| 1. |
- Ezz-Aldeen Mohammad, Mohammad
(författare)
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Sedimentation and Its Challenge for Sustainability of Hydraulic Structures : A Case Study of Mosul Dam Pumping Station
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A successful management and operation of water resources projects are essential to maintain their functions. Dams and reservoirs are one of the largest worldwide infrastructures. They serve one or more functions; reliable store and release of water for different purposes, hydropower generation and flood and draught controls. Sedimentation is one of the serious problems that affects the reservoir`s efficiency; it leads to reduction in storage capacity and reliability for water supply. Furthermore, deposition of sediment near and inside the intakes and hydropower plants cause a negative effect on plant efficiency and corrosion of turbines and pump`s impeller. Generally, degradations of the watersheds, surface runoff and river flow are the main sources and transporters of the reservoir’s sediment. Sediment management techniques are the most economical and efficient approach for sustainability of reservoirs and attached structures. Pumping rate, operation schedule, sub watersheds sediment control and earth dike is the reasonable alternatives that were applied in this study for sediment control and sustain water intakes. In Mosul Dam reservoir, the pumping station is considered as a case study, the station is suffering from sediment accumulation in front and inside the intake. The work includes application of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) models to estimate the runoff and sediment load delivered by sub watersheds surrounding the studied area, and a sediment rating curve was considered to assess the sediment load carried by the main river (Tigris River). The Hydrological Engineering Centre’s River Analysis System ( HEC-RAS) model as a one dimensional model (1-D) was applied for sediment routing, and as a two dimensional model (2-D) for flow analysis. This aims to estimate the sediment load deposited in the studied reservoir and evaluated the effects of pumping rate and flow depth on flow velocity distribution, flow stream power and sediment transport. As this study focuses on the sedimentation problem on the area around the intake’s structure and due to compound flow regime and sediment transport near the intakes and withdraws outlets, a three dimensional (3-D) model is considered more suitable than a 1-D or a 2-D model. The Sediment Simulation in Intakes with Multiblock option (SSIIM) model was considered also in this study; a proper control code for studied case was developed. This model depends on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CDF) techniques as a numerical method to solve fluid motion problems.The applied models were calibrated and validated based on measured data of previous studies. The considered statistical criteria indicate that the models’ performances were reasonable for both flow and sediment assessments. The results of all applied strategies show an improvement with a different percent in the amount of sediment deposited in front and inside of the intake, in comparison with the current situation. The optimal improvement was obtained by adding a control earth dike upstream the station. It is considered the most efficient and practical strategy that can be applied for sustainability of the pumping station efficiency and lifespan with fewer dredging requirements.
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| 2. |
- Al-Jabban, Wathiq Jasim
(författare)
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Soil Modification by adding small amounts of binders : A laboratory study
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Soil stabilization through addition of a hydraulic binder is a method frequently used to modify and improve engineering properties of soft soils. Additives like cement and lime are typically used as stabilizers. More recently, industrial by-products, such as fly ashes, cement kiln dust, blast furnace slags and other slags have been used. The chemical reaction between the soil and the stabilizer alters the physical and engineering properties of the soil and thus desired strength and durability are obtained. The choice of appropriate type and quantity of stabilizer (binder) depends largely on factors such as soil type, moisture content, organic content, sulfate content, curing conditions (time and temperature) and the desired improvement.The objective of this thesis is to increase knowledge and understanding of how small amounts of binders change various engineering properties of stabilized soils in short- and longtime perspective. Extensive laboratory and field programs have been carried out. They cover immediate and long-term effects on the engineering properties by adding various binders. Cement, Multicem, and by-products Petrit T and Mesa were used as binders. Binder was added to the soil at various quantities: 1%, 2%, 4%, 7% and 8% of soil dry weight. The field