Matching Items (5)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Soil permeability
- All Subjects: matric suction
- Creators: Houston, Sandra
- Creators: Lu, Yutong
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
Description
In geotechnical engineering, measuring the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of fine grained soils can be time consuming and tedious. The various applications that require knowledge of the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function are great, and in geotechnical engineering, they range from modeling seepage through landfill covers to determining infiltration of water under a building slab. The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function can be measured using various direct and indirect techniques. The instantaneous profile method has been found to be the most promising unsteady state method for measuring the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function for fine grained soils over a wide range of suction values. The instantaneous profile method can be modified by using different techniques to measure suction and water content and also through the way water is introduced or removed from the soil profile. In this study, the instantaneous profile method was modified by creating duplicate soil samples compacted into cylindrical tubes at two different water contents. The techniques used in the duplicate method to measure the water content and matric suction included volumetric moisture probes, manual water content measurements, and filter paper tests. The experimental testing conducted in this study provided insight into determining the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity using the instantaneous profile method for a sandy clay soil and recommendations are provided for further evaluation. Overall, this study has demonstrated that the presence of cracks has no significant impact on the hydraulic behavior of soil in high suction ranges. The results of this study do not examine the behavior of cracked soil unsaturated hydraulic conductivity at low suction and at moisture contents near saturation.
ContributorsJacquemin, Sean Christopher (Author) / Zapata, Claudia (Thesis advisor) / Houston, Sandra (Committee member) / Kavazanjian, Edward (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
As a prelude to a study on the post-liquefaction properties and structure of soil, an investigation of ground freezing as an undisturbed sampling technique was conducted to investigate the ability of this sampling technique to preserve soil structure and properties. Freezing the ground is widely regarded as an appropriate technique to recover undisturbed samples of saturated cohesionless soil for laboratory testing, despite the fact that water increases in volume when frozen. The explanation generally given for the preservation of soil structure using the freezing technique was that, as long as the freezing front advanced uni-directionally, the expanding pore water is expelled ahead of the freezing front as the front advances. However, a literature review on the transition of water to ice shows that the volume of ice expands approximately nine percent after freezing, bringing into question the hypothesized mechanism and the ability of a frozen and then thawed specimen to retain the properties and structure of the soil in situ. Bench-top models were created by pluviation of sand. The soil in the model was then saturated and subsequently frozen. Freezing was accomplished using a pan filled with alcohol and dry ice placed on the surface of the sand layer to induce a unidirectional freezing front in the sample container. Coring was used to recover frozen samples from model containers. Recovered cores were then placed in a triaxial cell, thawed, and subjected to consolidated undrained loading. The stress-strain-strength behavior of the thawed cores was compared to the behavior of specimens created in a split mold by pluviation and then saturated and sheared without freezing and thawing. The laboratory testing provide insight to the impact of freezing and thawing on the properties of cohesionless soil.
ContributorsKatapa, Kanyembo (Author) / Kavazanjian, Edward (Thesis advisor) / Houston, Sandra (Committee member) / Zapata, Claudia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Fluctuating flow releases on regulated rivers destabilize downstream riverbanks, causing unintended, unnatural, and uncontrolled geomorphologic changes. These flow releases, usually a result of upstream hydroelectric dam operations, create manmade tidal effects that cause significant environmental damage; harm fish, vegetation, mammal, and avian habitats; and destroy riverbank camping and boating areas. This work focuses on rivers regulated by hydroelectric dams and have banks formed by sediment processes. For these systems, bank failures can be reduced, but not eliminated, by modifying flow release schedules. Unfortunately, comprehensive mitigation can only be accomplished with expensive rebuilding floods which release trapped sediment back into the river. The contribution of this research is to optimize weekly hydroelectric dam releases to minimize the cost of annually mitigating downstream bank failures. Physical process modeling of dynamic seepage effects is achieved through a new analytical unsaturated porewater response model that allows arbitrary periodic stage loading by Fourier series. This model is incorporated into a derived bank failure risk model that utilizes stochastic parameters identified through a meta-analysis of more than 150 documented slope failures. The risk model is then expanded to the river reach level by a Monte Carlos simulation and nonlinear regression of measured attenuation effects. Finally, the comprehensive risk model is subjected to a simulated annealing (SA) optimization scheme that accounts for physical, environmental, mechanical, operations, and flow constraints. The complete risk model is used to optimize the weekly flow release schedule of the Glen Canyon Dam, which regulates flow in the Colorado River within the Grand Canyon. A solution was obtained that reduces downstream failure risk, allows annual rebuilding floods, and predicts a hydroelectric revenue increase of more than 2%.
