The suction foundation (SF) has significant resistance reduction effect due to the seepage effect under the suction-assisted penetration. Seepage is an important factor in resistance reduction. In this paper, the model experiments and numerical simulation method were employed to analyze the resistance of suction-assisted penetration in sand. By analyzing the mechanism of resistance reduction, a suction foundation for enhancing seepage (SFES) has been proposed. The SFES was installed the degradable material inside the SF. The size of the degradable materials is smaller than the inner diameter of the foundation. During suction-assisted penetration, water suddenly contracts inside the foundation, resulting in a decrease in excess pore pressure on the inner side of the foundation and ultimately reducing installation resistance. The coefficient of evaluating the change of penetration resistance under seepage action was put forward. The results had shown that the pore water pressure of the sandy soil near foundation wall was reduced by the sudden contraction during the suction-assisted penetration, which was more conducive to resistance reduction. Under the same penetration depth, the inner resistance of the SFES change coefficient was 8.4 %-25.9 % smaller than that of SF. When the relative penetration depth h/D >= 0.25, the area of piping (4 >= 1) region within SFES was smaller than that of SF. As h/D = 0.9, the area of piping (4 >= 1) region within SFES producing piping was 27.9 % less than SF. The SFES had more advantages in the suction-assisted penetration.

Seepage-induced backward erosion is a complex and significant issue in geotechnical engineering that threatens the stability of infrastructure. Numerical prediction of the full development of backward erosion, pipe formation and induced failure remains challenging. For the first time, this study addresses this issue by modifying a recently developed five-phase smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) erosion framework. Full development of backward erosion was subsequently analysed in a rigid flume test and a field-scale backward erosion-induced levee failure test. The seepage and erosion analysis provided results consistent with experimental data, including pore water pressure evolution, pipe length and water flux at the exit, demonstrating the good performance of the proposed numerical approach. Key factors influencing backward erosion, such as anisotropic flow and critical hydraulic gradient, are also investigated through a parametric study conducted with the rigid flume test. The results provide a better understanding of the mechanism of backward erosion, pipe formation and the induced post-failure process.

Dispersivity is a severe pathology that occurs mainly in clay soils and is usually catastrophic in geotechnical structures susceptible to this damage. Hundreds of dams worldwide have failed due to quality problems, mainly by piping in the body, foundation, spillway, culvert, and other peripheral structures. The pinhole test is currently considered the most accurate test for detecting the dispersivity of clay soils. However, it presents problems when objectively evaluating the dispersivity of a material due to the qualitative nature of the estimation of results. In particular, the methodology for determining turbidity has been identified. This document studies different piping paths in the sample, which a priori may be more realistic than the single path in the current test. A kaolinitic clay, widely studied through index and mineralogical tests, is used as the base material. Regarding the detection of dispersivity, a specialized test package was used to reduce the uncertainty of the results. Natural samples were analyzed using ASTM D4647-13. A modification of the pinhole test was proposed based on the imposition of additional artificial channels. The results revealed that this modification can make the test more realistic because when the dispersive front advances in the soil, it does not travel along a single path but instead looks for different erosive paths. The details of this assertion are discussed throughout the paper.

Controlling strata deformation during shield tunneling beneath unconsolidated soil layers poses a significant challenge in engineering construction. Limited research exists on optimizing pre-grouting mechanisms for shield tunnels in unconsolidated soil layers and controlling strata deformation. Therefore, conducting on-site optimization experiments for pre-grouting is crucial for controlling strata deformation. The paper employs crushed stone aggregate as a basis for modifying the shield jacket material. The primary method of verifying grout strength involves direct detection of foundation bearing capacity using a heavy-duty probe inside the tunnel. The feasibility of the comprehensive evaluation scheme is further confirmed through a combination of multi-point core sampling, five-point water pressure tests, and on-site shield monitoring data. The research results indicate that this technology effectively enhances the stability of deep-buried weak strata. By improving the physical and mechanical properties of backfill soil through a combination of crushed stone-cement slurry-soil skeleton, the self-stabilizing ability of surrounding rock is enhanced, and strata deformation is controlled. Additionally, a set of pre-grouting reinforcement and evaluation techniques suitable for deep-buried weak strata is proposed, providing valuable references for similar projects.

