Laboratory study on the effects of hydraulic and granulometric parameters on the response of granular soil to internal erosion

Erosion is a major environmental problem to agricultural land as well as to civil engineering infrastructures. Rainwater infiltration into granular soils can lead to the migration of fine particles by suffusion. This experimental study is conducted to evaluate the susceptibility to erosion of cohesionless soils. The soil under investigation was collected from the coastal region of Mostaganem (West of Algeria) where erosion has recently caused several damages. To assess soil instability to erosion, two approaches have been proposed in the literature: the geometric approach and the hydraulic approach. Few studies have examined the combination of the two methods. The objective of our study is the combination of the two approaches by determining the critical hydraulic load responsible for triggering erosion as a function of soil characteristics. An experimental parametric study was conducted to determine the influence of initial amount of fines, hydraulic gradient and axial stress on the initiation and evolution of suffusion. A combination of the interactions between these parameters allowed us to express the critical hydraulic gradient and to identify the hydraulic behavior of the soil according to the studied parameters. This approach can better estimate the erodibility of cohesionless soils. It can be used in future development studies at this site to reduce the risk of erosion

Laboratory study on the effects of hydraulic and granulometric parameters on the response of granular soil to internal erosion

Erosion is a major environmental problem to agricultural land as well as to civil engineering infrastructures. Rainwater infiltration into granular soils can lead to the migration of fine particles by suffusion. This experimental study is conducted to evaluate the susceptibility to erosion of cohesionless soils. The soil under investigation was collected from the coastal region of Mostaganem (West of Algeria) where erosion has recently caused several damages. To assess soil instability to erosion, two approaches have been proposed in the literature: the geometric approach and the hydraulic approach. Few studies have examined the combination of the two methods. The objective of our study is the combination of the two approaches by determining the critical hydraulic load responsible for triggering erosion as a function of soil characteristics. An experimental parametric study was conducted to determine the influence of initial amount of fines, hydraulic gradient and axial stress on the initiation and evolution of suffusion. A combination of the interactions between these parameters allowed us to express the critical hydraulic gradient and to identify the hydraulic behavior of the soil according to the studied parameters. This approach can better estimate the erodibility of cohesionless soils. It can be used in future development studies at this site to reduce the risk of erosion

Critical undrained shear strength of loose-medium sand-silt mixtures under monotonic loadings

Empirical relationships are developed for estimating the undrained critical shear strength based on experimental triaxial tests under monotonic loadings. The effect of fines content on the undrained shear strength is analyzed for different combinations of density states.The parametric study indicates that in terms of the soil void ratio and fines content properties, the undrained critical shear strength may increase, or decrease as the amount of finescontent increases, consequently showing vulnerability to liquefaction influenced by the fines content percentage. A series of monotonic undrained triaxial tests have been undertaken on a reconstituted saturated sand-silt mixtures specimen. Beyond 30% of fines content, it is shown that a fraction of silt participates in the soil skeleton chain force. In this context,the concept of the equivalent intergranular void ratio may be an appropriate parameter to express the critical shear strength of the soil under investigation. This parameter is able to control the undrained shear strength of non plastic silt and sand mixtures for different density states

Experimental study of the overconsolidation and saturation effects on the mechanical characteristics and residual strength of Chlef river sandy soil

This paper presents a laboratory study of the influence of the saturation evaluated in terms of Skempton´s pore pressure coefficient (B) and overconsolidation ratio (OCR) on the behavior of Chlef sand. The study is based on drained and undrained triaxial compression tests which were carried out for Skempton´s pore pressure coefficient varying between 13 and 90% and OCR varying between 1 and 8. Tests were conducted on medium dense sand samples having an initial relative density Index Id = 0.5 at an effective stress of 100 kPa. The paper is composed of two parts. The first one presents the characteristics of the sand used in this study, the second provides an analysis of the experimental results and discusses the influence of Skempton´s pore pressure coefficient (B) and OCR on the mechanical characteristics of the sand. The tests show that the increase in the Skempton´s pore pressure coefficient (B) reduces the soil dilatancy and amplifies the phase of contractancy and reduces the frictional and characteristic angle of the sand. The increase of OCR improves the stiffness of sand and accelerates the appearance of dilatancy; and increases frictional and characteristic angle of the sand. Moreover, the present study focuses on the effect of saturation and overconsolidation on the residual shear strength of sand

Etude expérimentale de l’effet du processus électro-osmotique dans un sol fin salin de la région de Mostaganem

