Burak Boluk

ORCID Identifier(s)

0000-0002-1730-6212

Graduation Semester and Year

2021

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering

Department

Civil Engineering

First Advisor

Anand J Puppala

Abstract

Each year, numerous highway and dam slopes that are built with high plasticity clays experience shallow slope failures. Besides the high maintenance and repair costs, these failures negatively impact the public life by interrupting the traffic flow and causing serious safety hazards. The development of desiccation cracks due to weathering cycles deteriorates hydro-mechanical properties of soil, increases water infiltration, and ultimately results in surficial slope failure. Several slope rehabilitation methods have been developed to stabilize clayey soil slope sections affected by surficial failures. Lime stabilization is an effective treatment method that generally reduces the swell-shrink potential of expansive soil and enhances its engineering properties. However, exposure to wet-dry cycles negates some of the benefits of lime treatment and affects the extent of rainfall infiltration through the treated layer. Most lime treatment projects were primarily conducted without thoroughly estimating the impact of wet-dry cycles on the performance of the treated slopes. Proper consideration of long-term impacts of harsh environmental conditions on properties of treated soil in slope stability analysis is needed to produce more resilient and promising slope rehabilitation projects. In this research, the effectiveness of the lime treatment on both highway and dam slopes is assessed by incorporating the effect of detrimental changes in the hydro-mechanical properties of the treated soil due to wet-dry cycles. An experimental program is designed to estimate and compare the long-term strength parameters and durability of control and treated soils. The long-term stability of three lime-treated slopes is assessed numerically for various expected rainfall intensities and durations by conducting rainfall-induced unsaturated slope stability analyses. In order to assess the performance of lime-treated slope, field moisture probes and elevation survey techniques are used to monitor moisture fluctuation and deformation in slope with time, respectively. Also, the life cycle cost and benefit analysis for the current project is carried out to investigate the economic feasibility of the slope rehabilitation method using the lime treatment. The framework developed in this research study can be readily used by the geotechnical engineering fraternity to assess the long-term to address surficial slope stability issues.

Keywords

Surficial slope failure, Lime stabilization, Slope stabilization using lime, Rainfall-induced slope stability analysis, Unsaturated slope stability analysis, Soil water retention curve, Soil water characteristic curve, Fully softened strength. lime treated soil permeability, Life cycle cost-benefit analysis.

Disciplines

Civil and Environmental Engineering | Civil Engineering | Engineering

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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