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An experimental study on the shear strength behaviour of an interlayered shear weakness zone

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Abstract

In order to evaluate the overall stability of the underground powerhouse at the proposed Baihetan hydropower station in China, the shear behaviour of a weak interlayered soil in the host rock and the soil/host rock interface was investigated in the laboratory by direct shear testing under different degrees of saturation. Shear creep tests were also undertaken on the interlayered soil. Typical results obtained from the multi-sample method (MSM) and single-sample method (SSM) are presented, which show that the shear behaviour of both the interlayered soil and the soil/rock interface is elastic perfect-plastic without dilatancy. It was not possible to determine the shear strength parameters using the multi-sample method due to the heterogeneity of the interlayered soil in terms of mineralogical composition and physical properties. Creep of the interlayered soil was found to be insignificant. The shear behaviour of the soil/rock interface depends strongly on the interface morphology: the rougher the interface the higher the shear strength.

Résumé

Afin d’évaluer la stabilité d’ensemble de la centrale souterraine de la future usine hydroélectrique de Baihetan en Chine, les comportements en cisaillement d’un matériau de type sol présent dans la roche hôte et celui de l’interface entre ce sol et la roche hôte ont été étudiés au laboratoire en réalisant des essais de cisaillement direct. Différents degrés de saturation ont été pris en compte. Afin d’évaluer le comportement au fluage du sol, des essais de fluage en cisaillement ont également été réalisées. Des résultats typiques obtenus à partir de la méthode multi-échantillons (MSM) et de la méthode basée sur un seul échantillon (SSM) sont présentés, montrant clairement que le comportement en cisaillement à la fois du sol et de l’interface sol/roche est élastique parfaitement plastique sans-dilatance. Il faut noter que, du fait de l’hétérogénéité du sol concernant sa composition minéralogique et ses propriétés physiques, il n’a pas été possible de déterminer ses paramètres de résistance au cisaillement en utilisant la méthode MSM. Il a été établi que le fluage du sol était insignifiant. Le comportement en cisaillement de l’interface sol/roche dépend fortement de la morphologie de l’interface: plus l’interface est rugueuse, plus la résistance au cisaillement est forte.

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Acknowledgments

The work is supported by National Special Funds of China for Major State Basic Research Project under Grant No. 2010CB732006, and by Chinese Academy of Sciences and State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, P.R of China, for the CAS/SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams under Grant No. KZCX2-YW-T12. The authors are grateful to Mr. Ji-guang Liu and Mr. Cun-peng Shi for their help in laboratory tests. Mr. Quan Jiang, Mr. Yang Zhao and Mr. Ke Huang are also acknowledged for their help for site sampling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China

    Ding-Ping Xu & Xia-Ting Feng

  2. Tongji University, Jinsha River, Shanghai, China

    Yu-Jun Cui

  3. Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, UMR Navier/CERMES, 6-8 av. Blaise Pascal, Cité Descartes, Champs-sur-Marne, 77455, Marne-la-Vallée Cedex 2, France

    Yu-Jun Cui

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  1. Ding-Ping Xu
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  2. Xia-Ting Feng
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Correspondence to Yu-Jun Cui.

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Xu, DP., Feng, XT. & Cui, YJ. An experimental study on the shear strength behaviour of an interlayered shear weakness zone. Bull Eng Geol Environ 72, 327–338 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-013-0479-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-013-0479-2

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