and laboratory investigation included tests of consistency limits, sieving and hydrometer, unconfined compressive strength, density, solidification, grain size distribution using laser particle size analyzer, leaching tests and pH value. The tests were carried out on the treated soil with different binder contents and after different curing times i.e. 7, 14, 28, 60, 90 days for laboratory tests and 7 and 35 days for field investigation.The unconfined compression tests were used to show the effects of different binders on the enhancement in strength and stiffness over time. Consistency limits were determined to investigate the effects of the binders on the consistency limits, directly after treatment and over time. Laser particle size analyzer tests were conducted to investigate the effects of different binders on the particle size distribution (PSD) before and after treatment. The pH tests were conducted to investigate the effects of different binders on the alkalinity of the soil immediately after treatment and over time. This was used to give an indication of soil-binder reactions. MRM leaching tests were conducted to investigate the acidification potential of soils before and after treatment. Freeze-thaw cycles were conducted to investigate the strength characteristics after freezing and thawing in short- and long-term perspectives. Visual observation and standard dry sieving tests were conducted to optimize the proper mixing times to disintegrate or homogenize the soils by decreasing the size of agglomerated soil particles.The results show, that the variation in soil strength and stiffness of the treated soils are linked to different chemical reactions. Cement is most effective in improving the physical and engineering properties compared to the other binders studied. The plasticity index of soil decreases after treatment and over time. Liquidity index and the ratio of water content to plastic limit are introduced as new indices to illustrate the improvement in workability of treated soil by measuring the reduction in the liquidity index. This is found directly after treatment and it increases with time when the liquidity index is within the plastic range or when the water/plastic vi limit ratio is more than one. Increase of binder content and using longer curing times result in increase of soil density and decrease of water content. Particle size distribution of soil is changed by reducing the clay size fraction and increasing the silt size particles after treatment. This shows that an aggregation of particles take place resulting in coarser material than the initial. The cement-treated soils exhibit a more brittle failure in the unconfined compression tests compared to soils treated with other binder types where a more ductile behavior is observed. Applying freezing-thawing-cycles reduces the strength and stiffness of the treated soil.The appropriate length of time to homogenize and disintegrate the natural soil prior to treatment depends on several factors, such as soil type, water content, and plasticity properties of soil. For high plasticity soil, the disintegration time should be kept as short as possible. The homogenizing and disintegration time is less important for low plasticity soils with low water content than for medium to high plasticity soils.The acidification potential of soils are related to the addition of cementitious binders. The effect is found directly after treatment and over time. The treated soil exhibits higher resistance to decrease in pH value. The strength and stiffness properties found in the field investigation agree in general with those obtained from the laboratory investigation for the same binder type.
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| 3. |
- Hassan, Rebwar, 1959-
(författare)
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Sediment Characteristics and Sedimentation Rate Estimation in the Dukan Reservoir
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The Dukan Reservoir has been created from the construction of the Dukan Dam on the Lesser Zab River where it crosses the Khalakan Thrust Sheet (Khalakan Mountains) through a gorge 65 km northwest of Sulaimani and 295 km northeast of Baghdad. The Dukan Dam is a multi-purpose dam which was built from 1954 to 1959 to control the flooding of the Lesser Zab River, and to provide irrigation, hydroelectricity, and water storage. Reservoir sedimentation can significantly reduce reservoir storage capacity as dams become older. The Dukan Reservoir has been selected for this study to determine the nature and characteristics of the deposited sediment particles in the reservoir, as well as the estimation of the rate of sedimentation from 1959 to 2014 by using the bathymetric survey and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model methods.Geologically, the Dukan Reservoir is located in the High Zagros Fold-Thrust Zone (High Folded Zone) of the northwestern segment of the Kurdistan Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt. This reservoir is a natural and structurally controlled depression