Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. The deformation of soft clays under cyclic loading is controlled by microfabric changes. Cyclic triaxial tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) were conducted to investigate the deformation and the corresponding micromechanism under cyclic loading. The correlations between the microparameters and deformation

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. This study compiles a broad database containing 312 measured maximum soil nail loads under operational conditions. The database is used to re-assess the prediction accuracies of the default Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) nail load model and its modified version previously reported in the literature. Predictions using the default and modified FHWA

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles.

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles.

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles.

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Volume 57, Issue 8, Page 1263-1263, August 2020.

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Volume 57, Issue 8, Page 1261-1262, August 2020.

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Volume 57, Issue 8, Page 1256-1260, August 2020.

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. This paper presents a thermohydromechanical framework to model frost heave and (thaw) consolidation simultaneously, in which effective and total stresses are taken as the stress variables for unfrozen and frozen soils, respectively. “Effective (total) stresses – void ratio – permeability” relations are proposed to interpret the frost heave behavior of

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. The innovative carbonation technique based on reactive MgO and CO2 has been identified as an environmentally friendly and efficient method in the improvement of weak soils. Previous laboratory studies have indicated that carbonated MgO-admixed soils had significant improvement in mechanical properties. However, there are to date limited investigations

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Bio-mediated soil improvement methods (those that use biological processes) have potentially low cost and environmental impact, but can be difficult to control to ensure effective results, especially if engineered bacteria are used. A novel application of using agarose gel as a soil analogue is proposed, which can enable development of advanced bio-mediated

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Physically based numerical simulation models have been developed to predict hazard area relating to debris flows. Since fine sediments are expected to behave as a part of the fluid rather than solid phase in stony debris flows, several models have recently included this process of the phase shift from solid to fluid in the context of fine sediment. However

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Determining shear wave velocity is a critical technique in bender element tests, as it can be readily affected by near-field effects, wave reflection, and other factors. This study proposes a new method based on the dyadic wavelet transform modulus maxima. Combining the local modulus maxima of dyadic wavelet transform approximate coefficients at fine

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. The use of monolayer covers combined with an elevated water table (EWT) is a promising reclamation method that relies on the low gas-diffusivity of water to limit oxygen ingress into potentially acid-generating tailings. A monolayer cover is installed over the sulfidic material and the water table level is controlled to maintain the tailings close to

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. This note presents results of stability analyses of two-layer undrained slopes by the finite element method. The study focuses on the circumstances under which either deep or shallow failure mechanisms occur, as a function of the strength ratio of the layers, slope angle, and foundation depth ratio. Improved knowledge of the location of the critical

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. In this study, a weight-control bender element system has been developed to investigate the impact of matric suction equalization on the measurement of small strain shear modulus (Gmax) during an air-drying process. The setup employed is capable of measuring the shear wave velocity and the corresponding Gmax of the soil sample in either an open system

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Under appropriate temperature conditions, vacuum preloading can effectively accelerate the rate of soil consolidation. If the temperature is low (30 °C), vacuum preloading is less effective at consolidating the soil. If temperature is extremely high, vacuum preloading is less efficient at consolidating the soil due to the consummation of excess energy

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Rainfall-induced landslides have caused significant damage to structures and casualties in the past decades, and it is of great importance to assess the post-failure behavior of slopes. This study proposes a probabilistic framework to evaluate the hazards associated with landslide runout arising from loose-fill slope failures. The failure process is

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. On 25 November 1988, after the Saguenay earthquake, a landslide occurred in the municipality of Saint-Adelphe. The soil profile indicated that the deposit was composed of a stiff clay crustal layer overlying sensitive plastic clay with a soft-to-stiff consistency. A geotechnical investigation was carried out in situ and in the laboratory and included

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Covers with capillary barrier effects (CCBEs) are multi-layered oxygen barrier covers used in humid climates to reclaim reactive mine tailings and limit the generation of acid mine drainage. Once constructed, CCBEs are colonized by surrounding plants. Roots modify water storage and respire oxygen. The performance of CCBEs could evolve over time due to

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is a naturally driven biological process that harnesses the natural metabolic action of bacteria to induce the precipitation of calcium carbonate and alter soil engineering properties. This paper presents the results of using MICP to improve the monotonic undrained yield and critical strengths of Fraser

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Understanding the time-dependent deformation behaviour of backfill coral sand is important to the long-term stability of engineering facilities built on reefs and reclaimed land. A series of one-dimensional compression tests (with no lateral strain) were carried out on crushed coral sand with a variety of grading and relative densities (50%, 70%, and

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. A case study is presented of the Adige River embankment, a segment of which experienced instability of the landside slope due to the development of uplift pressures. Soil profile and hydromechanical properties of the embankment and foundation materials have been assessed via site investigation, laboratory testing, and field monitoring for two cross sections

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. The effect of technological voids on the swelling pressure of compacted MX80 bentonite–Callovo-Oxfordian (COx) claystone mixture was investigated by simulating the technological voids with a pre-defined space between the compacted disks of the mixture. Both axial and radial swelling pressures were monitored. After the tests, the microstructure of samples

