Dynamic settlement in-situ dynamic test bench and test method for foundation soil

This application is based upon and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211023532.8, filed on Aug. 24, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The invention presented belongs to the field of in-situ loess seismic subsidence testing, and specifically relates to an in-situ dynamic settlement test bench and method for foundation soil.

Loess exhibits significant structural breakability under dynamic loading due to its large pores, high void ratio, weak interparticle cementation, and the development of vertical structural microfractures. Settlement generally occurs as loess is subjected to dynamic loads, so settlement and other related hazards of soil structures are likely to occur in loess areas during moderate to strong earthquakes.

Dynamic triaxial, dynamic torsional shear, and dynamic simple shear apparatus are commonly adopted for the investigation of dynamic settlement of loess. The dynamic triaxial apparatus applies reciprocal shear stresses on a 45-degree inclined plane of a cylindrical specimen to simulate dynamic load action, but it is unable to replicate the rotation of the main stress axis. The dynamic torsional shear apparatus is capable of investigating the intrinsic structure of soil under complex stress conditions by simultaneously applying a vertical load and horizontal reciprocal torsional shear stresses on a hollow cylindrical specimen. However, it has drawbacks such as difficulty in forming hollow cylindrical specimens and uneven shear strain distribution. The dynamic simple shear apparatus can apply a vertical load and a horizontal shear load to the specimen simultaneously, with loading conditions similar to the seismic effects on actual engineering sites. which cannot achieve an effect as same as that of an in-situ test. In summary, the aforementioned apparatus are limited to indoor use and cannot fully replicate in-situ conditions.

Currently, there is no mature method available for conducting an in-situ dynamic settlement test on foundation soil. A method is proposed for testing the dynamic response and dynamic settlement of foundation soil by using a vibrator's vibration action on an in-situ soil column.

The acceleration response of foundation soil during an earthquake is essentially a result of displacement response and deformation induced destabilization. An estimation of the average peak value for structural seismic response can be achieved through a combination of the reaction spectrum method, vibration mode superposition principle and random vibration theory. The reaction spectrum method can be utilized to analyze the experimental results and determine whether the site meets seismic fortification intensity requirements.

An objective of the presented invention is to provide an in-situ dynamic settlement test bench for foundation soil.

An objective of the presented invention is to provide an in-situ dynamic settlement test method for foundation soil that overcomes the limitation of existing methods, which cannot fully replicate in-situ testing conditions.

The first technical solution employed in the presented invention is an in-situ dynamic settlement test bench for foundation soil. Two column holes are drilled along the centerline of the foundation soil at an in-situ testing site. Multiple sets of displacement and acceleration sensors are uniformly distributed within each hole, arranged from top to bottom. Trenches are excavated on both sides of the holes and filled with water. A plastic waterproof film is placed over the foundation soil, upon which a vibration table is positioned.

The presented invention has the following features.

The vibration table comprises a base that is firmly connected to a vibration table foundation by means of bolt assembly, and two eccentric wheels are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the base, which are driven by an electric motor.

The displacement and acceleration sensors are encased in remolded soil and embedded within soil columns, with any remaining space in the column holes being filled with backfill soil.

A plastic waterproof film is laid around the foundation and the trenches.

Each column hole has a diameter of 20 mm and a depth of 10 m; the distance between the two column holes is 1 m; and each trench has a width of 0.5 m, a length of 3 m and a depth of 10 m, and the distance between any two adjacent displacement sensors is 2 m.

The second technical solution employed in the presented invention is an in-situ dynamic settlement test method for foundation soil, specifically including:

step 1: selecting the foundation soil at an in-situ testing site with a width of 3 m and a length of 3 m; step 2. drilling two column holes, hole A and hole B, with a diameter of 20 mm and a depth of 10 m along the centerline of the foundation soil with a Luoyang shovel, the distance between the two holes is 1 m; step 3: encasing the sensors in remolded soil, and embedding them into soil columns; and preparing ten soil columns, each with sensors arranged in two groups; then placing one column vertically at a distance of 10 m from each column hole, and backfilling the soil up to 8 m before placing the second column vertically, continuing this process until all sensors are installed. step 4: laying a plastic waterproof film over the foundation soil, installing a vibration table and loading system for applying vibrational loads to the foundation soil, and interposing a plastic film cloth waterproof membrane between the vibration table's foundation and the foundation soil. step 5: digging a trench with a width of 0.5 m, a length of 3 m and a depth of 10 m at the in-situ testing site to form a foundation soil column with a size of 2 m*2 m. A plastic waterproof film is then laid on the peripheries, bottoms, and walls of the trench; step 6: performing a dynamic test for an undisturbed structural loess foundation under the K 0 state by using the above testing facility, where, K 0 is the static earth pressure coefficient, being defined as the ratio between lateral effective stress and vertical effective stress. A dynamic test on loess under the K 0 state refers to a test where the lateral strain equals zero. Recording the acceleration response and displacement generated during the dynamic settlement process by gradually increasing the seismic wave amplitude through acceleration sensors and displacement sensors; and computing the time history curves of velocities and accelerations for five points in a foundation based on the generated acceleration response and displacement data; step 7: according to the acceleration response and displacement obtained in step 6, a dynamic equilibrium equation of a mass point system for the foundation soil can be derived using Duharmel's integral formula:

{umlaut over (x)} ( t )+2β {dot over (x)} ( t )+ω 2 x ( t )=− {umlaut over (x)} ( t ),

where, x(t) is the displacement of a single mass point system at any given time, {dot over (x)}(t) and {umlaut over (x)}(t) are the velocity and acceleration of the mass point system of the foundation soil at different positions, and t is the time. When the initial acceleration, {umlaut over (x)} 0 (t), is non-zero, an integral expression can be derived as a solution to the equation:

The presented invention has beneficial effects: according to the presented invention, a horizontal vibration load can be applied to the lower foundation soil at an in-situ testing site using a vibration table, and the dynamic response of the foundation soil can be measured by the sensors embedded in different positions. This approach enables accurate reflection of the seismic settlement deformation within the foundation soil.

Dynamic settlement tests on soil include indoor dynamic simple shear, triaxial and torsional shear test. However, there is no currently no established method for conducting an in-situ dynamic settlement test on foundation soils. The vibration generated by a vibrator is applied to an in-situ soil column in a dynamic soil test. The presented invention enables the measurement of the acceleration response and seismic settlement deformation of the foundation soil under in-situ condition, which holds significant practical implications for disaster prevention and control.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structural design of a vibration test table according to the presented invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a test according to the presented invention;

FIG. 3 A is a time history curve of acceleration at monitoring point A 1 when the peak acceleration is 0.3 g according to the presented invention;

FIG. 3 B is a time history curve of acceleration at monitoring point A 1 when the peak acceleration is 0.5 g according to the presented invention:

FIG. 3 C is a time history curve of acceleration at monitoring point A 2 when the peak acceleration is 0.3 g according to the presented invention;

FIG. 3 D is a time history curve of acceleration at monitoring point A 2 when the peak acceleration is 0.5 g according to the presented invention;

FIG. 3 E is a time history curve of acceleration at monitoring point A 3 when the peak acceleration is 0.3 g according to the presented invention;

FIG. 3 F is a time history curve of acceleration at monitoring point A 3 when the peak acceleration is 0.5 g according to the presented invention;

FIG. 3 G is a time history curve of acceleration at monitoring point A 4 when the peak acceleration is 0.3 g according to the presented invention;

FIG. 3 H is a time history curve of acceleration at monitoring point A 4 when the peak acceleration is 0.5 g according to the presented invention;

FIG. 3 I is a time history curve of acceleration at monitoring point A 5 when the peak acceleration is 0.3 g according to the presented invention;

FIG. 3 J is a time history curve of acceleration at monitoring point A 5 when the peak acceleration is 0.5 g according to the presented invention; and

FIG. 4 A is a response spectrum curve graph of each monitoring point at different periods when the peak acceleration is 0.3 g according to the presented invention, and FIG. 4 B is a response spectrum curve graph of each monitoring point at different periods when the peak acceleration is 0.5 g according to the presented invention.

In the figures, 1 . column hole a, 2 . sensor, 3 . sensor, 4 . vibration table, 5 . electric motor, 6 . eccentric wheel, 7 . plastic waterproof film, 8 . vibration table foundation, 9 . bolt assembly, 10 . trench, 11 . foundation soil column, and 12 . plastic waterproof film.

To provide a clearer understanding of the objectives and technical solutions of the invention, detailed descriptions and embodiments will be presented with drawings.

According to a dynamic settlement in-situ dynamic test bench for foundation soil in the present invention, two column holes 1 are drilled on a center line of foundation soil of an in-situ test site, a plurality of sets of displacement sensors 2 and acceleration sensors 3 are uniformly distributed in each column hole 1 in sequence from top to bottom, trenches 10 are arranged on two sides of the column holes 1 separately, and the trenches 10 are filled with water; and a plastic waterproof film 7 is laid on a top of the foundation soil, and a vibration table is arranged on the plastic waterproof film 7 .