ContributorsTravis, Quentin Brent (Author) / Mays, Larry (Thesis advisor) / Schmeeckle, Mark (Committee member) / Houston, Sandra (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
The influence of temperature on soil engineering properties is a major concern in the design of engineering systems such as radioactive waste disposal barriers, ground source heat pump systems and pavement structures. In particular, moisture redistribution under pavement systems might lead to changes in unbound material stiffness that will affect pavement performance. Accurate measurement of thermal effects on unsaturated soil hydraulic properties may lead to reduction in design and construction costs. This thesis presents preliminary results of an experimental study aimed at determining the effect of temperature on the soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) and the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function (kunsat). Pressure plate devices with volume change control were used to determine the SWCC and the instantaneous profile method was used to obtain the kunsat function. These properties were measured on two fine-grained materials subjected to controlled temperatures of 5oC, 25oC and 40oC. The results were used to perform a sensitivity analysis of the effect of temperature changes on the prediction of moisture movement under a covered area. In addition, two more simulations were performed where changes in hydraulic properties were done in a stepwise fashion. The findings were compared to field measured water content data obtained on the subgrade material of the FAA William Hughes test facility located in Atlantic City. Results indicated that temperature affects the unsaturated hydraulic properties of the two soils used in the study. For the DuPont soil, a soil with high plasticity, it was found that the water retention was higher at low temperatures for suction levels lower than about 10,000 kPa; while the kunsat functions at the three temperatures were not significantly different. For the County soil, a material with medium plasticity, it was found that it holds around 10% more degree of saturation at 5°C than that at 40°C for suction levels higher than about 1,000 kPa; while the hydraulic conductivity at 40°C was at least one order of magnitude higher than that at 5°C, for suction levels higher than 1,000 kPa. These properties were used to perform two types of numerical analyses: a sensitivity analysis and stepwise analysis. Absolute differences between predicted and field measured data were considered to be acceptable, ranging from 4.5% to 9% for all simulations. Overall results show an improvement in predictions when non-isothermal conditions were used over the predictions obtained with isothermal conditions.
ContributorsLu, Yutong (Author) / Zapata, Claudia E (Thesis advisor) / Kavazanjian, Edward (Committee member) / Houston, Sandra L. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Design and mitigation of infrastructure on expansive soils requires an understanding of unsaturated soil mechanics and consideration of two stress variables (net normal stress and matric suction). Although numerous breakthroughs have allowed geotechnical engineers to study expansive soil response to varying suction-based stress scenarios (i.e. partial wetting), such studies are not practical on typical projects due to the difficulties and duration needed for equilibration associated with the necessary laboratory testing. The current practice encompasses saturated “conventional” soil mechanics testing, with the implementation of numerous empirical correlations and approximations to obtain an estimate of true field response. However, it has been observed that full wetting rarely occurs in the field, leading to an over-conservatism within a given design when partial wetting conditions are ignored. Many researchers have sought to improve ways of estimation of soil heave/shrinkage through intense studies of the suction-based response of reconstituted clay soils. However, the natural behavior of an undisturbed clay soil sample tends to differ significantly from a remolded sample of the same material.
In this study, laboratory techniques for the determination of soil suction were evaluated, a methodology for determination of the in-situ matric suction of a soil specimen was explored, and the mechanical response to changes in matric suction of natural clay specimens were measured. Suction-controlled laboratory oedometer devices were used to impose partial wetting conditions, similar to those experienced in a natural setting. The undisturbed natural soils tested in the study were obtained from Denver, CO and San Antonio, TX.
Key differences between the soil water characteristic curves of the undisturbed specimen test compared to the conventional reconstituted specimen test are highlighted. The Perko et al. (2000) and the PTI (2008) methods for estimating the relationship between volume and changes in matric suction (i.e. suction compression index) were evaluated by comparison to the directly measured values. Lastly, the directly measured partial wetting swell strain was compared to the fully saturated, one-dimensional, oedometer test (ASTM D4546) and the Surrogate Path Method (Singhal, 2010) to evaluate the estimation of partial wetting heave.
In this study, laboratory techniques for the determination of soil suction were evaluated, a methodology for determination of the in-situ matric suction of a soil specimen was explored, and the mechanical response to changes in matric suction of natural clay specimens were measured. Suction-controlled laboratory oedometer devices were used to impose partial wetting conditions, similar to those experienced in a natural setting. The undisturbed natural soils tested in the study were obtained from Denver, CO and San Antonio, TX.
Key differences between the soil water characteristic curves of the undisturbed specimen test compared to the conventional reconstituted specimen test are highlighted. The Perko et al. (2000) and the PTI (2008) methods for estimating the relationship between volume and changes in matric suction (i.e. suction compression index) were evaluated by comparison to the directly measured values. Lastly, the directly measured partial wetting swell strain was compared to the fully saturated, one-dimensional, oedometer test (ASTM D4546) and the Surrogate Path Method (Singhal, 2010) to evaluate the estimation of partial wetting heave.
ContributorsOlaiz, Austin Hunter (Author) / Houston, Sandra (Thesis advisor) / Zapata, Claudia (Committee member) / Kavazanjian, Edward (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017