Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Failure Of Railway Embankment, J. Christodoulias, H. Giannaros

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This article deals with the failure of a railway embankment in North Peloponese. The geotechnical investigation that followed aimed to specify the causes of the failure. The results of the above investigation are presented, an evaluation of the causes of failure is discussed and the remedial measures which 'have been taken are thoroughly described.

Field Observation And Finite Element Analysis Of A Subway Excavation, Roberto Azevedo, Luis Anibal Santos

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This paper analyzes a braced excavation executed during the construction of Rio de Janeiro City subway along a street (Catete Street) in which several old and historical buildings existed and should be preserved. The excavation had an average depth of 13 meters and was executed almost ten years ago in a subsoil in which the principal problems were caused by a 6 meters thick loose sand layer, underlaid by a 4 meter thick silty organic clay layer. Several buildings were damaged and had to be repaired. The objective of this paper is to show that even using the incomplete laboratory …

Hydrostatic Pressure At A Soil-Structure Interface, R. Craig Findlay

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

A case history of hydrostatic pressure development along the soil-structure interfaces of a water retaining structure is discussed in this paper to illustrate the use of instrumentation to verify expected performance during construction. For the project described, the development of hydrostatic pressure along the soil-structure interface during and after head pond watering was monitored using pneumatic piezometers. Monitoring of the piezometers detected a high hydrostatic pressure caused by a leaky contraction joint seal. Subsequent repair of the seal reduced water levels along the interface to expected levels, resulting in successful operation of the facility.

Iron Gates Ii: Design And Performance Of Dams – Geotechnical Considerations, I. I. Corda

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The first part of this paper briefly presents the concept of design and construction of the Iron Gates II dams. The paper will concentrate on the works performed by the author for geotechnical investigations concerning the foundation and embankment materials. Based on the in situ investigations and large scale laboratory test data the numerical analysis for earth darn was carried out. In the second part, the observation and instrumented behaviour of foundations material were related to particular aspects: river left bank instability and earth dam connection; foundation rebound during excavation for concrete structures; settlements, pore pressures and total pressures monitoring …

Kerrville Ponding Dam, Guadalupe River, Texas, W. R. Stroman, R. R. W. Beene, P. D. Thornhill

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Kerrville Ponding Dam is a relatively small channel dam in the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas. The dam is 22 feet (6.7M) high and 600 feet (183M) long and provides a water supply for the City of Kerrville. The dam was constructed during 1979-1980. Seepage problems in the abutments were observed during the initial filling of the reservoir. Some minor corrections to the problems were made at that time. In June 1981, after a moderate flood flow passed over the dam, additional seepage problems occurred. The downstream slope protection was displaced to the extent that cracks appeared in the concrete. …

Monitoring Of The Canales Dam And Its Control During Construction Period, Javier Andreu Posse, Rafael Portilla Hermosilla, J. M. Martínez Santamaría

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This paper presents a study of the stress-deformation behaviour of the Canales Dam (Granada) during construction. The basis for this study has been the three dimensional (3D) finite elements method with hyperbolic material response. The analytical procedure used is presented and the study concludes with a comparative study of the results obtained from the calculation programme used and monitoring system's measurements.

Penitas Dam – In Situ Stress-Strain Characteristics Of Materials, Jesús Alberro, Gabriel Macedo, Luis Montañez, Francisco González-Valencia

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The deformability properties of all the materials of Penitas Dam (43-m high) are estimated based upon the measurement of total stresses, pore pressures and strains by means of the instrumentation placed inside the embankment. The results of these measurements indicate that all the materials show octahedral stress-octahedral strain cuasilinear relationships as if they were elastic. The values of the deformability moduli E and the Poisson's ratios v computed from these relationships are compared with the moduli E obtained by means of confined plate bearing tests made in situ during construction of the dam, and are also used to feed a …

Performance Evaluation Of Rarem Dam, M. C. Goel, Djoko Mudjihardjo

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

28.0 m high zoned Rarem dam in Indonesia was instrumented with hydraulic piezometers, electrical Carlson type piezometers Cassagrande type vertical stand pipe piezometers, inclinometers, and surface settlement points. The analysis of observational data has indicated that settlement took place almost simultaneously with construction of dam and reservoir filling. Very low construction pore pressures were observed and phreatic line developed almost simultaneously with reservoir filling. The results of efficiency of grout curtain based on electrical analogy model studies are also discussed in the paper.