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Municipal mud consists of organic matter naturally deposited in a microbial-rich environment, and its common pre-treatment in the laboratory is normally different from that in situ. In this study, an improved pre-loading method and the common pre-treatment method (by air or oven drying) were first applied to investigate the effect of microorganisms within

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Pore fluid chemistry can significantly influence the shear strength characteristics of a clayey soil. To explore the underlying mechanisms, a series of ring shear experiments are performed on two natural clays, which represent two typical types of clayey minerals, i.e., expansive montmorillonitic clay and low-plasticity kaolinitic clay. The effects of

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. This study investigates the flexural deformations of buildings induced by mining-related subsidence. A two-stage solution (previously applied to the tunnelling problem) is used. Buildings are modelled as a beam founded on an elastic continuum that is subjected to ground subsidence. A tensionless soil–structure interface is employed. The effects of both

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. The reliability of single vertical pile foundations subjected to seismic loads is assessed and compared with the minimum acceptable reliability level for static load conditions mandated by the Canadian codes. The analysis is executed for a site with a mean shear-wave velocity of the top 30 m of the ground equal to 250 m/s subjected to the ground motion

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Piles are largely back-rotated in sliding slope or subjected to lateral spreading. This paper reveals for the first time that response of these piles (e.g., displacement, rotation, bending moment, and shear force) is amplified against forward rotating piles. In particular, magnification is detrimental, once normalized rotational stiffness (NRS) of the

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. A long-term issue that has hampered the efficient operation of heavy-haul tracks is the migration of fluidized fines from the shallow soft subgrade to the overlying ballast, i.e., mud pumping. This paper presents a series of undrained cyclic triaxial tests where realistic cyclic loading conditions were simulated at low confining pressure that is typical

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. In centrifuge modelling of dynamic events, a common practice is to preserve the inertial effect. This will lead to a loss of similitude in the strain rate between model and prototype. For centrifuge tests of dynamic installation of anchors, such strain rate dissimilarity may give rise to significant discrepancy in the anchor embedment depth between the

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Ground source heat pumps coupled with energy piles operate intermittently, subjecting the piles to temperature cycles throughout their lifetime. The research presented in this paper focuses on studying the thermomechanical behavior of energy piles subjected to heating cycles. Laboratory model tests were performed at the soil-structure interaction (SSI)

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. The small-strain shear modulus and Young’s modulus of dry sand are simultaneously measured by resonant column and bender–extender element tests. Two different methods are adopted to calibrate the resonant column and the results indicate that the conventional calibration method may significantly underestimate the Young’s modulus obtained in flexural excitation

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Florida limestone can be challenging to recover during coring operations, as the rock generally is soft, porous, and often highly weathered. Low recoveries coupled with poor rock quality are common in Florida, which limits the data available for geotechnical design. However, the low recoveries and poor rock quality may be attributable to coring techniques

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Free span refers to a subsea pipeline section that is suspended over the seabed. Such a pipe section is vulnerable to vortex-induced vibration leading to possible fatigue pipe damage. Existing studies on pipe–soil interaction on a free-span shoulder are limited and the methods provided in the commonly used design guidelines appear to rely on either plausible

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. This paper reports the soil flow mechanisms observed in centrifuge tests around full-flow (T-bar and ball) penetrometers in layered clays. The layered clay samples consisted of soft–stiff, stiff–soft, soft–stiff–soft, and stiff–soft–stiff soil profiles. Particle image velocimetry (PIV), also known as digital image correlation (DIC), allowed accurate

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Lateritic clay is widely distributed in tropical areas and used extensively for foundation materials. Compared to other soils, it is rich in iron and aluminum oxides (sesquioxides), which enhance the formation of soil aggregates. The principal objective of this study is to investigate the hydromechanical behaviour of a lateritic sandy lean clay. All

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Internal erosion (suffusion) is caused by water seeping through the matrix of coarse soil and progressively transporting out fine particles. The mechanical strength and stress–strain behavior of soils within water-retaining structures may be affected by internal erosion. Some researchers have set out to conduct triaxial erosion tests to study the mechanical

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. This paper presents the evaluation of the stiffness and strength anisotropy of overconsolidated (OC) Bootlegger Cove Formation (BCF) clays at the Port of Alaska, formerly known as the Port of Anchorage. The stiffness and strength anisotropic material response was evaluated based on triaxial samples equipped with internal instrumentation including a submersible

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. This paper describes a centrifuge study using novel penetrometer tests (T-bar and piezoball) and model foundation tests to explore through-life changes in the strength of a reconstituted natural carbonate silt. The test procedures include episodic cyclic loading, which involves intervals of pore pressure dissipation between cyclic packets. These loads

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. A single degree of freedom model is presented for calculating the free-field seismic response of bridge embankments due to horizontal ground shaking using equivalent linear analysis and a design response spectrum. The shear wave velocity profile, base flexibility, 2D shape, and damping ratio of the embankment are accounted for in the model. A step-by-step

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. A well-established analytical model based on spherical cavity expansion and critical state soil mechanics theories is applied to piezocone soundings for profiling the yield stress and overconsolidation ratio of five soft sensitive test sites located in Finland. Yield stress is related to three piezocone parameters: net cone resistance, excess porewater

