The magic of sands — The 20th Bjerrum Lecture presented in Oslo, 25 November 2005
Abstract
Following the discovery of sinkholes in the W.A.C. Bennett Dam, British Columbia, in 1996, investigations showed that there had apparently been movement of fine material out of the core of the dam. To be able to predict the mechanical consequences of such movement of material, a class of soil model that is able to accommodate changes in both density and grading of the soil is required. An outline of features of the Severn–Trent sand model — which incorporates effects of density variation — is presented and a suggestion is made for ways this model might be extended to include effects of changing particle size distribution.
Résumé
À la suite de la découverte de dolines dans le barrage W.A.C. Bennett, Colombie Britannique, en 1996, des études ont démontré qu’il y avait eu apparemment un mouvement de matériaux fins provenant du noyau du barrage. Afin de pouvoir prédire les conséquences mécaniques d’un tel mouvement de matériau, il nous faut une classe de modèle de sol qui peut accommoder des changements tant dans la densité que dans la granulométrie du sol. On présente une esquisse des caractéristiques du modèle du sable de Severn–Trent — qui incorpore les effets de la variation de la densité — et on suggère des manières d’élargir ce modèle pour inclure les effets du changement dans la granulométrie.
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Information
Published In
Canadian Geotechnical Journal
Volume 44 • Number 11 • November 2007
Pages: 1329 - 1350
History
Received: 23 November 2006
Accepted: 18 June 2007
Version of record online: 18 January 2008
Notes
This paper represents the written version of the 20th Bjerrum Lecture. While it has been edited for the present publication, it retains the general structure of the original lecture, which was intended for a general geotechnical audience. It deliberately points out some of the still-open questions concerning soil modelling. The Bjerrum Lecture is presented in Oslo in alternate years by the Norwegian Geotechnical Society with the support of the Bjerrum Memorial Fund (Laurits Bjerrums Minnefond).
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DavidMuir WoodD. Muir Wood. 2007. The magic of sands — The 20th Bjerrum Lecture presented in Oslo, 25 November 2005. Canadian Geotechnical Journal.
44(11): 1329-1350. https://doi.org/10.1139/T07-060
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