Performance Of A Coal Refuse Embankment, David C. Cowherd, Vlad G. Perlea, Alvin Coulson

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Continuous determinations of density, moisture content, and permeability through a 140-foot high coarse refuse embankment impounding slurry were made. The density determinations were made with nuclear moisture-density depth gauges continuously throughout 120-foot depth of the embankment. The permeability tests were made with a special packer permeability device and were conducted throughout the 120-foot depth of the embankment. Compaction density tests were made during compaction of the refuse. Comparisons were made to design, as-compacted, and in-place permeabilities, densities, and phreatic surface within the embankment. The study shows that coarse refuse embankments compacted in roughly 18-inch lifts with a special dozer and …

Performance Of An Earthdam And Cut-Off Through Deep Alluvium, N. H. Wade, L. F. Wei, L. J. Courage, R. A. Keys

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The main dam at the Bighorn development consists of a zoned earthfill embankment with a concrete cut-off wall constructed through the river alluvium by the slurry trench technique. Upon first filling of the reservoir in 1972, erratic drops in piezometric heads in the alluvium upstream of the cut-off and significant downstream leakage prompted the construction of a weight berm at the downstream toe and implementation of a program of regular monitoring of all piezometers and seepage measuring facilities. Concern for the integrity of the structure was not allayed until completion of a dam safety evaluation in 1984. The paper summarizes …

Prediction And Field Performance Of An Instrumented Road, Robert Brian Smith, William Otho Yandell

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Performance of a surface-treated crushed rock pavement, 250 mm thick and placed over a weak subgrade, is predicted using mechano-lattice analysis and the results are compared with actual performance after the passage of the equivalent of 800 000 standard axles. Input is in terms of the deformation characteristics determined from repeated loading triaxial testing. Performance is measured in terms of pavement profile, roughness and permanent deformation or rutting. Predicted straight-edge rutting was within the range of values measured in the field. The measured profile index and roughness count were consistent with a pavement showing little deformation over its initial six …

Restoration Of The Stability Of Retaining Wall, T. K. Natarajan, P. Jagannatha Rao

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The paper sets out the salient features concerning the failure of a retaining wall on a sloping ground. The retaining wall experienced a displacement of about l.50 m both in the downward and outward directions without experiencing any tilt or structural distress. The stability analysis of the slope on which the retaining wall was located, established that the failure was caused by inadequate drainage of the fill resulting in a build up of pore pressures. Four more such retaining wall sections were also analysed. The remedial measures consist of providing adequate drainage using a geotextile - covered filter drain, use …

Slope Stability Problems Related To A Semi-Bridge Construction, St. Christoulas, E. Gassios, N. Kalteziotis, G. Tsiambaos

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

In the area of "AKTEA", a summer-housing estate 36 Km away from the city of Athens, a great landslide affected the stability of a semi-bridge, constructed in 1980 for the widening of the nearby national road. Preliminary studies carried out before the semi-bridge construction and after the observed damage of most of the houses in the uphill area, favoured the existence of a very superficial creep affecting however the one or two storey buildings of the summer-housing estate. After the semi-bridge construction, instability phenomena continued in an increasing rate and a more systematic geotechnical investigation revealed definite landslide movements (instead …

Tarbela Reservoir A Question Of Induced Seismicity, S. K. Mahdi

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Tarbela Dam which is by volume (105 million m³) the world's largest earth and rock filled dams is located on the middle Indus River in northern Pakistan. Having a length at crest of 2.7 Km and maximum height 143 m, its reservoir has an area of about 100 Sq. Kms, with a maximum depth of about 130 m and gross capacity of 13.7 Km³. Complete first impounding of reservoir was carried out during 1975 and since then it has completed twelve filling-release cycles. To study the induced seismic behaviour of Tarbela Reservoir data analysis regarding number …

The Behaviour In Time Of Ripa Albastra Dam Impervious Bentonitic Core, Aurel I. Hârsulesca

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The paper presents the results of laboratory and field research, the execution and behaviour under operation of the Rîpa Albastră earth dam, the first Romanian dam with an impervious core achieved by the mechanical mixture of fine-medium sands and bentonite. The dam structure and the geomorphological condition in the area are described. Further, the types of soils extracted from the dam quarry are described, together with their outstanding geotechnical characteristics in both natural and compacted state. The paper continues by describing the physico-chemical properties of seven Romanian bentonites used in laboratory tests, as compared to some foreign bentonites of notoriety, …

The Great Salt Lake Causeway – A Calculated Risk Revisited, James R. Lambrechts, Edward B. Kinner