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Although much effort has been made to develop various frost heave models in the past decades, a simple yet versatile model is still needed for engineering applications. This paper presents a method to estimate frost heave in frozen soil using a macroscopic water flux function that extends the segregation potential to make it applicable for both steady

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. This paper describes a program of centrifuge model tests on the uplift behaviour of suction caisson foundations. The parameters considered were the loading rate, caisson diameter (D), soil strength profile, and type of footing (i.e., mono-caisson and tetra-caissons group). The loading responses were examined in terms of total uplift resistance, suction

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. A nonlinear analysis framework for laterally loaded piles is presented that is as accurate as equivalent three-dimensional nonlinear finite element analysis, but computationally one order of magnitude faster. The nonlinear behavior of sands and clays are account for by using hyperbolic modulus–reduction relationships. These nonlinear–elastic constitutive

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. An approach for selecting a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane (GMB) for a long design life is described and illustrated for five 2 mm thick textured GMBs when immersed in a simulated municipal solid waste leachate (L3) and two simulated leachates representative of low-level radioactive waste leachates (L7 and L9) for 9–16 months at a range

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. The location near the touchdown zone of a steel catenary riser at the seabed is a primary “hot spot” for fatigue assessment, with seabed stiffness having a major influence on the predicted fatigue life. This paper presents the results of laboratory model tests in the lateral direction with the motivation to appropriately capture the fundamental mechanism

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. An energy-based laboratory-testing program was undertaken to investigate the effects of different testing methods, numerical model fits, and soil fabrics and densities on the soil-water retention curve (SWRC) using a poorly graded sand. Four different reconstitution energies and three saturation levels were used to generate different soil fabrics and

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. The probability of failure of tailing dams and associated risks demand improvements in engineering practice. The critical state line provides a robust framework for the characterization of mine tailings. New experimental data for nonplastic platinum tailings and a large database for tailings and nonplastic soils (grain size between 2 and 500 μm) show

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. The intrinsic compression framework that uses the void index for normalizing the virgin compression of reconstituted clays has been widely applied for academic and practical purposes. Past studies have shown that the data of void index are scattered when the stress is out of the range from 100 to 1000 kPa. In this study, the key cause responsible for

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Highly instrumented particles (i.e., “smart rocks”) were included in monodisperse dry granular landslide experiments to quantify the collisional nature of such flows and to investigate the influence of collisional flow on the mobility of landslides. The total number of particles comprising a constant source volume of 0.4 m3 was varied by filling the

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. This paper presents results of a series of experiments modelling uplift and lateral drag of a rigid pipe buried in dry sand. The main aim of these tests is to document the gradual transition from shallow to a deep sand failure mechanism as the pipe embedment depth increases, identify which parameters affect this transition, and determine experimentally

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Evaluations of water retention characteristics of typical iron ore fines (IOF) were presented, which was part of experimental works for the estimation of liquefaction potential of IOF heaps. The water retention tests were conducted in a suction range from 0.1 to 106 kPa on two IOFs and two artificial soils with various testing techniques. It is observed

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. The suction stress characteristic framework is a practical approach for relating the suction and the water-filled pore volume to the stress state of unsaturated soils. It predicts the effective stress by developing the suction stress characteristic curve from the soil-water retention curve. In this framework, the effective degree of saturation is usually

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. There is a major shortage of good-quality load test data for bored piles in stiff to hard intermediate soils such as silts and clayey sands. This paper presents the results and interpretation of an instrumented pile test in a very stiff overconsolidated fine-grained deposit. It is shown that, unlike typical fine-grained soils, dilation at the shaft of

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Volume 57, Issue 8, Page 1247-1255, August 2020. During construction, the mobilization of undrained shear strength must be limited to avoid soil failure. Soil strains must be controlled to avoid compromising structural serviceability. To assess foundation performance by strength mobilization, an understanding of soil strains at various levels of strength mobilization

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. To better understand results of SEALEX in situ tests carried out at Tournemire Underground Research Laboratory, the hydromechanical behavior of a pellet/powder MX80 bentonite mixtures prepared at a dry density of 1.49 Mg/m3 were investigated by means of microfocus X-ray computed tomography (μ-CT) observations and laboratory small scale infiltration tests

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. When culverts are installed beneath high embankments, earth loads become excessive and the induced trench construction method is a viable design option to reduce the culvert loads to acceptable levels. However, limited field studies evaluating the performance of induced trench twin culverts are reported in the literature and the practicality and effectiveness

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. This paper presents a study on the simulation of cone penetration tests (CPTs) using the discrete element model (DEM) method. This study’s main objective is to investigate the effect of different modeling parameters and simulation configurations on the ability of three-dimensional DEM simulations to replicate realistic CPT tip resistance (qc) and friction

Canadian Geotechnical Journal, e-First Articles. Traditional soil stabilization by chemical additives such as cement and lime is a well-established technique for ground improvement of problematic soils. However, with the advantage of lower carbon emission and energy consumption, fly-ash-based geopolymer has recently become an attractive alternative to traditional stabilizers. Nevertheless, the literature