This paper presents a simple concept which can be used for simulating a range of soil mechanics problems. The study is motivated by the observation that many experimental results are commonly described in terms of lines or curves according to a phenomenological approach. Frequently, these relations are based on rather different formulations from one application to another, and in complex forms for some cases. This leads to complications for the calibration of parameters as well as constitutive modelling. Thus, a general framework referred to as “reference curves” has been developed. This framework provides a unique treatment of the macroscopically observed behaviour of clays, sands, and structured materials under isotropic compression, as well as the water retention characteristics of granular materials and geotextiles. Several examples are provided illustrating the good accuracy of models developed with this concept. The proposed framework may be equally applied to any other behaviour where reference lines are easily identifiable from a macroscopic scope, such as some non-linear failure envelopes for granular materials. In addition, we show that the incorporation of the proposed equations into constitutive models is quite straightforward. 相似文献
The study of particle migration in porous media under cyclic loading is the key to understand the mechanism of mud pumping hazard in railway embankments. This paper presents a series of particle migration tests, in which soil particles migrate into an overlying gravel layer under cyclic loading. The results show that the increase in loading frequency and load magnitude leads to more particle migration upwards at a greater rate, implying that the train speed and axle loads affect the extent of mud pumping. The slurry turbidity in the gravel layer increases to a steady state value with time. Soil particles smaller than 5 μm have the potential to diffuse into the entire gravel layer, and larger particles tend to aggregate in the bottom layer of the gravel. The backward erosion gradually develops deeper into the soil layer, and there is a maximum erosion depth associated with each load frequency and load magnitude. As for the mechanism, the pore water pressure oscillates because of liquid sloshing. Its amplitude is much larger in the gravel layer than that in the soil layer due to their difference in permeability. The axial hydraulic gradient acts as a pumping effect to stimulate the migration of soil particles. Increasing load frequency is conducive to the generation of a stronger pumping effect at the gravel–soil interface. Increasing load magnitude does impact not only the extent of pumping effect, but also the development of an interlayer which plays an important role in promoting particle migration.
This paper presents a finite element model for analysing the behaviour of granular material wrapped with polyethylene bags under vertical compression and cyclic shearing. The simple Mohr–Coulomb model is used to represent the soil behaviour. The polyethylene bag is represented by a linear-elastic–perfect-plastic model. The soil-bag interface is modelled with contact constraints. The main purpose of the numerical analysis is to validate the anticipated performance of soilbags under various loading conditions and hence the effectiveness of soilbags as a method of ground improvement. 相似文献