Abstract
Hydraulic backfill structures can be affected by internal erosion, which develops if 2 conditions are met: detachment and migration of particles due to hydraulic seepage. Suffusible soils involve an easy movement of fine particles within the matrix, and this process depends on the particle size distribution of the soil and hydraulic load. If suffusion in homogeneous soils has been widely studied, it has rarely been approached in heterogeneous soils. Cohesionless soils can involve many heterogeneities, due to gap grading or segregation, which can be a cause of internal erosion under severe seepage. In this study, attempts are made to evaluate the influence of fine particles type, rate and distribution of heterogeneity on the onset and development of suffusion. This process is investigated by using a soil sample within a column, submitted to a horizontal unidirectional flow. Different types of fines (kaolinite, illite, silt) and three configurations (central, downstream, and distributed) involving different rates are used by the introduction of coarse sand into a mixture of fine sand and fine particles. Two heterogeneity rates of 20% (weak heterogeneity) and 60% (high heterogeneity) were used and the results were matched with those obtained on the homogeneous soil. The results show that among the fine particles tested with the same configuration and heterogeneity rate, illite provides the highest resistance to suffusion. In addition, suffusion increases with the heterogeneity rate above a given threshold value. These results help us to assess a better understanding of the effect of heterogeneities on the transport and retention mechanisms of fines in granular soils.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
AboulHosn R, Benahmed N, Nguyen CD et al (2018) Effects of suffusion on the soil’s mechanical behavior: experimental investigations. In: Bonelli S, Jommi C, Sterpi D (eds) EWG-IE: European working group on internal erosion 26th annual meeting 2018. Springer, Milano, Italy, pp 3–15
Andrianatrehina NL, Souli H, Rech J et al (2016) Influence of the percentage of sand on the behavior of gap-graded cohesionless soils. ComptesRendusMécanique 344:539–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crme.2016.03.001
Barakat B (1991) Instabilité aux écoulements des milieuxgranulaires: aspects morphologiques et probabilistes. Thesis, Châtenay-Malabry, Ecolecentrale de Paris
Benamar A (2014) Effect of hydraulic load and water chemistry on soil suffusion. In: Cheng L, Draper S, An H (eds) Scour and erosion. CRC Press, London, pp 197–202
Burenkova VV (1992) Assessment of suffusion in non-cohesive and graded soils. In: Proceedings of the 1st international conference “Geo-Filters.” Karlsruhe, pp 357–360
Dikinya O, Hinz C, Aylmore G (2008) Decrease in hydraulic conductivity and particle release associated with self-filtration in saturated soil columns. Geoderma 146:192–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2008.05.014
Elandaloussi R, Bennabi A, Dupla JC et al (2019) Effectiveness of lime treatment of coarse soils against internal erosion. GeotechGeolEng 37:139–154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-018-0598-4
Foster M, Fell R, Spannagle M (2000) The statistics of embankment dam failures and accidents. Can Geotech J 37:1000–1024. https://doi.org/10.1139/t00-030
Govindaraju RS, Reddi LN, Kasavaraju SK (1995) A physically based model for mobilization of kaolinite particles under hydraulic gradients. J Hydrol 172:331–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(95)02737-A
Hewlett H (ed) (2008) Ensuring reservoir safety into the future: Proceedings of the 15th Conference of the British Dam Society at the University of Warwick from 10–13 September 2008. Thomas Telford Publishing
Israr J, Indraratna B, Rujikiatkamjorn C (2016) Laboratory investigation of the seepage induced response of granular soils under static and cyclic loading. Geotech Test J 39:795–812. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ20150288
Istomina, (1957) Filtration stability of soils. Gostroizdat, Moscow, Leningrad ((in Russian))
Ke L, Takahashi A (2012) Strength reduction of cohesionless soil due to internal erosion induced by one-dimensional upward seepage flow. Soils Found 52:698–711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sandf.2012.07.010
Ke L, Takahashi A (2014) Experimental investigations on suffusion characteristics and its mechanical consequences on saturated cohesionless soil. Soils Found 54:713–730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sandf.2014.06.024
Kenney TC, Lau D (1985) Internal stability of granular filters. Can Geotech J 22:215–225. https://doi.org/10.1139/t85-029
Kezdi A (1979) Soil physics. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam, Oxford, New York
Li M, Fannin RJ (2008) Comparison of two criteria for internal stability of granular soil. Can Geotech J 45:1303–1309. https://doi.org/10.1139/T08-046
Liang Y, Zeng C, Wang J-J et al (2017) Constant gradient erosion apparatus for appraisal of pi** behavior in upward seepage flow. Geotech Test J 40:630–642. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ20150282
Luo Y, Qiao L, Liu X et al (2013) Hydro-mechanical experiments on suffusion under long-term large hydraulic heads. Nat Hazards 65:1361–1377. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0415-y
Mao CX (2005) Study on pi** and filters: part I of pi**. Rock Soil Mech 26:209–215
McCarthy JF, Zachara JM (1989) Subsurface transport of contaminants. Environ SciTechnol 23:496–502. https://doi.org/10.1021/es00063a001
Moffat R, Fannin RJ (2011) A hydromechanical relation governing internal stability of cohesionless soil. Can Geotech J 48:413–424. https://doi.org/10.1139/T10-070
Nguyen CD, Benahmed N, Andò E et al (2019) Experimental investigation of microstructural changes in soils eroded by suffusion using X-ray tomography. ActaGeotech 14:749–765. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-019-00787-w
Pham TL (2008) Erosion et dispersion des sols argileux par un fluide. Ecole des Ponts Paristech
Sail Y, Marot D, Sibille L, Alexis A (2011) Suffusion tests on cohesionless granular matter. Eur J Environ CivEng 15:799–817. https://doi.org/10.1080/19648189.2011.9693366
Seghir A, Benamar A, Wang H (2014) Effects of fine particles on the suffusion of cohesionless soils. Exp Model Transp Porous Media 103:233–247. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-014-0299-2
Sherard JL, Dunnigan LP, Decker RS (1977) Some engineering problems with dispersive clays. Dispers Clays Relat Pip Eros GeotechProj. https://doi.org/10.1520/STP26975S
Vakili AH, bin Selamat MR, Mohajeri P, Moayedi H (2018) A critical review on filter design criteria for dispersive base soils. GeotechGeolEng 36:1933–1951. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-018-0453-7
Wan CF, Fell R (2008) Assessing the potential of internal instability and suffusion in embankment dams and their foundations. J GeotechGeoenvironEng 134:401–407. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2008)134:3(401)
Yazdchi K, Luding S (2013) Upscaling and microstructural analysis of the flow-structure relation perpendicular to random, parallel fiber arrays. ChemEngSci 98:173–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2013.04.049
Acknowledgements
This work was undertaken with funding from the Normandie Region (France).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Oueidat, M., Benamar, A. & Bennabi, A. Effect of Fine Particles and Soil Heterogeneity on the Initiation of Suffusion. Geotech Geol Eng 39, 2359–2371 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-020-01632-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-020-01632-8