These methods are based on empirical observations, and they do not explicitly account for soil-structure interactions. This paper presents the results of finite element analyses and instrumentation measurements performed to examine soil-structure interaction effects on sheet pile tensions. The finite-element analyses were used to compute sheet pile tensions at five instrumented cells, and the results are compared with measurements. The calibrated finite-element model was then used to investigate the effects of varying cell geometry, interlock behavior, sheet pile penetration depth, and foundation stiffness on sheet pile tensions. The instrumentation measurements provide data for estimating changes in sheet pile tensions due to cell fill densification, cofferdam unwatering, and bulkhead backfilling. CE Database keywords: Sheet piles; Tensions; Cofferdams; Bulkheads; Instrumentation; Finite-element method.

An analytical conceptualization of the management of a contaminated groundwater site with a vertical barrier is formulated to act in tandem with monitored natural attenuation in the remediation of benzene. The barrier-controlled monitored natural attenuation (BCMNA) scheme is designed to control the rate of contaminant release.

Retaining walls that do not move are customarily designed based on the assumption of at-rest conditions, with no consideration of vertical shear loads applied by the backfill. However, field and laboratory measurements have shown that vertical shear loads do act on nonmoving walls. A simple theory for calculating the magnitude of vertical shear loads on nonmoving walls is presented in this paper, and typical results from the theory are discussed. A companion paper presents the results of finite-element calculations, case history data, and recommendations for retaining wall design.

Massive concrete walls constructed on rock foundations, as well as other nonmoving retaining walls, are customarily designed for at-rest earth pressures. Vertical shear loads applied by the backfill are usually not considered in design of nonmoving walls, even though many field and laboratory measurements have shown that such loads exist. Vertical shear loads can be very beneficial for stability of retaining walls, because they provide restoring moments to counteract overturning moments from lateral earth loads. In this paper, model test results and case history data are reviewed, the results of finite-element calculations are presented, and a simple design procedure is developed. It is shown that significant economies can result from consideration of vertical shear forces in design of nonmoving retaining walls.

Progressive failure can occur along geosynthetic interfaces in lined waste landfills when peak strengths are greater than residual strengths. A displacement-softening formulation for geosynthetic interfaces was used in finite-element analyses of lined waste impoundments to evaluate the significance of progressive failure effects. First, the Kettleman Hills landfill was analyzed, and good agreement was found between the calculated and observed failure heights. Next, parametric analyses of municipal solid waste landfills were performed. Progressive failure was significant in all cases. Limit equilibrium analyses were also performed, and recommendations are provided for incorporating progressive failure effects in limit equilibrium analyses of municipal solid waste landfills.

New displacement-softening and work-softening models were developed to describe the sliding of geosynthetic interfaces, such as those in landfill liners. The displacement-softening formulation is based on the assumption that strength reduction at the interface can be related to nonrecoverable (plastic) shear displacement. The model uses three relationships: (1) the peak strength envelope; (2) the residual strength envelope; and (3) the residual factor versus displacement ratio relationship, which is a nondimensional expression of the rate at which displacement-softening occurs. The displacement-softening model is accurate for shearing when the normal stress stays constant. When normal stress increases during shearing, the displacement-softening formulation overpredicts damage to geosynthetic interfaces. The work-softening model was developed to compute interface softening during conditions of increasing normal stress. This formulation is based on the assumption that the postpeak reduction in shear strength can be attributed to plastic shear work rather than plastic shear displacement. By calculating an equivalent plastic shear displacement for a given amount of plastic shear work, the work-softening model can be formulated using the same basic relationships as the displacement-softening model. The work-softening model significantly outperformed the displacement-softening model when simulating laboratory tests under conditions of increasing normal stress.