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The construction of the Great Salt Lake Causeway involved several calculated risks. Original design assumptions on lake level and consolidation settlement were not realized, creating a unique situation where the critical time for stability of this embankment was not necessarily at the end-of-construction. Along more than half of the causeway's 12-1/2 mile length, consolidation and strength gain has apparently been inhibited by a layer of salt. Because it was anticipated that calculated Factors of Safety for current conditions would be close to the 1.0 originally used, a comparative approach to stability evaluations was adopted. In this approach, Factors of Safety …

The Probability Of Failure Of An In Stages Constructed Embankment On Soft Soil, R. J. Termaat, E. O. F. Calle, R. O. Petschl

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

During construction of the first one of a twin dam in the Oosterschelde basin several instabilities occurred. Design of the construction plan of the dam was based on classical methods of analysis of stability and usually applied safety criteria. Back analysis of the failures consisted of a probabilistic analysis, indicating high overall probabilities of failure, and FEM analysis, indicating areas of large plastic deformation of the subsoil, caused by the steep setup of the sandfill in 'the initial construction stage, resulting in too concentrated surcharge. Based on these results, it was decided to apply these methods of analysis from the …

Analysis Of Accidents In Construction And Maintenance Work Zones, Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report includes documentation of the two following phases of the study : 1) analysis of statewide accidents for the period 1983 through 1986 in which "road under construction" was listed as a contributing factor; and 2) analysis of accident data and traffic control devices used at 20 case study locations. At the case study locations, accident data were analyzed for a three-year period before construction and compared to the period during construction.

Results from the statewide analysis indicate that even though the level of construction and maintenance activity is higher and traffic volumes have increased, there have not been …

A Case History Of Tehri Tunnels, B. Prabhakar, J. L. Jethwa, B. Singh

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Tehri Dam Project, a multipurpose river valley project, is being constructed in Garhwal, Himalaya. The project consists of a 260 m high earth and rock fill dam with a clay core, four diversion tunnels each of 11 m finish diameter, four head race tunnels each of 8.5 m finish diameter and two underground powerhouses cavities each measuring 180 m long, 49.5 m high and 21.5 m wide. The project is located near the district headquarters of Tehri in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The rock masses in the project area are fragile, tectonically active and geologically disturbed. The terrain is …

Effects Of Geology And Geotechnical Properties Of Rocks For The Selection Of Type Of Dams, Baqir Hasan

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The topography, geology, foundation conditions and geotechnical properties of the rock units play a dominant role in the selection of type of a dam. It is usually difficult to determine initially, what particular type of dam is technically feasible and economically viable, for a particular dam site. In selecting the most suitable type of dam, a thorough consideration is given to the characteristic of each type of dam. Before the final selection of the type of dam, detailed evaluation is made of location, topography, geology, foundation condition, geological structure, seismicity, depth of the overburden in the valley section, geotechnical properties …

Failure And Repair Of The Slope Of Railway Embankments And Expansive Soils, Zun Jing Ke, Chao-Hai Yong, Yun-Huang Chang

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This paper mainly discusses the stability of the slope of the four sections of railway embankments of expansive soils, describes their basic condition and the properties of the soil materials, analyzes the types and causes of slope failures, discusses the repair of such slopes, and the remedial measures to prevent recurrent of the slides, and sums up experience of using expansive soils to construct railway embankments.

Characterization Of Liquefaction Sites/Features In The Charleston, S. C. Area, Garry Maurath, David Amick

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The Charleston, South Carolina earthquake of August 31, 1886 produced numerous liquefaction features. To date, over one hundred liquefaction sites have been identified. The characteristics of these sites were determined, and compared to those reported for worldwide cases of liquefaction. The findings of this investigation support the generally accepted models for the types of material and the hydrogeologic setting that are required for liquefaction to occur. However in contrast to some previous studies, these investigations identified relatively few liquefaction sites in Late Holocene sediments. Rather, most liquefaction sites identified in the Charleston area are located in deposits that are 100,000 …

Design Of Automotive Structural Components Using High Strength Sheet Steels Structural Strength Of Cold-Formed Steel I-Beams And Hat Sections Subjected To Web Crippling Load, Shin-Hua Lin, Ling-En Hsiao, Chi-Ling Pan, Wei-Wen Yu

CCFSS Library (1939 - present)

INTRODUCTION When cold-formed steel beam webs are subjected to partial edge loading, they may fail by web crippling rather than bending of the beam. Web crippling is caused by a highly localized intensity of the load or reaction. Because of the complexity of the web crippling behavior, empirical expressions are presently used for the design of cold-formed steel beams in buildings and automotive structural components to prevent web crippling. 1,2,3. The research on the structural behavior of cold-formed steel beam webs subjected to web crippling has been conducted at Cornell University and the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) under the sponsorship …

