The performance of an embankment over soft clay under rainfall with tension cracks at soil-pile interface caused by lateral deformation

IF 3.7 2区工程技术 Q3 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment Pub Date : 2025-05-22 DOI:10.1007/s10064-025-04356-2

Xing Wei, Shitao Cheng, Yanjun Li, Rui Chen, Zijian Wang, Fan Tang, Bingkun Zhang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Deformation behaviors and soil-pile interaction are complex for the pile-supported embankment over soft clay, which may result in tension cracks between piles and soils and provide infiltration paths for rainwater. On-site investigation and numerical simulations were conducted in the study of a pile-supported embankment on soft clay with tension crack appeared. The investigation revealed the distribution and formation process of the tension cracks and structural cracks. The numerical simulation reproduced the observations of on-site investigation with a simplified width-related permeability model of tension crack and a simplified model for the distribution of crack hydrostatic pressure. The following conclusions are drawn from the study. The tension cracks appeared in the early stages of consolidation at the soil-pile interface, which mainly caused by the shearing of the soils, the earth pressure on the piles, and the soil-pile interaction under embankment loading and other surcharges. Subsequently, the structural crack appeared on the attachment structures supported by shallow foundations. When entering the rainy season, hydrostatic pressure in the tension cracks was generated under heavy rainfall which could push the piles and surrounding soils to move horizontally and cause large lateral deformations. Large lateral deformations caused structural cracks in main structures supported by pile foundation consequently. Reducing the permeability of tension cracks can avoid the generation of the hydrostatic pressure and decrease lateral deformations of the embankment significantly.

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降雨作用下软土路基土桩界面因侧向变形而产生拉裂的性能研究

软粘土上的桩基路堤变形行为和桩土相互作用复杂，可能导致桩土之间出现张拉裂缝，为雨水提供入渗途径。对某软土上出现拉裂的桩基路堤进行了现场调查和数值模拟。研究揭示了拉伸裂纹和结构裂纹的分布和形成过程。数值模拟采用简化的张裂缝宽度相关渗透率模型和简化的裂缝静水压力分布模型，再现了现场观测结果。从研究中得出以下结论。土-桩界面在固结初期出现张裂缝，主要由土体剪切、桩侧土压力、路堤荷载及其他附加荷载作用下的土-桩相互作用引起。随后，浅基础支撑的附着结构出现结构裂缝。进入雨季后，强降雨作用下，张缝内产生静水压力，推动桩及周围土体水平移动，产生较大的侧向变形。巨大的侧向变形导致桩基支撑的主体结构出现结构裂缝。降低拉裂缝的渗透性可以避免静水压力的产生，显著降低路堤的侧向变形。

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来源期刊

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment 工程技术-地球科学综合

CiteScore

7.10

自引率

11.90%

发文量

445

审稿时长

4.1 months

期刊介绍： Engineering geology is defined in the statutes of the IAEG as the science devoted to the investigation, study and solution of engineering and environmental problems which may arise as the result of the interaction between geology and the works or activities of man, as well as of the prediction of and development of measures for the prevention or remediation of geological hazards. Engineering geology embraces: • the applications/implications of the geomorphology, structural geology, and hydrogeological conditions of geological formations; • the characterisation of the mineralogical, physico-geomechanical, chemical and hydraulic properties of all earth materials involved in construction, resource recovery and environmental change; • the assessment of the mechanical and hydrological behaviour of soil and rock masses; • the prediction of changes to the above properties with time; • the determination of the parameters to be considered in the stability analysis of engineering works and earth masses.