In civil engineering, electro-osmosis is a technique used as a means of dehydration, treatment of fine soils for the improvement and remediation. It is also used in agriculture for the desalinization of soils. In this study, the effect of electro-osmosis on the properties of a fine soil of the Ain Nouissy-Mostaganem region under a difference of electric potential was analyzed. The objective is to study the behavior of the water flow and the modification of some parameters, such as the electrical conductivity, the pH and the Atterberg limits during and after the electrokinetic process. These parameters make it possible to understand and control the performance of this technique with respect to the treatment under consideration. Soil heating during this process was approached through the surface temperature, indicating a loss of relative energy when the voltage gradient exceeds an optimal value.En génie civil, l'électro-osmose est une technique utilisée comme moyen de déshydratation et de traitement des sols fins pour l’amélioration et la dépollution. Elle est aussi utilisée en agriculture pour la désalinisation des sols. Dans cette étude, l'effet de l’électro-osmose sur les propriétés d'un sol fin de la région d’Ain Nouissy-Mostaganem sous une différence de potentiel électrique a été analysée. L’objectif est d’étudier le comportement de l’écoulement hydrique et la modification de certains paramètres, tels que la conductivité électrique, le pH et les limites d’Atterberg durant et après le processus électrocinétique. Ces paramètres permettent de comprendre et de contrôler la performance de cette technique vis-à-vis du traitement considéré. Le chauffage du sol durant ce processus a été abordé à travers la température de surface, indiquant une perte d’énergie relative lorsque le gradient de tension dépasse une valeur optimale.En génie civil, l'électro-osmose est une technique utilisée comme moyen de déshydratation et de traitement des sols fins pour l’amélioration et la dépollution. Elle est aussi utilisée en agriculture pour la désalinisation des sols. Dans cette étude, l'effet de l’électro-osmose sur les propriétés d'un sol fin de la région d’Ain Nouissy-Mostaganem sous une différence de potentiel électrique a été analysée. L’objectif est d’étudier le comportement de l’écoulement hydrique et la modification de certains paramètres, tels que la conductivité électrique, le pH et les limites d’Atterberg durant et après le processus électrocinétique. Ces paramètres permettent de comprendre et de contrôler la performance de cette technique vis-à-vis du traitement considéré. Le chauffage du sol durant ce processus a été abordé à travers la température de surface, indiquant une perte d’énergie relative lorsque le gradient de tension dépasse une valeur optimale

Critical undrained shear strength of sand-silt mixtures under monotonic loading

This study uses experimental triaxial tests with monotonic loading to develop empirical relationships to estimate undrained critical shear strength. The effect of the fines content on undrained shear strength is analyzed for different density states. The parametric analysis indicates that, based on the soil void ratio and fine content properties, the undrained critical shear strength first increases and then decreases as the proportion of fines increases, which demonstrates the influence of fine content on a soil’s vulnerability to liquefaction. A series of monotonic undrained triaxial tests were performed on reconstituted saturated sand-silt mixtures. Beyond 30% fines content, a fraction of the silt participates in the soil’s skeleton chain force. In this context, the concept of the equivalent intergranular void ratio may be an appropriate parameter to express the critical shear strength of the studied soil. This parameter is able to control the undrained shear strength of non-plastic silt and sand mixtures with different densities. ResumenEste estudio utiliza evaluaciones experimentales triaxiales con cargas repetitivas para desarrollar relaciones empíricas y estimar la tensión crítica de corte bajo condiciones no drenadas. El efecto de contenido de finos en la tensión de corte sin drenar se analizó en diferentes estados de densidad. El análisis paramétrico indica que, basado en la porosidad del suelo y las propiedades del material de finos, la tensión de corte sin drenar primero se incrementa y luego decrece mientras la proporción de finos aumenta, lo que demuestra la influencia de contenido de finos en la vulnerabilidad del suelo a la licuación. Una serie de las evaluaciones se realizó en  mezclas rehidratadas y saturadas de arena y cieno. Más allá del 30 % de los contenidos finos, una fracción del cieno hace parte principal de la cadena de fuerza del suelo. En este contexto, el concepto de porosidad equivalente intergranular puede ser un parámetro apropiado para expresar la tensión crítica de corte del suelo estudiado. Este parámetro nos permite controlar la tensión de corte sin drenar de cieno no plástico y mezclas de arena de densidades diferentes

The undrained shear strength characteristics of silty sand: an experimental study of the effect of fines

This laboratory investigation has been conducted to elucidate how the fines fraction affects the undrained residual shear strength and liquefaction potential of sand-silt mixtures (Algeria). A series of monotonic and cyclic undrained triaxial tests were carried out on undrained, reconstituted, saturated samples of sand with varying fines content ranging from 0 to 50%. These were undertaken in order to evaluate the effect of the fines fraction on the undrained residual shear strength and liquefaction potential of loose, medium dense, and dense sand-silt mixtures (Dr = 17%, 53%, 62% and 91%), under an initial confining pressure of 100 kPa. The results of the monotonic tests indicate that the stress-strain response and shear strength behaviour is controlled by the percentage of the fines fraction and the samples become contractive for the studied relative density (Dr = 17% and 91%). The undrained residual shear strength decreases as the gross void ratio decreases, and the fines content increases up to 30%. Above this level of fines, it decreases with increasing gross void ratio. Moreover, the undrained residual strength decreases linearly as the fines content and the intergranular void ratio increase. Cyclic test results show that for the studied amplitude, the increase in fines content leads to an acceleration of liquefaction. The liquefaction resistance decreases with the increase in gross void ratio and the loading amplitude.</p

Two-Dimensional Transient Modeling of Energy and Mass Transfer in Porous Building Components using COMSOL Multiphysics

This paper reports on a transient heat, air and moisture transfer (HAM) model. The governing partial-differential equations are simultaneously solved for temperature and capillary pressure through multi-layered porous media, including the non-linear transfer and storage properties of materials. Using partial differential equations functions, some thermo-physical properties of porous media are converted into coefficients depending on temperature and capillary pressure. Major features of the model are multi-dimensional and transient coupling of heat, air and moisture transport. The coupled equations are solved using the COMSOL Multiphysics time-dependent solver. This solver enables HAM (Heat, Air, Moisture) modeling in porous media. Besides, the good agreements obtained with a 2D benchmark suggest that the model can be used to assess the hygrothermal performance of building envelope components. This paper concludes that the total heat flux in the insulated wall represents only the quarter of that crossing the uninsulated concrete roof. On the other hand, the concrete having the lowest water vapour permeability of all used materials allows maintaining the vapour pressure levels close to the initial value (103 Pa). This induces a situation of interstitial condensation within the concrete of the roof. Being able to evaluate the hygrothermal behaviour, the proposed model may turn out to be a valuable tool to solve other building problems