Stability Charts for the Collapse of Residual Soil in Karst
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 7
Abstract
Collapse of the residual soil over bedrock cavities often occurs during construction in karst terrain, particularly when the thickness of the residuum is reduced during excavation. Even if an estimate of the strength of the residual soil is known, uncertainty with respect to the size/geometry of the subterranean voids makes a detailed analysis difficult, and straightforward methods to check the stability are needed. In this study, numerical analyses were performed to develop a stability chart expressed in terms of a dimensionless stability number and the geometry of a potential void in the residual soil. The stability charts include the effect of friction angle, and are also developed to allow the investigation of the effect of the inverted strength profile typically observed in karst terrain. Such stability numbers may be useful to estimate the stability of a given site based on the expected thickness of the soil overburden and the likely range of anticipated soil void diameters.
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Acknowledgments
The writers wish to acknowledge the support of Middle East Technical University (METU) Research Fund Project No. UNSPECIFIEDBAP-08-11-DPT2002K120510 and the Akdeniz University Research Fund Projects Unit for support of the second writer during his period as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Tennessee. The first, second, and fourth writers are also indebted to Dr. Vedat Doyuran of the Department of Geological Engineering, Middle East Technical University, for his helpful suggestions. The constructive comments from the reviewers of the original manuscript are also appreciated.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 7 • July 2009
Pages: 925 - 931
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Sep 7, 2008
Accepted: Oct 20, 2008
Published online: Feb 19, 2009
Published in print: Jul 2009
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