Multiyear Drought Simulation With Periodic-Stochastic Hydrologic Processes, Lankeswara Hemal Wijayaratne

Dissertations

Previous studies on multiyear droughts are often limited to the analysis of historic annual flow series. A major problem in these studies is the unavailability of long historic flow records, on which to perform the analysis. To overcome this difficulty, the present study has used synthetically generated mean annual flow series to suppliment the historic flows. For the purpose of generating flows, a general methodology was developed to propose a mathematical model based on the harmonic and stochastic analyses of the historic flow series. The main objective was to derive a large population of multiyear drought events from the generated …

Sorption And Desorption Of Organic Compounds By Flyash, Kashinath Banerjee

Dissertations

A sorbent treatment process has been developed which uses flyash as sorbent in the treatment of highly toxic and hazardous chemicals; these include: Alcohols, Aldehydes, Ketones and Aromatics. Batch, as well as dynamic, studies were performed, in different phases, during the investigation. Single and multiple solute systems were examined separately. The samples were analyzed using a Flame Ionization Detector Gas Chromatograph.

The result of this study demonstrates that isolation/ immobilization of the organic pollutants is technologically feasible by adsorbing the contaminants onto flyash. The residual carbon content of the flyash plays a very significant role during the treatment process. The …

The Quantitative Determination Of Formaldehyde In Ambient Air (Analytical Method), Chitsan Lin

Theses

A procedure for coating in situ silica gel in prepacked cartridges with 2,4-dinitrophenylhvdrazine (DNPH) acidified with hydrochloric acid is described. The method was evaluated under practical field conditions in The Northern New Jersey-Staten Island Urban Air Toxics Project. The formaldehyde hydrazone formed is desorbed by acetonitrile and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV det.ection. In this study, we have examined trap coaz)ng, trap efficiency, parallel ambient air and inaoor air sampLing, to find the best analysis method. Sampling traps aci:iifled .:ith hydrochloric acid perform better than those using percnicric acid or phosphoric acid. Trap sampling efficiency was significantly affected …

Estimation Of Modified Proctor Densities Based On Visual Identification, Ramesh Damodaram

Theses

Often in construction jobs requiring controlled compaction, there is a delay involved in testing the soil sample to be used as a structural fill. Here a rational approach has been adopted to get these values from 600 test data available. Using these data, appropriate relationships between grain sizes, maximum dry densities and optimum moisture content were developed. From these, two tables were derived to estimate the maximum dry density and optimum moisture content based on grain size distribution.

In a fill control job, if the borrow pit happens to change, the field personnel could obtain soil samples and send them …

Sorption Characteristics And Their Effects On Geotechnical Properties Of Clay Soils, Arambawattage Mahendra Rodrigo

Theses

An experimental investigation on the sorption characteristics of clay soils with liquid organics (phenol, chlorophenol, nitrophenol and chlorobenzene) and their effects upon geotechnical properties was undertaken. The investigation consisted of two different phases, namely, (1) the sorption/ desorption study, including kinetic rate, equilibrium time, isotherm modeling, and (2) geotechnical properties due to clay/ liquid organic interactions. The results of kinetic rate study indicate that the equilibration time for the contaminants way dependent upon the hydrophobic or the hydrophelic nature of the chemical. For equilibrium adsorption models, the linear isotherm was found to be the best fit in predicting sorption capacities …

Sorptive And Geotechnical Characteristics Of Kaolinite, Chi-Yuan Shih

Theses

The sorption/desorption behavior of phenol and chlorobenzene as well as their influence on geotechnical characteristics of kaolinite were studied. The results reveal that the sorption process follows closely with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm whereas the sorption/desorption ratio depends upon the characteristics of organic compounds.

A series of geotechnical properties tests was also undertaken after achieving equilibrium at different concentrations of organic compounds. It was found that the parameters such as liquid limit, plastic limit, optimum moisture content, and dry density increase with an increasing-concentration of organic compounds.

The relationship between the geotechnical, properties and sorption behavior of soils provides the …

Study Of The Structure And Capacity Of Construction Industry In Pakistan, Tayyab A. Ansari

Theses

The construction industry is the second largest sector in Pakistan's economy after agriculture. It is a fragmented industry which includes very small and very large contracting groups. It includes professional groups such as architects, engineers, management personnel etc. Major part of this industry is dominated by material's suppliers, vendors etc.

In the light of the developments which have taken place particularly over the last ten years, the study has covered the capacity of the construction industry in terms of estimated output, availability of manpower, demand and production of building materials , financial problems, credit, quality of work, the role of …