Mechanics Of Unsaturated Geomaterials

This book provides a sound basis in the challenging area of the mechanics of unsaturated geomaterials. The objective is to supply the reader with an exhaustive overview starting from the basics and covering the most recent theories and applications (i.e. natural disasters, nuclear waste disposal, oil and agriculture productions). The presentation of the fundamental concepts is based on an interdisciplinary approach, in the areas of soil, rock and cement-based material mechanics.

Analytical and comprehensive, this state-of-the-art book, examines the mechanics and engineering of unsaturated soils, as well as explaining the laboratory and field testing and research that are the logical basis of this modern approach to safe construction in these hazardous geomaterials; putting them into a logical framework for civil engineering and design. The book: illustrates the importance of state-dependent soil-water characteristic curves highlights modern soil testing of unsaturated soil behaviour, including accurate measurement of total volume changes and the measurement of anisotropic soil stiffness at very small strains introduces an advanced state-dependent elasto-plastic constitutive model for both saturated and unsaturated soil demonstrates the power of numerical analysis which is at the heart of modern soil mechanics studies and simulates the behaviour of loose fills from unsaturated to saturated states; explains the difference between strain-softening and static liquefaction, and describes real applications in unsaturated soil slope engineering includes purpose-designed field trials to capture the effects of two independent stress variables, and reports comprehensive measurements of soil suction, water contents, stress changes and ground deformations in both bare and grassed slopes introduces a new conjunctive surface and subsurface transient flow model for realistically analysing rainfall infiltration in unsaturated soil slopes, and illustrates the importance of the flow model in slope engineering. Including constitutive and numerical modelling, this volume will interest students and professionals studying or working in the areas of geotechnical engineering and the built environment.

This book is the international edition of the proceedings of IS-Seoul 2011, the Fifth International Symposium on Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials, held in Seoul, South Korea, in September 2011.The book includes 7 invited lectures, as well as 158 technical papers selected from the 182 submitted. The symposium explored ideas about the complex load-deformation response in geomaterials, including laboratory methods for small and large strains; anisotropy and localization; time-dependent responses in soils; characteristics of treated, unsaturated, and natural geomaterials; applications in field methods; evaluation of field performance in geotechnical structures; and physical and numerical modeling in geomechanics. These topics were grouped under a number of main themes, including experimental investigations from very small strains to beyond failure; behavior, characterization and modeling of various geomaterials; and practical prediction and interpretation of ground response: field observation and case histories. Both the symposium and this book represent an important contribution to the exchange of advanced knowledge and ideas in geotechnical engineering and promote partnership among participants worldwide.

In November 2015, Buenos Aires, Argentina became the location of several important events for geo-professionals, with the simultaneous holding of the 6th International Symposium on Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials, the 15th Pan-American Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (XV PCSMGE), the 8th South American Congress on Rock Mechanics (SCRM), as well as the 22nd Argentinean Congress of Geotechnical Engineering (CAMSIGXXII). This synergy provided a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss current and future practices in the areas of soil mechanics and rock mechanics, and their applications in civil, energy, environmental, and mining engineering. This book presents the proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials. As well as 118 articles selected for publication after peer review, it includes 7 lectures delivered by invited keynote speakers and the Third Bishop Lecture, delivered by Professor Herve Di Benedetto of the University of Lyon, France, who presented a reference work on the advanced testing and modeling of bituminous bounded and unbounded granular materials. The conference brought together practitioners, researchers and educators from around the world engaged in the understanding of the deformation properties of geo-materials before failure, and the small strain parameters as fundamental characteristics of geo-materials. The main topics covered by the symposium include experimental investigations from very small strains to beyond failure, including multi-physical approach; HTC M coupling behavior, characterization and modeling of various geo-materials and interfaces; and practical prediction and interpretation of ground responses: field observation and case histories.

