Stability Analysis of Slurry Trenches in Similar Layered Soils
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 12
Abstract
Slurry trenches are often used to impede groundwater flow or to contain soil and groundwater contamination. The stability of the slurry trench during excavation and prior to backfilling is a major concern in design. A horizontal slice method for stability analysis of slurry trenches, which allows consideration of soil stratification, is presented. Vertical force equilibrium for each slice of the sliding mass and horizontal force equilibrium for the whole sliding mass are considered on the basis of limit equilibrium. The factor of safety is obtained via the Newton–Raphson method and the critical slip surface corresponding to the minimum factor of safety is located by the pattern search method. The proposed method is verified via consideration of a previously reported problem. It is then applied to a full-scale field experiment in three-layer soils. The obtained minimum factor of safety and location of the slip surface of the sliding mass are in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements. Analyses of trenches having a weak layer at various depths demonstrate potential variations in slip surface inclination between soil layers.
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Acknowledgments
The financial supports received from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) via Grant Nos. 51378465 and 51009121, from the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) via Grant No. 2012AA062601 and from the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) via Grant No. 2012CB719802 are gratefully acknowledged.
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© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 25, 2012
Accepted: Apr 29, 2013
Published online: May 2, 2013
Published in print: Dec 1, 2013
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