Geotechnical Properties of Cemented Sands in Steep Slopes
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 10
Abstract
An investigation into the geotechnical properties specific to assessing the stability of weakly and moderately cemented sand cliffs is presented. A case study from eroding coastal cliffs located in central California provides both the data and impetus for this study. Herein, weakly cemented sand is defined as having an unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of less than 100 kPa, and moderately cemented sand is defined as having UCS between 100 and 400 kPa. Testing shows that both materials fail in a brittle fashion and can be modeled effectively using linear Mohr-Coulomb strength parameters, although for weakly cemented sands, curvature of the failure envelope is more evident with decreasing friction and increasing cohesion at higher confinement. Triaxial tests performed to simulate the evolving stress state of an eroding cliff, using a reduction in confinement-type stress path, result in an order of magnitude decrease in strain at failure and a more brittle response. Tests aimed at examining the influence of wetting on steep slopes show that a 60% decrease in UCS, a 50% drop in cohesion, and 80% decrease in the tensile strength occurs in moderately cemented sand upon introduction to water. In weakly cemented sands, all compressive, cohesive, and tensile strength is lost upon wetting and saturation. The results indicate that particular attention must be given to the relative level of cementation, the effects of groundwater or surficial seepage, and the small-scale strain response when performing geotechnical slope stability analyses on these materials.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
Funding for this research was provided by grants from the U.S. Geological Survey, Western Region Coastal and Marine Geology Team, the University of California, Coastal Environmental Quality Initiative (CEQI), and the U.S. Geological Survey, Mendenhall Post-doctoral Program. Thanks are due to Michael Riemer at the UC-Berkeley Geotechnical Laboratory who assisted with the initial phases of the geotechnical testing program. Reviews of initial drafts of this work by Jonathan Godt (USGS, Golden, Colorado), Robert Kayen (USGS, Menlo Park, California), Joseph Labuz (Univ. of Minnesota), and several anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.
References
Airey, D. W. (1993). “Triaxial testing of naturally cemented carbonate soil.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 119(9), 1379–1398.
Anderson, S. A., and Riemer, M. F. (1995). “Collapse of saturated soil due to reduction of confinement.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 121(2), 216–220.
ASTM. (2004a). “Test specification for amount of material in soils finer than no. 200 sieve.” D1140, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2004b). “Test specification for classification of soils for engineering purposes (USCS).” D2487, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2004c). “Test specification for laboratory determination of water content of soil and rock by mass.” D2216, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2004d). “Test specification for method for splitting tensile strength of intact rock core specimens.” D3967, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2004e). “Test specification for particle-size distribution of soils using sieve analysis.” D6913, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2004f). “Test specification for splitting tensile strength of cylindrical core specimens.” C496, West Conshohocken, Pa.
ASTM. (2004g). “Test specification for unconfined compressive strength of cohesive soil.” D2166, West Conshohocken, Pa.
Bachus, R. C., Clough, G. W., Sitar, N., Shaffii-Rad, N., Crosby, J., and Kaboli, P. (1981). “Behavior of weakly cemented soil slopes under static and seismic loading conditions, Volume II.” Rep. No. 52, John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center, Stanford Univ., Stanford, Calif.
Barton, M. E. (1993). “Cohesive sands: The natural transition from sands to sandstones.” Proc., Geotechnical Eng. of Hard Soils—Soft Rocks, Int. Symp., A. Anagnastopoulos, F. Schlosser, N. Kalteziotis, and R. Frank, eds., Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 367–374.
Barton, M. E. and Cresswell, A. (1998). “Slope stability in a sand/sandstone borderline material.” Proc., Geotechnics of Hard Soils—Soft Rocks, 2nd Int. Symp., A. Evangelista and L. Picarelli, eds., Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1051–1055.
Brabb, E. E., and Pampeyan, E. H. (1983). Geologic map of San Mateo County, California, U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map I-1257-A, Scale 1:62,500, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, Calif.
Clough, G. W., Sitar, N., Bachus, R. C., and Shaffii-Rad, N. (1981). “Cemented sands under static loading.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 107(GT6), 799–817.
Collins, B. D. (2004). “Failure mechanics of weakly lithified sand coastal bluff deposits.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of California, Berkeley, Dept. of Civil and Envir. Eng.
Collins, B. D. and Sitar, N. (2002). “Monitoring of coastal bluffs using 3-D laser scanning and conventional mapping.” EOS Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 83(47).
Collins, B. D., and Sitar, N. (2005). “Monitoring of coastal bluff stability using high resolution 3D laser scanning.” ASCE Geo-Frontiers Special Publication 138:–Site Characterization and Modeling, Remote Sensing in Geotechnical Engineering (CD-ROM), E. M. Rathje, ed., ASCE, Reston, Va.
Collins, B. D., and Sitar, N. (2008). “Processes of coastal bluff erosion in weakly lithified sands, Pacifica, California, USA.” Geomorphology, 97, 483–501.
Cresswell, A. W., and Barton, M. E. (2003). “Direct shear tests on an uncemented, and a very slightly cemented, locked sand.” Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology & Hydrogeology, 36(2), 119–132.
Das, B. M., Yen, S. C., and Dass, R. N. (1995). “Brazilian tensile strength test of lightly cemented sand.” Can. Geotech. J., 32, 166–171.
Dehler, W., and Labuz, J. (2007). “Stress path testing of an anisotropic sandstone.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 133(1), 116–119.
