Optimising geotechnical data for analysis of levee resilience

Abstract

Sustainability and resiliency are two important factors that are being considered extensively in current geotechnical analyses. Over the years, several attempts have been made to provide sustainable geotechnical engineering solutions by reusing excavated native soils and recycled materials and adopting smart and environmentally efficient construction processes. Despite an increase in research in these areas, efforts to develop an analysis-based framework that can address and incorporate both sustainable and resilient engineering designs and solutions are limited. This paper presents one such framework and how it can be used to assess infrastructure. Critical-lifeline infrastructure such as ageing dams and levees require constant stability assessments and one such levee was considered in this analysis. A critical component of a dam or levee embankment system is proper identification of the soil layers and soil properties within the dam or levee. Several in situ seismic cone penetration tests with pore pressure measurement (SCPTu) studies were conducted on a levee embankment, and these test results were analysed by way of geospatial and optimisation studies to determine the soil layer configuration. Optimisation studies were carried out in order to reduce the number of SCPTu soundings required for a balanced, environmentally friendly and cost-effective field exploration while still providing reliable soil layer configurations needed for resiliency analyses.