The vibration table includes a base 4 , and the base 4 is fixedly connected to a vibration table foundation 8 by means of a bolt assembly 9 ; and eccentric wheels 6 are symmetrically arranged on two sides of the base 4 , and the two eccentric wheels 6 are in driving connection by means of an electric motor 5 .

The displacement sensors 2 and the acceleration sensors 3 are each wrapped in remolded soil and cut into soil columns; and a remaining space in each column hole is backfilled with backfill soil.

A plastic waterproof film is laid around a foundation and the trenches 10 .

Each column hole 1 has a diameter of 20 mm and a depth of 10 m; a distance between the two column holes is 1 m; and each trench has a width of 0.5 m, a length of 3 m and a depth of 10 m, and a height distance between adjacent displacement sensors 2 is 2 m.

A dynamic settlement in-situ dynamic test method for foundation soil in the present invention specifically includes:

step 1: set the foundation soil with a width of 3 m and a length of 3 m in an in-situ test site; step 2: drill a hole A and a hole B with a diameter of 20 mm and a depth of 10 m on a center line of foundation soil with a Luoyang shovel, where a distance between the two holes is 1 m; step 3: wrap sensors in remolded soil, cut the sensors into soil columns, and prepare ten soil columns with the sensors in two groups; and place one soil column vertically at 10 m of each column hole, backfill soil to 8 m, then place the second soil column vertically, backfill soil to 6 m, and so on until the last sensor is placed; step 4: lay a plastic waterproof film on a top of the foundation soil, arrange a vibration table and a loading system of a vibration load on the foundation soil, and arrange a waterproof film made of plastic film cloth between the vibration table foundation and the foundation soil; step 5: dig a trench with a width of 0.5 m, a length of 3 m and a depth of 10 m in the in-situ test site, form a foundation soil column with a size of 2 m*2 m, and lay a plastic waterproof film on peripheries and bottoms of the foundation soil and a trench wall; step 6: perform a dynamic test for an undisturbed structural loess foundation under a state K 0 by means of the above test facility, where the state K 0 is: K 0 is a static earth pressure coefficient K 0 being a ratio of a lateral effective stress state to a vertical effective stress state, and a loess dynamic experiment under the state K 0 is a test corresponding to a condition that a lateral strain is 0; record an acceleration response and displacement generated in a dynamic settlement process through a method of increasing an seismic wave amplitude step by step and by means of acceleration sensors and displacement sensors; and compute time history curves of velocities and time history curves of accelerations of five points in a foundation according to the generated acceleration response and the displacement; and step 7: according to the acceleration response and the displacement obtained in step 6, obtain a dynamic equilibrium equation of a mass point system of the foundation soil by means of a Duharmel integral formula, where the dynamic equilibrium equation of the mass point system of the foundation soil is:

{umlaut over (x)} ( t )+2β {dot over (x)} ( t )+ω 2 x ( t )=− {umlaut over (x)} ( t ).

where, x(t) is displacement of a single mass point system at any time, {dot over (x)}(t) is a velocity of the mass point system of the foundation soil at different positions, {umlaut over (x)}(t) is an acceleration of the mass point system of the foundation soil at different positions, and t is any time; and when an initial acceleration {umlaut over (x)} 0 (t) is not 0, an integral expression of a solution of the equation is

A pretest is performed according to the above test steps. A dynamic amplification factor may be reflected by ratios of peak accelerations at different depths of foundation soil to peak accelerations input to a table, where the peak accelerations input to a table are peak accelerations of a vibration table after the experiment is started.

FIGS. 3 A, 3 C, 3 E, 3 G and 3 I show time history curves of accelerations at monitoring points A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 and A 5 at different depths respectively when a peak acceleration is 0.3 g.

FIGS. 3 B, 3 D, 3 F, 3 H and 3 J show time history curves of the accelerations at the monitoring points A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 and A 5 at different depths respectively when the peak acceleration is 0.5 g.

A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 and A 5 are positions of 5 groups of acceleration sensors from bottom to top in sequence.

A natural vibration frequency wo is changed to obtain time history curves of accelerations under different frequencies. A relation between the accelerations and a period is analyzed to obtain an acceleration response spectrum (as shown in FIGS. 4 A and 4 B ) under an earthquake. In the formula, the natural vibration frequency is a free vibration frequency of a loess foundation during the test.