Soft Ground Reinforcement Research Articles

Analysis of Factors Affecting Field Applicability and Long-Term Performance Analysis of LCP Woven Geotextile for Soft Ground Reinforcement

In recent years, natural disasters have been increasing worldwide due to rapid climate change, and the damage to ground structures is increasing due to the destruction of the ground. Damage to the ground structure can be reduced or eliminated by using LCP woven geotextiles as ground reinforcement. Therefore, in this study, the tensile properties, reduction factor affecting long-term performance, creep behavior, and fatigue properties of LCP woven geotextile were tested and analyzed. As a result, in the case of tensile properties, the maximum tensile strength of the LCP woven geotextile was 192.94 kN/m2 in the MD direction, and it was generally constructed so that the load was transmitted. The total reduction factor is 1.86, which could be applied within 53.8% of the design strength when applied to the field. In addition, it was considered that the effect of the reduction factor for creep deformation on the long-term performance was dominant. Through the analysis of the creep behavior and fatigue characteristics, considering that the creep limit strain was 10%, if an earthquake occurred after 50 years of construction, it can be predicted that up to 90% of UTS would exhibit seismic performance. When LCP woven geotextile was applied as reinforcement, if the cyclic load due to fatigue failure was less than 478,000 times per year, it was considered that there was little possibility of the collapse of the ground structure.

Study on Using Fly Ash for Fly Ash - Soil Piles in Reinforcing Soft Ground

Currently, the construction technology on soft ground reinforcement is very developed, including the technology of constructing soil-cement piles for soft soil reinforcement which is technically and economically effective and widely used. Another technology is using fly ash waste from thermal power plants to make fly ash- soil piles for soft ground reinforcement, which not only takes advantage of local materials but also reduces environmental pollution from operating thermal power plants. This paper introduces some research results on fly ash content and pile diameter when reinforcing soft ground. The authors modeled the calculation diagram of the soft ground reinforcement under the roadbed with the case of the hypothetical pile diameter D = 40cm; 50cm; 60cm corresponding to the content of fly ash 35%, 40%, 45%, the pile length L = 8m to handle all soft ground layers. The results show that when the pile length L = 8m, pile diameter D = 60cm corresponding to the fly ash content of 45%, the stability coefficient of K = 1.992 is larger than the allowable stability coefficient [K] = 1.4. In this case, the largest settlement strain S = 0.17m, meeting permissible settlement strain of the ground [S] = 0.3m. These results provide basement for the design, construction and operation management units to propose solutions to maximize the working ability of the materials, enhance the stability of the roadbed during exploitation.

Foundation Methods for the Soft Ground Reinforcement of Lightweight Greenhouse on Reclaimed Land: A review

Foundation Methods for the Soft Ground Reinforcement of Lightweight Greenhouse on Reclaimed Land: A review

Field Test and Numerical Simulation for Coordinated Deformation of New Subgrade and Old Embankment Adjacent to River

With the development of the economy in China, original roads may be unable to cope with the existing traffic. The expansion of the old embankment is the core problem for road expansion. Soft foundation differential settlements and pavement cracking along the joint between the new subgrade and old embankment often emerge after construction, especially during the operational period of the road. The Binjiang Avenue Project in Nanjing, China, is taken as a research example in this paper, and a typical test zone of about 300.0 m in length was selected to conduct research work through in-situ tests. The coordinated deformations of the subgrade combined with the old embankment under conditions of consolidation by drainage were researched using in-situ tests and numerical modeling. During the process of numerical modeling, the vertical drainage system in the compressible soft ground layers was simplified to be represented as the drainage band model and the equivalent sand-wall model. In addition, a soft ground creep model was adopted to calculate the deformation of the subgrade with the construction process. A comparison of the results between field tests and numerical simulations was carried out. The results show that there is good uniformity for both. Based on the results, three indexes for the new and old subgrade, such as the differential settlement, total settlement and post-settlement, should be viewed as the basis for the design and construction of the new subgrade and old embankment. Additionally, it was found that the soft ground model, drainage band model and equivalent sand-wall model are all completely suitable for the numerical modeling of the soft ground reinforcement subgrade. These results also provide a theoretical basis for the construction method of similar projects.

Study on healing technique for weak interlayer and related mechanical properties based on microbially-induced calcium carbonate precipitation.