In recent decades the development of unsaturated soil mechanics has been remarkable, resulting in momentous advances in fundamental knowledge, testing techniques, computational procedures, prediction methodologies and geotechnical practice. The advances have spanned the full spectrum of theory and practice. In addition, unsaturated materials exhibiting complex behaviour such as residual soils, swelling soils, compacted soils, collapsing soils, tropical soils and solid wastes have been integrated in a common understanding of shared behaviour features. It is also noteworthy that unsaturated soil mechanics has proved surprisingly fruitful in expanding to other neighbouring areas such as swelling rocks, rockfill mechanics, and freezing soils. As a consequence, geotechnical engineering involving unsaturated soils can be now approached from a more rational and systematic perspective leading towards an improved and more effective practice. Unsaturated Soils contains the papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Unsaturated Soil (Barcelona, Spain, 6-8 September 2010). They report significant advances in the areas of unsaturated soil behaviour, testing techniques, constitutive and numerical modelling and applications. The areas of application include soil-atmosphere interaction, foundations, slopes, embankments, pavements, geoenviromental problems and emerging topics. They are complemented by three keynote lectures and three general reports covering general issues of modelling, testing and applications. Unsaturated Soils is a comprehensive record of the state-of-the art in unsaturated soil mechanics and a sound basis for further progress in the future. The two volumes will serve as an essential reference for academics, researchers and practitioners interested in unsaturated soils.

New theories and testing techniques related with Unsaturated Soil Mechanics have proven to be valuable tools to study a broad spectrum of geo-materials which includes rocks, rock fills, frozen soils and domiciliary solid wastes. These new theories and testing techniques have permitted the analysis of several traditional problems from a new perspective (e.g., swelling or collapsible soils and compacted soils or pavements materials), and they have also shown their efficiency to study new energy-related problems like CO2 sequestration and nuclear waste disposal. Advances in Unsaturated Soils is a collection of papers from the 1st Pan-American Conference on Unsaturated Soils organized in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, in February 2013. The volume includes 76 research papers coming for all over the world, as well as 7 keynotes papers by well known international researchers. The contributions present a variety of topics including: • Advances in testing techniques • Unsaturated soil behavior • Constitutive modeling and microstructure • Numerical modeling • Geotechnical problems Advances in Unsaturated Soils is expected to become a useful reference to academics and professionals involved in Unsaturated Soil Mechanics.

The Second International Symposium on Constitutive Modeling of Geomaterials: Advances and New Applications (IS-Model 2012), is to be held in Beijing, China, during October 15-16, 2012. The symposium is organized by Tsinghua University, the International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics (IACMAG), the Committee of Numerical and Physical Modeling of Rock Mass, Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering, and the Committee of Constitutive Relations and Strength Theory, China Institution of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, China Civil Engineering Society. This Symposium follows the first successful International Workshop on Constitutive Modeling held in Hong Kong, which was organized by Prof. JH Yin in 2007. Constitutive modeling of geomaterials has been an active research area for a long period of time. Different approaches have been used in the development of various constitutive models. A number of models have been implemented in the numerical analyses of geotechnical structures. The objective of the symposium is to provide a forum for researchers and engineers working or interested in the area of constitutive modeling to meet together and share new ideas, achievements and experiences through presentations and discussions. Emphasis is placed on recent advances of constitutive modeling and its applications in both theoretic and experimental aspects. Six famous scholars have been invited for the plenary speeches of the symposiums. Some prominent scholars have been invited to organize four specialized workshops on hot topics, including “Time-dependent stress-strain behavior of geomaterials”, “Constitutive modeling within critical state soil mechanics”, “Multiscale and multiphysics in geomaterials”, and “Damage to failure in rock structures”. A total of 49 papers are included in the above topics. In addition, 51 papers are grouped under three topics covering “Behaviour of geomaterials”, “Constitutive model”, and “Applications”. The editors expect that the book can be helpful as a reference to all those in the field of constitutive modeling of geomaterials.