Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-05-18DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02294-z
Rui Qi, Ke Chen, Hongjie Lin, Sérgio D. N. Lourenço, Antonios Kanellopoulos
{"title":"Controllable hydrophobization of sands with self-healing polymeric microcapsules","authors":"Rui Qi, Ke Chen, Hongjie Lin, Sérgio D. N. Lourenço, Antonios Kanellopoulos","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02294-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02294-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Hydrophobized soils have functional hydrophobic coatings to delay or restrict water infiltration and thus prevent infrastructure failure and long-term degradation. Over time, hydrophobized soils will be subjected to degradation under the action of external stresses, leading to the loss of its functional properties. Microencapsulation approaches, initially developed for self-healing applications emerge as a potential solution to enhance, switch (from hydrophilic) or prolong the longevity of hydrophobized soils. The aim of this study is to produce and investigate the effectiveness of microencapsulation to impart hydrophobicity in granular materials in response to external stimuli. In this research, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), with hydrophobic properties, is encapsulated in calcium alginate microcapsules with the ionic gelation method. The effectiveness of the microcapsules to induce hydrophobicity is investigated by mixing sand with microcapsules and quantifying the change of the contact angle and water drop penetration time (measures of hydrophobicity) under an external trigger, i.e., under drying and consecutive wetting–drying cycles. The results show that microcapsules release the hydrophobic cargo (PDMS) during shrinkage. After drying, the PDMS content in sand increased to 0.1–0.8% by mass of sand. The released hydrophobic cargo (PDMS) induced hydrophobicity in sands, reflected by a contact angle increase from 29.7° to at least 87.7°. The amount of polydimethylsiloxane encapsulated is a key parameter controlling the release of hydrophobic cargo. In addition, 4% capsule content in sands is identified as an effective microcapsule content in inducing hydrophobicity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11440-024-02294-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141059060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-05-17DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02335-7
Robeta Proia, E. Salvatore, P. Croce, G. Modoni
{"title":"Compacted sand–bentonite mixtures for the confinement of waste landfills","authors":"Robeta Proia, E. Salvatore, P. Croce, G. Modoni","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02335-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-024-02335-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140962335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-05-15DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02340-w
Ping Li, Xinfei Sun, Jun Yu, Gangqiang Kong, Junjun Chen
{"title":"Experimental and analytical study on the reinforcement mechanism of in-pipe deep dynamic compaction in loose sandy soil","authors":"Ping Li, Xinfei Sun, Jun Yu, Gangqiang Kong, Junjun Chen","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02340-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-024-02340-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140975362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-05-14DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02348-2
Samuel Ng, Jian Chu
{"title":"Frozen enzyme EICP method for more effective soil improvement","authors":"Samuel Ng, Jian Chu","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02348-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-024-02348-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Enzyme-induced calcite precipitation (EICP) is one of the emerging soil improvement methods. However, when plant-based enzyme is used, the urease enzyme harvested from plants cannot be stored long. This affects large-scale applications of this method. This paper presents a new method that not only enables urease enzyme to be stored for a long duration, but also improves significantly the effectiveness and efficiency of EICP for soil improvement. In this method, the storage duration of soybean derived urease enzyme is prolonged by storing it at negative 20 degrees. The experimental results indicated that the frozen-stored urease enzyme had an activity of 326% higher than that of fresh enzyme. The shear strength of a fine sand treated using the frozen-stored enzyme is 238.8% higher than that using a normal EICP method. Thus, the frozen method not only overcomes the enzyme storage problem, but also offers a much-improved EICP method. The reasons for the higher urease activity and improved strength enhancement are also explained in this paper.</p>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140935744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Progressive yielding/softening of soil–cement columns under embankment loading: a case study","authors":"Jin-chun Chai, Takenori Hino, Yafei Qiao, Wenqi Ding","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02346-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-024-02346-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>An embankment with a fill thickness of 7.5 m was built on a soil–cement column-slab system improved about 15.8 m thick soft subsoil. The embankment was stable for about 5 months after construction, and then, its settlement rate increased rapidly. To avoid the failure of the embankment, 1.0 m thick fill was removed and the embankment was stabilized again. The results of field investigation using all-core boring through a cement deep mixing (CDM) column under the central of the embankment and 3D finite element analysis (FEA) indicate that the most likely mechanism for the observed field behavior is progressive yielding/softening of the upper part of the columns. In FEA, the yielding/softening of the upper part of columns was simulated using strength reduction option and the start of the softening was triggered manually at the time of observed rapid increase in the settlement rate. This case history indicates that in field quality control of CDM columns, identifying local weak part(s) by continuous measuring the strength of the column samples retrieved from all-core boring is important. It is suggested that combination of unconfined compression test as well as needle penetration tests for the cores retrieved can be an economic and practical way to do this.