Soil metal concentrations and toxicity: Associations with distances to industrial facilities and implications for human health

Urban and rural areas may have different levels of environmental contamination and different potential sources of exposure. Many metals, i.e., arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg), have well-documented negative neurological effects, and the developing fetus and young children are particularly at risk. Using a database of mother and child pairs, three areas were identified: a rural area with no increased prevalence of mental retardation and developmental delay (MR/DD) (Area A), and a rural area (Area B) and an urban area (Area C) with significantly higher prevalence of MR/DD in children as compared to the state-wide average. Areas were mapped and surface soil samples were collected from nodes of a uniform grid. Samples were analyzed for As, barium (Ba), beryllium (Be), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), Pb, manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and Hg concentrations and for soil toxicity, and correlated to identify potential common sources. ArcGIS^® was used to determine distances between sample locations and industrial facilities, which were correlated with both metal concentrations and soil toxicity. Results indicated that all metal concentrations (except Be and Hg) in Area C were significantly greater than those in Areas A and B (p ≤ 0.0001) and that Area C had fewer correlations between metals suggesting more varied sources of metals than in rural areas. Area C also had a large number of facilities whose distances were significantly correlated with metals, particularly Cr (maximum r = 0.33; p = 0.0002), and with soil toxicity (maximum r = 0.25; p = 0.007) over a large spatial scale. Arsenic was not associated with distance to any facility and may have a different anthropogenic, or natural source. In contrast to Area C, both rural areas had lower concentrations of metals, lower soil toxicity, and a small number of facilities with significant associations between distance and soil metals.     

Unsaturated elasto-plastic constitutive equations for compacted kaolin under consolidated drained and shearing-infiltration conditions

Transient process of water flow changes the equilibrium conditions of an unsaturated soil, resulting in volume change of a soil. The volume change alters the hydraulic properties of the soil and thus influences the transient process of water flow through the soil. Therefore, the interactive processes between stress-strain behavior and pore-water pressure are the primary processes affecting the mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils. This paper presents coupled elasto-plastic constitutive equations for unsaturated compacted kaolin under consolidated drained and shearing-infiltration conditions. The study focused on the development of the suction increase (SI) yield curve that incorporates changes in matric suction during transient processes. In addition, the relationship of change in specific water volume with respect to net mean stress and matric suction was also proposed by incorporating the hysteresis of soil-water characteristic curve. The simulated results by the proposed constitutive model were compared with those obtained from isotropically consolidated drained tests and shearing infiltration tests of compacted kaolin to verify the proposed model. The simulated results are in close agreement with the experimental results.     

膨胀土浸水三向变形研究

讨论了在三向应力状态作用下，膨胀土在不同初始含水量条件下的三向变形特征，以及各种因素对它们的影响．通过分析讨论，揭示了这种变形机理，为今后探讨在各种随机变化场情况下膨胀土的变形，提供了一种必要的途径．     

不同土性地基中地震波传递的振动台模型试验研究

通过对地基土质从软到硬的三个阶段结构———地基动力相互作用体系振动台模型试验所取得数据的对比分析,讨论了不同土性地基对地震波传递的影响.表明地基土层对地震动的影响与场地土特性、地震动大小等有关,不一定是放大作用,也可能起滤波和隔震作用.     

天然海相中间沉积土性质研究

天然沉积物中存在主要由粉质土或粉细砂土含黏性土构成的中间土．通过系统的室内和现场试验，明确了天然海相黏性土和天然海相中间土之间性质的不同．天然中间土天然含水量与液限之比几乎与软质天然海相黏土相似，但是前者相对后者的灵敏度和现场强度更高．粒度分布对锥尖阻力有显著的影响．由于高灵敏度和相对大的渗透性，试样的扰动更加显著地影响了天然海相中间土的力学参数．无侧限抗压强度试验，显著低估了天然海相中间土的强度，而简易三轴固结再压缩剪切试验相对无侧限抗压强度qo试验有显著的改善。     

重塑膨胀土的抗剪强度试验研究

土的含水量和压实度是影响膨胀土抗剪强度的重要因素。在实验室研究了不同含水量和压实度情况下土的抗剪强度特性,采用多元线性回归方法,分析了内摩擦角和粘聚力与含水量和峰值抗剪强度的关系,发现重塑膨胀土的抗剪强度参数与压实度无显著相关,含水量对其有显著影响,定性分析了不同含水量下土的剪应力与位移的关系。     

Finite-Element Parametric Study of the Consolidation Behavior of a Trial Embankment on Soft Clay

The paper presents a case study for numerical analysis of the consolidation behavior of an instrumented trial embankment constructed on a soft soil foundation. Details are given to the geological profile, field instrumentation, laboratory test results, and determination of soil parameters for numerical modeling. Embankment settlement is estimated based on one-dimensional consolidation analysis and nonlinear finite-element analysis following Biot’s consolidation theory. Finite-element results are calibrated against the measured field data for a period of more than 3?years. Development and dissipation of excess pore pressure, long-term settlement, and horizontal displacement are predicted and discussed in light of sensitivity of embankment performance to some critical factors through a parametric study.     

Seismic Site Response for Near-Fault Forward Directivity Ground Motions

Forward directivity effects in the near-fault region produce pulse-type motions that differ significantly from ordinary ground motions that occur at greater distances from the causative fault. Current code site factors are based on empirical observations and analyses involving less intense nonpulse ordinary ground motions. Nonlinear site response analyses with bidirectional shaking are performed using representative site profiles to quantify seismic site response effects for intense near-fault motions resulting from forward directivity. Input rock motions are represented with simplified velocity pulses that characterize the amplitude and period of forward directivity motions. Results indicate that site response affects both the amplitude and period of forward directivity pulses, and hence, local site conditions should be considered when evaluating seismic designs in the near-fault region. Stiff soil sites tend to amplify the peak ground velocity and increase the period of pulse-type motions, particularly, when the period of the rock motion coincides with the degraded period of the site. Amplification is limited at soft soil sites by the dynamic strength of the weak soil, so attenuation occurs for intense input motions. This nonlinearity is not reflected in the site factors in current building codes. Guidance is provided for estimating the amplitude and pulse period for velocity pulses at soil sites.     

Suction Stress Characteristic Curve for Unsaturated Soil

The concept of the suction stress characteristic curve (SSCC) for unsaturated soil is presented. Particle-scale equilibrium analyses are employed to distinguish three types of interparticle forces: (1) active forces transmitted through the soil grains; (2) active forces at or near interparticle contacts; and (3) passive, or counterbalancing, forces at or near interparticle contacts. It is proposed that the second type of force, which includes physicochemical forces, cementation forces, surface tension forces, and the force arising from negative pore-water pressure, may be conceptually combined into a macroscopic stress called suction stress. Suction stress characteristically depends on degree of saturation, water content, or matric suction through the SSCC, thus paralleling well-established concepts of the soil–water characteristic curve and hydraulic conductivity function for unsaturated soils. The existence and behavior of the SSCC are experimentally validated by considering unsaturated shear strength data for a variety of soil types in the literature. Its characteristic nature and a methodology for its determination are demonstrated. The experimental evidence shows that both Mohr–Coulomb failure and critical state failure can be well represented by the SSCC concept. The SSCC provides a potentially simple and practical way to describe the state of stress in unsaturated soil.