The weak interlayer refers to the filling material in shear belts or large-scale structural planes, which is usually composed of soil, fine sand and gravels. It is prone to argillization when encountering water and its mechanical strength and stiffness are generally low, which has adverse effects on the stability of underground structures. In recent years, research on reinforcement techniques for weak interlayers has been a hot topic in geotechnical field. As a new reinforcement method for structural planes, the microbial healing technique has attracted a lot of attention. In this paper, a study on the healing technique for weak interlayer based on microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) and related mechanical properties was conducted for the interlayer shear belt at Baihetan Hydropower Station in China. First, Sporosarcina pasteurii was activated in laboratory. Reinforcement of the weak interlayer was realized by utilizing calcium carbonate precipitation on the weak interlayer. Continuous monitoring of the precipitates on the weak interlayer by XRD and SEM indicated that the precipitates on the weak layer were microbially induced calcium carbonate. Its crystals were irregular fish scale-shaped cubes with size in the range of 5~20μm. With favorable crystal growth, the crystals and the particles of the weak interlayer were cemented together. Finally, the mechanical properties of the healed weak interlayer were tested and the variations of uniaxial compressive strength, shear strength and triaxial compressive strength with bacteria concentration were discussed. The test results indicated that the maximum uniaxial compressive strength, peak shear strength and triaxial compressive strength can be increased by 149%, 162% and 119%, respectively, which subsequently improve the overall strength of the shear zone or structural plane. This can provide a new idea for soft ground reinforcement in underground projects.

Multi-layered UL700 arch-grid module with inelastic buckling for localized reinforcement of soft ground

This research proposes the inelastic buckling and modal analysis to design optimal shape and size through UL700 steel arch-grid unit module which is for localized reinforcement of soft ground. The optimal arch-grid design is achieved among its most efficient design possibilities such as different plate type, extended grid, multi-story grid, combined grid. The steel arch-grid unit module is composed of a vertical member and a board member combined with the top and bottom sides of the said vertical member, including the horizontal member equipped with multiple arm parts combined with the center part into one body in the shape of a cross. The construction method for reinforcement of soft ground is proposed in detail in this research. Numerical experiments are provided to survey optimal shape and size of arch-grid structures with differential models applied to buckling analysis, modal and static load, in consideration of both linear and nonlinear behaviors, by using SAP2000 version 15.0.1 software. With sufficient features of steel arch-grid for supporting structural foundations, this research suggests the possibility of requiring more studies and of providing more applications in the field of constructional structures.

Estimation of bearing capacity of floating group of stone columns

Stone column is one of the ground improvement techniques. This technique has a proven performance, short time schedule, durability, constructability and low costs. The stone column technique has been used as a method of reinforcement of soft ground over the past 30years. The bearing capacity of the stone column still has high level of uncertainties because the existing formulas for the estimation of the bearing capacity are general and do not take into consideration the type of the stone column whether if it’s floating or end bearing and the method of the implementation of the stone columns and the length to diameter ratio of the stone column (L/D) and many other factors that affect the bearing capacity of the stone column.In the present study, a general equation was obtained by carrying out statistical analysis using the SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) program from the present experimental work and previous studies. The equation is used to estimate the bearing capacity of floating stone column group installed in clays of different undrained shear strengths between (4–25)kPa and with different diameters and L/D ratios constructed by cased bored method. The equation indicates that the most controlling parameter in the prediction of stone columns bearing capacity, qu, is the area replacement ration, As, where qu increases considerably with increase of As, i.e. decrease of spacing between columns.

Vibration and Long-Term Performance Analysis of Pile-Plank-Supported Low Subgrade of Ballastless Track under Excitation Loads

Pile-plank structures are widely applied for high-speed railway built in soft ground in China. It can be used as a reinforcement to improve the behavior of subgrade by providing vertical confinement to increase their stiffness and strength and reduce the subgrade settlement of ballastless track. However, the use of pile-board structure for soft ground reinforcement of high-speed railway is hindered by the existing gap between applications and theories. To verify vibration characteristics and long-term performance of pile-plank-supported low subgrade of ballastless track and the benefit of pile-board structure, an experimental study was conducted on low subgrade of pile-board under excitation loads using both in situ frequency sweeping and cyclic loading experiments. The frequency sweeping experimental results show that the pile-plank-supported low subgrade has smooth stiffness along the longitudinal subgrade and can effectively control the progressive effects of train speed on dynamic stiffness of the subgrade, which ensures driving safety and comfort. The cycle loading experimental results show that the pile-plank-supported low subgrade has favorable long-term dynamic stability, and its dynamic response is uniform along the longitudinal subgrade.