</p>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140935747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Morphology characterization of unsaturated soils under drying-wetting cycles: crack opening and closure","authors":"Zhuang Zhuo, Weiling Cai, Cheng Zhu, Chao-Sheng Tang, Kaniz Roksana","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02347-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-024-02347-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The volumetric and hydrological responses of clayey soils subjected to drying-wetting (D-W) cycles are of paramount importance for the integrity of geoenvironmental infrastructures. The study aimed to investigate the cracking behavior of clayey soils under D-W cycles by using advanced 2D imaging and 3D scanning techniques to capture the initiation and propagation of desiccation cracks within a soil specimen. The temporal variation in the soil water content and the corresponding 2D digital photography and 3D morphology of cracks were simultaneously monitored, and the cracking characteristics were interpreted. It was found that the time-dependent evaporation process was independent of the D-W cycles. Both 2D and 3D characterization showed the cracking hysteresis phenomenon in the unsaturated soil, which indicates the dependency of the crack opening and closure on the degree of saturation. D-W cycles led to the formation of subcracks and the increase in the total crack length, reflecting the soil degradation. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the 3D characterization exhibited the advantage of capturing the volumetric change and the subtle change in the macroporosity of the cracked soil over the 2D visualization. The current study provides a perspective of combining 2D and 3D characterization for interpreting the volumetric change of cracked soils and enhancing the understanding of the hydromechanical responses and the soil-atmosphere interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140935850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correlation of fabric parameters and characteristic features of granular material behaviour in DEM in constitutive modelling","authors":"Farid Khayyer, Md Mizanur Rahman, Md Rajibul Karim","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02333-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02333-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The anisotropic microstructure of granular materials has a profound effect on their macroscopic behaviour and can be characterised using a fabric tensor. To include of fabric in the critical state theory (CST), anisotropic critical state theory (ACST) was proposed by modifying the state parameter <span>((psi ))</span> of CST to a fabric-dependent dilatancy state parameter <span>((upzeta ))</span>. Noteworthy that <span>(uppsi)</span> showed a very strong correlation with characteristic features (e.g. instability, phase transformation and characteristic state) of macroscopic behaviour and, as a result, it has been adopted in many constitutive models. While <span>(upzeta)</span> aided the inclusion of fabric in ACST models, the correlation between <span>(upzeta)</span> and characteristic features has not been evaluated in detail yet, although a large number of works are found on micromechanics and fabric only. In this study, a large number of discrete element method simulations for drained and undrained triaxial were conducted to evaluate the correlation between <span>(upzeta)</span> and characteristic features. To this purpose, the correlation between stress ratio and both classic and dilatancy state parameter (<span>(psi)</span> and <span>(upzeta)</span>) were studied in important characteristic features (e.g. instability, phase transformation and characteristic state). It was found that this correlation was improved using <span>(upzeta)</span> which might be due to the inclusion of fabric in our model. This observation is new and significant for inclusion of fabric evolution in constitutive modelling.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11440-024-02333-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140935813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02339-3
Andrzej Głuchowski, Linzhu Li, Magued Iskander
{"title":"Effect of compression and shear on particle breakage of silica and calcareous sands","authors":"Andrzej Głuchowski, Linzhu Li, Magued Iskander","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02339-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-024-02339-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Changes in particle granulometry could lead to significant changes in a soil’s behavior, making an understanding of micro-scale granulometry essential for practical applications. Changes in particle size, shape, and particle size distribution could result from a combination of applied normal and shearing stresses, which can in turn influence further response of the material. This study explored particle breakage during both compressive and shear loading under typical stresses. A deeper understanding of the phenomenon requires distinguishing broken and unbroken grains at the particle scale. Dynamic Image Analysis (DIA) was therefore employed to quantify changes in particle granulometry in two sands, a siliceous Ottawa sand and a calcareous sand known as Fiji Pink. Pre-sorted specimens having similar size, granulometry, and particle size distributions were tested using both oedometric and direct shear tests having the same aspect ratio, facilitating a direct comparison of the effects of shearing and compression