Kejie Zhai

While early ideal consolidation theories for vertical drains focused primarily on radial flow, numerous coupled radial–vertical seepage models have since been developed to better capture complex flow behavior in practice. To overcome this limitation, a nonlinear large-strain consolidation model for vertical drains with coupled radial-vertical flow is proposed, explicitly incorporating Hansbo’s non-Darcy flow, smear effects, and soil nonlinearity. The finite difference method is then employed to obtain numerical solutions, and the reliability of the proposed numerical scheme is verified by degenerating the model to the radial consolidation case and comparing the results with the corresponding analytical solution. The results indicate that consolidation develops fastest when the permeability coefficient within the smear zone follows a parabolic distribution. Increasing the Hansbo’s flow parameter m and threshold hydraulic gradient parameter I₁ markedly slows down the consolidation process, while the contribution of vertical flow is primarily confined to the early stage. In addition, larger soil nonlinearity parameters I_c and α amplify the influence of radial–vertical coupled flow. Parametric analysis further shows that when the ratio of soil layer thickness to the radius of the influence zone (H/r_e) exceeds 10, the effect of vertical flow becomes negligible, and the consolidation behavior can be reasonably approximated using a radial-flow-only model.

Urban underground infrastructure is increasingly challenged by material aging, environmental degradation, and structural deterioration. In response, trenchless polymer grouting technologies employing sustainability-oriented two-component foaming polymers have attracted growing attention. To investigate shear behavior at the polymer–concrete interface, this study conducted direct shear tests on two types of composite interface geometries—curved and planar—formed by bonding two-component foaming polymer to concrete substrates. Five polymer densities (0.33, 0.42, 0.51, 0.58, 0.66 g/cm³), three concrete strengths (C20, C30, C40), three normal stress levels (0.3, 1.0, 2.0 MPa), three shear rates (0.5, 2.0, 5.0 mm/min), and three interface sizes (100, 150, 200 mm) were examined. The results show that both interface types undergo five characteristic stages under shear. Across identical parameter levels, curved interfaces consistently exhibited higher peak shear strength and larger peak displacement than planar ones. When the polymer density is identical, the peak shear strength and displacement of curved specimens are about 1.38 and 1.43 times those of planar specimens, respectively. Similarly, for specimens with the same concrete strength, normal stress, and shear rate, the corresponding ratios of peak shear strength and displacement are about 1.14 and 1.55, 1.96 and 1.43, and 1.43 and 1.36, respectively. Within the tested ranges, the shear stress increases with polymer density, concrete strength, and normal stress, and generally decreases with shear rate. The shear displacement decreases with polymer density, concrete strength, and shear rate, and generally increases with normal stress. As the specimen size increases, the peak shear strength and peak shear displacement of the curved specimens first increase and then decrease, whereas for the planar specimens, the peak shear strength exhibits a nonlinear increasing trend. These findings provide valuable insights to promote sustainable underground infrastructure rehabilitation.

An innovative approach for repairing prestressed concrete cylinder pipes with prestressed Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymers was proposed.

A foundation pit’s excavation area, which is determined by its radius in a circular foundation pit, exerts a considerable influence on the pit’s behavior. Using a full-scale experiment on a circular foundation pit retained by a prefabricated recyclable supporting structure (PRSS), this study develops a series of axisymmetric numerical models to systematically investigate the influence of excavation radius on the pit’s deformation, stress, and stability. Furthermore, simulation results from axisymmetric models are compared with those from plane strain models to illustrate the influence mechanism. The results show that at a given excavation depth, the deflection and bending moments of the supporting piles, the earth pressure on the non-excavation side, and ground surface settlement increase with the enlarged excavation radius, but the increase rate progressively decreases. However, the foundation pit’s safety factor decreases with an increasing excavation radius and gradually stabilizes. When the excavation radius exceeds 50 m, its influence on the foundation pit’s behavior significantly diminishes. The axisymmetric model results closely approximate those from the plane strain models, suggesting that the spatial arching effects of the circular foundation pit can be disregarded.

China is renowned for its extensive underground engineering projects and the complex geological and hydrological conditions it faces. Grouting treatment technology is widely employed in deep-buried mines and tunnels, where grouting parameters such as materials, pressure, volume, and hole arrangement significantly impact the effectiveness of grouting. This review paper comprehensively examines current research on grouting materials, theories, experiments, and numerical simulations. It summarizes the various factors that must be considered during the grouting process of fissures and explores the diffusion mechanisms of grout under their influence. Furthermore, further research is needed on the mechanisms and treatment methods for poor grouting in rock masses, the distribution patterns of fissures, optimization methods for grouting parameters, and grout quality assessment techniques. Future research should focus on developing more efficient experimental methods with higher accuracy levels while advancing grouting technologies. Establishing comprehensive and accurate rock mass models along with improving monitoring capabilities are also crucial aspects to consider. Therefore, studying the diffusion mechanisms of grout in fissured rock masses is of significant importance for the practical operation of underground engineering projects.

Granite residual soil typically forms complex pore structures and exhibits high water sensitivity due to physical and chemical weathering processes. Changes in initial compaction conditions significantly affect the mechanical and hydraulic properties of in situ granite residual soil subgrades, with these variations fundamentally related to changes in pore structure and soil–water characteristics. This study investigates the pore structure and bimodal soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) of a compacted granite residual soil through laboratory tests and mercury intrusion porosimetry tests. Nine initial conditions were selected based on potential in situ compaction conditions of subgrades, and their effects on the pore size distribution (PSD) and SWCC were thoroughly analyzed. The results show strong correlations between bimodal pore structure and SWCC. The size and volume of inter-aggregate pores exhibit noticeable changes with initial conditions, affecting SWCC within the low and middle suction range. Conversely, the intra-aggregate pores, which constitute over 60% of the pore structures, remain nearly intact across different initial conditions, resulting in similar SWCCs within the high suction range. As the compaction energy increases, the inter-aggregate pores are compressed and lead to a higher water retention capacity. In addition, as the compaction water content increases, the SWCC becomes less sensitive to compaction energy after the aggregates in the pore structure are fully saturated. Additionally, a three-dimensional bimodal SWCC equation is proposed and validated using test data with an R² value above 0.98. These findings offer valuable insights for the design and quality control of granite residual soil subgrades.

Evaluating the burst pressure of corrosion cluster defects necessitates considering the interaction of contiguous defects. The importance of this interaction cannot be emphasized enough, as it plays a crucial role in determining the failure pressure of such pipelines. Current methods for assessing the failure pressure of corrosion cluster defects have drawbacks, including complex evaluation procedures and limited applicability. In this research, the failure mode and location of corrosion clusters with two or more defects are studied with a burst experiment on a full-scaled pipeline. Based on the failure position of the corrosion cluster, a “center failure location” method is proposed to estimate the burst pressure of colony corrosion defects. The method takes the defect in the failure position as the center; the influence of contiguous defects that interact with the central defect on its failure pressure is considered, and subsequently, the burst pressure of colony corrosion centered on the failure location is evaluated. In contrast with the current assessment methods, while the proposed approach does not reduce prediction errors, it requires fewer evaluation conditions and is operationally simpler and more versatile.