Double-layer dike foundation is composed of a weakly permeable overlying clay layer and a highly permeable underlying sand layer, which is one of the most common stratum types in dike engineering with the highest probability of catastrophic damage, and the main danger is backward erosion piping. Existing research on backward erosion piping of double-layer dike foundation has not fully considered the influence of the exit on the erosion process. Therefore, a self-designed test device is used to assess the influences of the size, position and type of different exits, and the circular exit is connected with the slot exit via the exit area to explore the critical identification conditions and the pipe development mechanism toward the upstream direction under different exit geometry conditions. The results show that both the local and global hydraulic gradients borne by the exit are inversely proportional to the exit area and are less notably affected by the location of the exit. The development process of slot exit pipes differs from that of circular exit pipes, and pipes are usually developed alternately at the two corners of the exit near the upstream end and then converge into one pipe. The average pipe depth and width are proportional to the exit size and the seepage length. With increasing average pipe area of the slot exit, pipes develop more rapidly after head enhancement, and the damage to the dike foundation increases.

Bei dem Beitrag handelt es sich um die erweiterte Fassung der gleichnamigen Keynote Lecture auf der 4. Bodenmechanik Tagung im Rahmen der Fachsektionstage Geotechnik, die auf Anregung der Fachsektionsleitung auch in der Zeitschrift geotechnik veroffentlicht werden soll. Bei den Phanomenen der inneren Erosion in durchstromtem Boden und in Erdbauwerken geht es um das Losen, den Transport und die Ablagerung bevorzugter Fraktionen mit der Folge einer anderung der Bodeneigenschaften. Die Phanomene der inneren Erosion werden als Kontakterosion, Suffosion, Kolmation und ruckschreitende Erosion charakterisiert. Die Kinematik dieser physikalischen Prozesse ergibt sich mit der Energie einer Sickerstromung aus der Bewegung des Einzelkorns im Porenraum, den moglichen Freiheitsgraden beim Transport. Der Artikel gibt einen uberblick uber die Art und Bedingungen der verschiedenen Phanomene sowie uber deren spezifische Kinematik innerhalb der Bodenstruktur. Die relevanten international verwendeten Nachweismethoden und Kriterien werden aufgefuhrt und in ihrer Aussagekraft bewertet. Die kennzeichnenden Einflussparameter werden aufgezeigt. Fur die einzelnen Phanomene der inneren Erosion werden Strategien zur Bewertung und Beherrschung des Erosionsrisikos diskutiert. Phenomena, kinematics and risk assessment strategies of internal erosionInternal soil erosion due to seeping water in natural sediments as well as in earthworks can lead to a significant change in soil properties and could even destroy the structural integrity. The physical process of erosion always is induced by loosening, migration, and deposition of predominant fine particles within the soil structure. Depending on the kinematics, the phenomena are divided into contact erosion, suffusion, colmation and backward erosion piping. The kinematics is controlled by the energy of a seepage on the one hand, on the other by the degrees of freedom and the boundary conditions of an individual grain movement within the pore space. This article provides an overview of the characteristic, specifics, and conditions of the different phenomena considering their kinematics within the soil structure. Internationally used approaches and methods of assessment are listed, their significance and their limitations will be evaluated. The impact parameters that control the different processes are shown. Strategies for assessing and controlling the risk of structural damage are discussed for the different phenomena of internal soil erosion.

This paper presents an experimental study on the mechanical behavior of buried pipes subjected to thermal load cycles. Firstly, stresses and deformations are measured experimentally on a buried pipe subjected to monotonic and cyclic thermal loads, hence reproducing the typical operating conditions of buried piping systems. Subsequently, a numerical model is developed using the finite element method, which is validated using the results obtained experimentally. Subsequently, this computational model was used to carry out a parametric study of the influence of the mechanical properties of the soil on the stress state of the system. Finally, from the results obtained experimentally and numerically, it is concluded that the most critical situation in terms of stresses takes place when the pipe is firstly placed into operation, i.e. in the first cycle of thermal load and the other variables studied have little impact.