Experimental and computational analysis of hydraulic behavior in shallow buried structures in sand

Abstract

The hydraulic behavior of cohesionless soils has a significant impact on the structure-soil–water interaction behavior for shallow buried underground structures. This paper presents a study of the effects of the influence of absorption water in sand through model tests and numerical analyses. The results indicate that the adsorption water leads to the reduction of groundwater buoyancy and affects groundwater transient hydraulic gradient. Subsequently, a machine learning algorithm was employed to construct data-driven analyzing models based on the numerical and model test results. The model test results indicate that the buoyancy reduction is dependent on the void ratio and relative density of the sand. In addition, the numerical and machine learning analyses indicate that the sand properties (absorption water content, void ratio, relative density, and permeability coefficient) and the ratio of water head difference to buried depth of the underground structure have a significant influence on the structural hydraulic behavior.