on similar materials having different mineralogy. A breakage index was used for prognosis of particle breakage at key reference diameters. During oedometric tests, grain breakage was limited in both sands at stresses up to 1.2 MPa, but it increased significantly during direct shear tests. A conceptual model was proposed to explain the particle breakage mechanism during shear, at four key phase points representing (1) maximum compaction, (2) transition from compaction to dilative behavior, (3) maximum shear stress, and (4) peak test strain. In addition, a loading intensity framework was adopted to explain the relative roles of normal and shearing stresses on particle breakage. An increase of fines in soil during shearing was also observed and related to two sources: coarser grain abrasion and finer particle crushing. The vulnerability of grains with more anisotropic shapes was also observed. The loading intensity framework suggested that attrition of particle diameter could be divided into two phases, with a transitional critical loading intensity that appeared constant for each sand. For Ottawa sand, abrasion was the primary mechanism observed, causing a significant increase in Aspect Ratio (<i>AR</i>) and Sphericity (<i>S</i>) for finer grains. For Fiji sand, a transition from abrasion to attrition was noted, leading to limited sphericity decrease for the largest particles. Finer particles cushioning larger Fiji sand particles are more prone to breakage, resulting in increased <i>AR</i> and <i>S</i>. Finally, test results were used to propose a simple hyperbolic model to predict evolution of the particle size distribution during shear, for sands. The model was also verified using published data on grain evolution during shear of a different sand, not employed in its development.</p>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140935912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02331-x
M. Salimi, A. Lashkari, M. Tafili
{"title":"DEM investigation on flow instability of particulate assemblies under coupling between volumetric and axial strains","authors":"M. Salimi, A. Lashkari, M. Tafili","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02331-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-024-02331-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The discrete element method (DEM) is employed to investigate the impact of coupling between volumetric and axial strains on the flow liquefaction vulnerability of 3D cubic particulate specimens. The virtual testing program conducted here encompasses a wide range of initial states and varying degrees of coupling between volumetric and axial strains. Utilizing data obtained from DEM simulations, the evolution of micro- and macroscale variables, including coordination number, contact fabric anisotropy, redundancy index, strong force networks, invariants of the effective stress tensor, and excess pore-water pressure, is examined. Results from DEM tests indicate that coupling expansive volumetric strain with axial strain leads to a gradual loosening of the load bearing microstructure, a decrease in coordination number, and a faster change in contact anisotropy. DEM simulations demonstrate that the triggering of flow liquefaction instability is followed by a sudden increase in contact fabric anisotropy and abrupt drops in coordination number and redundancy index. Moreover, a detailed analysis of the findings suggests that the stress ratio at the onset of post-peak softening decreases with increasing expansive volumetric strains.</p>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140935889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Influence of wetting and drying cycles on the shear behavior of discontinuities between two different rock types with various surface topographies","authors":"Qiong Wu, Yue Qin, Huiming Tang, Zhen Meng, Changdong Li, Sha Lu","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02332-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-024-02332-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Wetting and drying cycles (WDCs) have a significant impact on the shear behavior of discontinuities with different joint wall materials (DDJMs). This influence is crucial for the reasonable evaluation of the long-term stability of soft and hard interbedded rock slopes under water level fluctuations. As the surface topographies of natural discontinuities collected from the field vary, conducting comparative experiments on natural discontinuity specimens with identical surface topographies is challenging. To solve this problem, a 3D surface topography reconstruction technique was employed to obtain DDJM specimens with three types of surface topographies collected from a typical sliding-prone stratum in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China. A series of experiments, including computed tomography scanning, 3D laser scanning, and direct shear tests, were conducted to investigate the influence of WDCs on the micro- and macroproperties of joint walls, surface topographies, and shear behavior of DDJMs. The experimental results showed that repeated WDC treatments caused the degradation of the microstructures and macroscopic physical properties of the studied joint walls, and the more severely weakened joint wall played a predominant role in reducing the shear strength of DDJMs. The influence of WDCs on the surface topographies of DDJMs was negligible in this study; changes in the shear behavior of DDJMs were closely associated with the weakening of joint walls induced by WDCs; and the impact degree of joint wall weakening on the deterioration of the shear behavior of DDJMs was interactively influenced by and positively correlated with both the joint roughness coefficient and normal stress. These results will contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of the stability of soft and hard interbedded rock slopes induced by water level fluctuations in the Three Gorges Reservoir area and other reservoir regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140885213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}