GEOTECHNICAL DEFECTS 4

4.0 INTRODUCTION TO DEFECTS

Another defects based on geotechnical and soil matter found inside campus Putrajaya is at the small tunnel at the main road inside campus that connects between Kampus Barat and Kampus Timur. It is a retaining wall that acts as a tunnel with another road up beneath the tunnel. The problem occurred when the storm hit an area particularly hard, causing a significant erosion, washout and small landslide damage and these more or less create disturbance to the retaining wall as it also exhibits lateral earth pressure. There seems to be about 80mm hole caused by the erosion. This is a concern because if it not repaired or maintained, more erosion could occurred and cause harm to the structure solidity thus leading to an emergency unsafe condition. Furthermore, soil erosion and surface runoff occurs as water moves across the ground. The more exposed the soil and the faster the rate of flow, the greater the damage and the bigger the problem. Unprotected steep slopes are prone to erosion as runoff velocity is high

4.1 LATERAL EARTH PRESSURE One of the characteristics that soil behaves is that soil is neither a solid nor a liquid, but it exhibits some of the characteristics of both. The characteristics that similar to that of a liquid are its tendency to exert a lateral pressure against any object in contact. This important criterion influences the design of retaining walls, abutments, basement walls which retain or support soil, and as such is a very great significance. Retaining walls are constructed in various fields of civil engineering such as hydraulics and irrigation structure, highways, railways and tunnels.

One of the geotechnical problems occurred that can be found at campus Putrajaya is the lateral earth pressure exerted by the soil mass upon an earth-retaining structure such as retaining wall specifically the road tunnel at the main road inside the campus. There are three distinct kinds of lateral earth pressure. Refer to Figure 4.1 for the three kinds of wall movement. First, let us consider a retaining wall which holds back a mass of soil. The soil exerts a push against the wall by virtue of its tendency to slip laterally thus making the wall to move slightly away from the backfield soil mass. This kind of pressure is known as the active earth pressure of the soil. The soil, being the actuating element, is considered to be active and hence the name active earth pressure. As the wall moves away from the soil backfill, the active condition develops and the lateral pressure against the wall decreases with wall movement until the minimum active earth pressure force (Pa) is reached. Next, let us imagine that in some manner that the retaining wall is caused to move toward the soil. In such a case the retaining wall or the earth-retaining structure is the actuating element and the soil provides the resistance which soil develops in response to movement of the structure toward it is called the passive earth pressure which may be very much greater than the active earth pressure. The surface over which the sheared-off soil wedge tends to slide is referred to as the surface of sliding or rupture. As the wall moves towards (into) the soil backfill, the passive condition develops and the lateral pressure against the wall increases with wall movement until the maximum passive earth pressure (Pp) is reached. Active pressures are accompanied by movements directed away from the soil, and passive resistances are accompanied by movements towards the soil. Logically, therefore, there must be a situation intermediate between the two action is when the retaining structure is perfectly stationary and does not move in either direction. The pressure which develops in this condition is called earth pressure at rest. Its value is a little larger than the limiting value of active pressure but is considerably less than the maximum passive resistance. Note that at rest condition is shown where the wall rotation is equal to 0.

Lateral earth pressure are typically analyzed from either Rankine Theory or Coulomb Method. These theories are considered reliable in spite of some limitations and are considered basic to the problem. After determining lateral earth pressures, retaining wall analysis and design also includes sliding, overturning, bearing capacity and settlement and also structural design of wall. Basically, lateral earth pressures are derived from the summation of all individual pressure (stress) areas behind the retaining wall. These pressure areas are triangular in shape with the base of the triangle at the base of the wall for the soil component and pore water component. Pressure areas for surcharges are rectangular in shape, and earthquake pressures are usually analyzed with a nearly upside-down triangle.

4.1.1 Rankine Analysis Rankine (1857) developed his theory of lateral earth pressure when the backfill consists of dry, cohesionless soil. The theory was later extended by Resal (1910) and Bell (1915) to be applicable to cohesive soils. The following are the important assumptions in Rankines theory: The soil mass is semi-infinite, homogeneous, dry and cohesionless The ground surface is a plane which may be horizontal or inclined The face of the wall in contact with the backfill is vertical and smooth. In other words, the friction between the wall and the backfill is neglected. The wall yields about the base sufficiently for the active pressure conditions to develop if it is the passive case that is under consideration, the wall is taken to be pushed sufficiently towards the fill for the passive resistance to be fully mobilized

4.1.2 Coulomb Theory Charles Augustine Coulomb (1776), a famous French scientist and military engineer was the first to try to give a scientific basis to the hazy and arbitraty ideas existing in his time regarding lateral earth pressure on walls. Coulombs theory considers the soil behind the wall as a whole instead of as an element in the soil. If a wall supporting a granular soil were not to be there, the soil will slump down to its angle of repose or internal friction. Thr primary assumptions in Coulombs theory are as follows : The backfill is considered dry, homogeneous and isotropic The position and direction of the earth thrust are assumed to be known

4.1.3 Comparison between Coulomb and Rankine Theory 1) Coulomb considers aretaining wall and the backfill as a system, he takes into account the friction between the wall and the backfill, while Rankine does not 2) The backfill surface may be plane or curved in Coulombs theory but Rankines allowa only for a plane surface 3) Rankines theory is relatively simple and hence is more commonly used while Coulombs is more rational and versatile.

4.2 Solution to the defects It is imperative to make sure a slope is covered or planted so that erosion is minimized. One of the simplest and significant actions you can take to mitigate the problem of an eroding slope is to break up the rate of water decent by constructing terraces. Terraces give you the opportunity to create a series of mini-gardens. Erosion is prevented by shortening a potentially long slope into a series of more level steps. This allows heavy rains to soak in rather than run off, taking soil with it. Furthermore, the spillway of the sediments need facelift with stone walls for the aesthetics and to its retaining properties. Build walls that minimize the need for geofrid reinforcement while withstanding the surcharges acting upon.