Dittes, M., and Labuz, J. (2002). “Field and laboratory testing of St. Peter Sandstone.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 128(5), 372–380.
Dusseault, M. B., and Morgenstern, N. R. (1979). “Locked sands.” Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology & Hydrogeology, 12(2), 117–131.
Fernandez, A. L., and Santamarina, J. C. (2001). “Effect of cementation on the small-strain parameters of sands.” Can. Geotech. J., 38, 191–199.
Frydman, S., Hendron, D., Horn, H., Steinbach, J., Baker, R., and Shaal, B. (1980). “Liquefaction study of cemented sand.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 106(GT3), 275–297.
Gercek, H. (2007). “Poisson’s ratio values for rocks.” Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci., 44, 1–13.
Hampton, M. (2002). “Gravitational failure of sea cliffs in weakly lithified sediment.” Environ. Eng. Geosci., 8(3), 175–192.
Horikawa, K., and Sunamura, T. (1968). “An experimental study on erosion of coastal cliffs due to wave action.” Coast. Eng. Japan, 11, 131–147.
Huang, J. T., and Airey, D. W. (1998). “Properties of artificially cemented carbonate sand.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 124(6), 492–499.
Lade, P. V., and Overton, D. D. (1989). “Cementation effects in frictional materials.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 115(10), 1373–1387.
Lambe, T. W., and Whitman, R. V. (1969). Soil mechanics, Wiley, New York.
Lin, M. L., Jeng, F. S., Tsai, L. S., and Huang, T. H. (2005). “Wetting weakening of tertiary sandstones—Microscopic mechanism.” Environ. Geol., 48, 265–275.
Malandraki, V., and Toll, D. G. (2001). “Triaxial tests on weakly bonded soil with changes in stress path.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 127(3), 282–291.
Martins, F. B., Vaz Ferreira, P. M., Altamirano Flores, J. A., Bresani, L. A., and Damiani Bica, A. V. (2005). “Interaction between geological and geotechnical investigations of a sandstone residual soil.” Eng. Geol. (Amsterdam), 78, 1–9.
O’Rourke, T. D., and Crespo, E. (1988). “Geotechnical properties of cemented volcanic soil.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 114(10), 1126–1147.
Parry, R. H. G. (1995). Mohr circles, stress paths and geotechnics, E & FN Spon, London.
Ponce, V. M., and Bell, J. M. (1971). “Shear strength of sand at extremely low pressures.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 97(4), 625–638.
Reddy, K. R., and Saxena, S. K. (1992). “Constitutive modeling of cemented sand.” Mech. Mater., 14, 155–178.
Richards, N. P., and Barton, M. E. (1999). “The Folkestone Bed sands: microfabric and strength.” Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 32(1), 21–44.
Rumpelt, T. K., and Sitar, N. (1993). “The mechanical behavior of marine bioclastic and siliceous cemented sands: A comparison based on laboratory investigations.” Proc., Geotechnical Eng. of Hard Soils—Soft Rocks, Int. Symp., A. Anagnastopoulos, F. Schlosser, N. Kalteziotis, and R. Frank, eds., Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 779–786.
Saxena, S. K., and Lastrico, R. M. (1978). “Static properties of lightly cemented sand.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 104(GT12), 1449–1464.
Schnaid, F., Prietto, P. D. M., and Consoli, N. C. (2001). “Characterization of cemented sand in triaxial compression.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 127(10), 857–868.
Shafii-Rad, N., and Clough, G. W. (1982). “The influence of cementation on the static and dynamic behavior of sands.” Rep. No. 59, John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center, Stanford Univ., Stanford, Calif.
Sitar, N. (1979). “Behavior of slopes in weakly cemented soils under static and dynamic loading.” Ph.D. thesis, Stanford Univ., Palo Alto, Dept. of Civil Eng.
Sitar, N. (1983). “Slope stability in coarse sediments.” Special publication on geological environment and soil properties, R. N. Yong, ed. ASCE, 82–98.
Sitar, N., Anderson, S. A., and Johnson, K. A. (1992). “Conditions for initiation of rainfall-induced debris flows.” Proc., Conf. on Stability and Performance of Slopes and Embankments II, R. B. Seed and R. W. Boulanger, eds., ASCE, New York, 834–849.
Sitar, N., and Clough, G. W. (1983). “Seismic Response of Steep Slopes in Cemented Soils.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 109(2), 210–227.
Sitar, N., Clough, G. W., and Bachus, R. C. (1980). “Behavior of weakly cemented soil slopes under static and seismic loading conditions.” Rep. No. 44, The John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center, Stanford Univ., Stanford, Calif.
Smith, D. D. (1960). “The geomorphology of part of the San Francisco Peninsula, California.” Ph.D. thesis, Stanford Univ., Menlo Park, Calif.
Sture, S., Alqasabi, A., and Ayari, M. (1999). “Fracture and size effect characters of cemented sand.” Int. J. Fract., 95, 405–433.
Vatsala, A., Nova, R., and Srinivasa Murthy, B. R. (2001). “Elastoplastic model for cemented soils.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 127(8), 679–687.
Wang, Y. D. (1986). “Investigation of constitutive relations for weakly cemented sands.” Univ. of California, Berkeley, Dept. of Civil and Envir. Eng. Doctoral dissertation, 293p.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 26, 2008
Accepted: Feb 7, 2009
Published online: Feb 27, 2009
Published in print: Oct 2009
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.