Failure of levees induced by toe uplift: Investigation of post-failure behavior using material point method
Levees are essential structures in flood defense systems, and their failures can lead to devastating consequences on the surrounding territories. One of the failure mechanisms mostly controlled by the foundation soil stratigraphy is the instability of the land side slope, triggered by the developmen...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167477552200169X |
| _version_ | 1827972800265060352 |
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| author | Veronica Girardi Francesca Ceccato Alex Rohe Paolo Simonini Fabio Gabrieli |
| author_facet | Veronica Girardi Francesca Ceccato Alex Rohe Paolo Simonini Fabio Gabrieli |
| author_sort | Veronica Girardi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Levees are essential structures in flood defense systems, and their failures can lead to devastating consequences on the surrounding territories. One of the failure mechanisms mostly controlled by the foundation soil stratigraphy is the instability of the land side slope, triggered by the development of high uplift pressures in the foundation. This complex phenomenon has been investigated experimentally with centrifuge tests or large-scale tests and numerically with the limit equilibrium method (LEM) and the finite element method (FEM). In this work, we applied a multiphase formulation of the material point method (MPM) to analyze the development of toe uplift instability mechanism, from the onset of failure to large displacements. The numerical model is inspired by an experiment carried out in a geotechnical centrifuge test by Allersma and Rohe (2003). The comparison with the experiment allows for understanding critical pore pressure triggering large displacements in the foundation soils. Moreover, we numerically evaluated the impact of different values of foundation soils' hydraulic conductivity on the failure mechanism. The results show that hydraulic conductivity mainly influences the time of failure onset and the extension of shear localization at depth. Finally, the advantages of using large displacement approaches in the safety assessment of earth structures are discussed. Unlike FEM, there are no issues with element distortions generating difficulties with numerical convergence, allowing for full post-failure reproduction. This capability permits precise quantification of earth structure damages and post-failure displacements. The ensuing reinforcement systems' design is no longer over-conservative, with a significant reduction in associated costs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:25:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-94c66e34d683434ab0e9165f30229ba1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1674-7755 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:25:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-94c66e34d683434ab0e9165f30229ba12023-04-05T08:10:34ZengElsevierJournal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering1674-77552023-04-01154970983Failure of levees induced by toe uplift: Investigation of post-failure behavior using material point methodVeronica Girardi0Francesca Ceccato1Alex Rohe2Paolo Simonini3Fabio Gabrieli4University of Padua, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Via Ognissanti 39, Padua, Italy; Corresponding author.University of Padua, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Via Ognissanti 39, Padua, ItalyGeoHal, Graswinckelstraat 50, Delft, NetherlandsUniversity of Padua, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Via Ognissanti 39, Padua, ItalyUniversity of Padua, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Via Ognissanti 39, Padua, ItalyLevees are essential structures in flood defense systems, and their failures can lead to devastating consequences on the surrounding territories. One of the failure mechanisms mostly controlled by the foundation soil stratigraphy is the instability of the land side slope, triggered by the development of high uplift pressures in the foundation. This complex phenomenon has been investigated experimentally with centrifuge tests or large-scale tests and numerically with the limit equilibrium method (LEM) and the finite element method (FEM). In this work, we applied a multiphase formulation of the material point method (MPM) to analyze the development of toe uplift instability mechanism, from the onset of failure to large displacements. The numerical model is inspired by an experiment carried out in a geotechnical centrifuge test by Allersma and Rohe (2003). The comparison with the experiment allows for understanding critical pore pressure triggering large displacements in the foundation soils. Moreover, we numerically evaluated the impact of different values of foundation soils' hydraulic conductivity on the failure mechanism. The results show that hydraulic conductivity mainly influences the time of failure onset and the extension of shear localization at depth. Finally, the advantages of using large displacement approaches in the safety assessment of earth structures are discussed. Unlike FEM, there are no issues with element distortions generating difficulties with numerical convergence, allowing for full post-failure reproduction. This capability permits precise quantification of earth structure damages and post-failure displacements. The ensuing reinforcement systems' design is no longer over-conservative, with a significant reduction in associated costs.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167477552200169XSlopes safety assessmentLeveesUplift pressureLarge deformation analysis |
| spellingShingle | Veronica Girardi Francesca Ceccato Alex Rohe Paolo Simonini Fabio Gabrieli Failure of levees induced by toe uplift: Investigation of post-failure behavior using material point method Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Slopes safety assessment Levees Uplift pressure Large deformation analysis |
| title | Failure of levees induced by toe uplift: Investigation of post-failure behavior using material point method |
| title_full | Failure of levees induced by toe uplift: Investigation of post-failure behavior using material point method |
| title_fullStr | Failure of levees induced by toe uplift: Investigation of post-failure behavior using material point method |
| title_full_unstemmed | Failure of levees induced by toe uplift: Investigation of post-failure behavior using material point method |
| title_short | Failure of levees induced by toe uplift: Investigation of post-failure behavior using material point method |
| title_sort | failure of levees induced by toe uplift investigation of post failure behavior using material point method |
| topic | Slopes safety assessment Levees Uplift pressure Large deformation analysis |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167477552200169X |
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