Arched Soil-Cement Walls for Soft Ground Reinforcement of Dike Slope

New structure of long straight walls with arched retaining wall was raised to improve the anti-sliding capacity of embankment soft ground. The arched walls embedded in the soft subsoil will transfer lateral forces in reasonable ways. Detailed research shows that the structure of arched walls can greatly increase slope stability and reliability.

사례분석을 통한 효율적 상향수압(Up-Lift Pressure) 처리공법 적용방안에 관한연구 - ◯◯ 상업지역 현장사례 중심으로 -

최근의 건축활동은 초고층화 대형화 복잡화 되고 있으며 도심지내에 근접 시공되어 짐에 따라 건축물의 지상층 높이증가와 더불어 지가의 앙등, 토지이용의 극대화로 지하구조물의 중요성이 증가되고 있으며 지하층의 면적 및 층수가 증가되어 가는 추세이다. 이에 따라 지하굴착심도가 깊어지고 있으며 토지 이용의 효율극대화 측면에서 우리나라의 경우 해안매립지등 매립지반에서의 건축활동이 급증하는 추세로 연약지반에 대한 대책과 아울러 지하수위에 대한 영향을 신중하게 검토해야할 필요성이 증대되고 있는 실정이다. 일반적으로 지하굴착 후 시공되는 건축물은 지층의성상과 토질, 수압 등에 대한 고려로 건물의 최하층 바닥슬라브 하부에 위치하게 되는 지하수위와의 수두압차에 의한 정수학적 압력(Hydrostatic Pressure), 즉 부력(Uplift Water Pressure)이 건물저면에 작용하게 되므로, 이러한 부력(浮力)합리적으로 대처할 수 있는 설계 및 시공법의 개발과 이를 적용하기 위한 노력은 지하층공사에 있어서 안전, 공기, 비용, 건축의질 측면에서 필수적이라고 할 수 있다. 그러나 이제까지의 지하층 공사는 부력 처리방법 등에 대한 연구가 미흡하며 기존의 공법 중 대상 프로젝트의 합리적인 수행을 위한 설계초기단계에서의 지반에 대한 사전조사와 면밀한 분석이 이루어지지 않고, 경험에 의존하는 경향이 크다. 본 연구는 상기와 같은 문제점을 바탕으로 O O 건설현장 실 사례를 중심으로 현장은 한강에 인접한 지리적 요인에 의해 지하수위가 한강의 수위와 연계되어 있는바 최초 계획되었던 Rock anchor System 대신 Drain mat System을 적용하여 유입되는 지하수를 유도, 배수함으로써 지하수위에 따른 상향수압을 통제할 수 있는 최적공법 선정을 통해 직접공사비 406,702,000원 및 Life Cycle Cost 차원에서 검토한 결과 건물수명 50년 기준 절감액 운용수익률 년 4% 절감의 효과로 이는 건설초기단계에서의 과다설계에 따른 투입 공사비의 과다책정, 공기의 증가 등에 따른 채산성 문제를 합리적으로 제어하여 건설공사의 원가절감을 위한 성공사례로 평가되고 있다. Building construction trends have been changed dramatically in terms of size and mass. With the need to maximize land usage, there has been an increase in the construction of high-rise buildings. This affects not only the entire construction duration and cost, but also subsequent construction activities, such as work to increase underground facilities and in reclamation land area construction. These types of site conditions require soft ground reinforcement and the proper uplift water pressure treatment. In general, two kinds of methods have been used for uplift water pressure treatment systems. However, there have been some problems arising as the result of a lack of research and analysis on underground construction techniques, and a reliance on experiments over actual survey and analysis of site conditions. This paper focused on the problems of conventional selection procedure, by analyzing drawings and proposing a kind of modeling for a reasonable procedure. The results were applied to OO project as a sample construction case to be verified in this research. The initial plan in the case project was the Rock Anchor System. However, as there were terrible miscalculations of basic site conditions that had an extraordinary influence on the underground water level, such as the site's proximity to the Han-river, it was necessary to change the plan to include apermanent drainage system. This achieved a direct construction cost reduction \ 406,702,000 and a maximum sayings of 4% of operational cost, based on the 50-year building Life Cycle Cost.