located in the Btwen (Ranya) Agricultural Plain extending between the Ranya Thrust Sheet (Kewa-Rash Mountains) and the dam body itself. A geological survey was conducted for the study area and it has been concluded that the structural controls were more effective by dividing the Dukan Reservoir into two sub-reservoirs: a bigger triangle-shaped sub-reservoir in the north and a smaller irregularly shaped sub-reservoir in the south. The differences that exist in shapes, lengths, widths, surface areas, and shorelines between the two subreservoirs are also closely related to the structural and stratigraphical controls. The field observations and bathymetric survey indicate that bank sediment erosion is occurring in the two sub-reservoirs, but most of the sediment particles deposition takes place within the bigger sub-reservoir. Grain analyses of the 32 bed sediment samples show that the reservoir bed sediment consists of 15% gravel, 14% sand, 48% silt, and 23% clay. The sediments are composed of silty clay (77.6%), silty sandy clay (10%), sandy gravelly silty clay (1.2%) and gravelly sandy silty clay (1%). The reservoir bed is covered mainly with silt. Both silt and clay percentages increase towards the dam in the smaller sub-reservoir. This is attributable to the decreased water velocity in the reservoir, leading to the deposition of the suspended materials. The sediments are very finegrained, very poorly sorted, strongly coarse skewed, and mesokurtic. The depositedsediment along the Dukan Reservoir can be classified into topset bed (coarse particles) and bottomset bed (fine materials). The slope of the western bank of the reservoir is steeper than the eastern and northern banks. Land slope is the most effective factor in erosion and sediment transport. From the bathymetric survey, it has been also concluded that the minimum elevation which reaches 430 m.a.s.l. is located at the southern part of the bigger sub- reservoir. Based on different bulk densities of the deposited sediment at different water elevations, i.e., 1855 kg/m3 at 470 m.a.s.l., 1855 kg/m3 at 480 m.a.s.l., and 1200 kg/m3 at 480 m.a.s.l., the annual sedimentation rates in the reservoir are estimated to be about 3.8 MCM, 7 MCM, and 6.6 MCM, respectively. This estimation has been supported by the SWAT model method, which shows that the annual sediment load delivered to the Dukan Reservoir from the watershed is estimated to be about 1.3 MCM, representingabout 34% of the total sediments deposited in the reservoir.The reduction in storage capacity of the bigger sub-reservoir from 1952 to 2014 at water elevations 440 m.a.s.l., 460 m.a.s.l, and 480 m.a.s.l. are 72%, 48%, and 24%, respectively. The volume of the deposited sediment is estimated to be around 274 MCM. The percentage of the smaller sub-reservoir area as a percentage of the whole reservoir area varied in 1952 from 4% at water level 520 m.a.s.l. to 100% at 420 m.a.s.l. The author predicts that the estimated annual deposition rate of 6.6 MCM and the projected useful lifespan might extend for another 155 years until 2169, when the sediment will fully occupy the live storages.
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| 4. |
- Chabuk, Ali
(författare)
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Solid Waste Landfills in an Arid Environment : Site Selection and Design
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Selecting landfill sites is considered a complicated task because its whole process is based upon several factors and restrictions. This study shows the present status of solid waste management, sources, collection personnel, machinery and equipment that are involved in the waste collection process, financing and financial management for the major cities of the Babylon Governorate in Iraq (Al-Hillah, Al-Qasim, Al-Mahawil, Al-Hashimiyah and Al-Musayiab). The management of waste collection and disposal in the Babylon Governorate and its districts is through open waste dumps, so the quality of the collection and disposal process is poor, and these sites do not conform to the scientific and environmental criteria usually applied in the selection of landfill sites.In the first part of the current study, three methods were used to calculate the solid waste quantity for each specific year up to the year 2030 as well as the cumulative quantity of solid waste for the period (2020-2030) for Babylon Governorate. The results show the cumulative quantity of solid waste resulting from (method 3) receives a high value compared to other methods, and so it is used as a maximum value to estimate the required area for candidate sites for landfills in each district. The generation rate in 2030 will be (0.97, 0.69, 0.48, 0.62 and 0.91) (kg/capita/day) in (Al-Hillah, Al-Qasim, Al-Mahawil, Al-Hashimiyah and Al-Musayiab), respectively, based on method 3, where the estimated annual incremental generation rate is 1 %. The second part of this study aims to find the best sites for landfills in the arid areas that are distinguished by a shallow depth of groundwater. The Babylon Governorate was selected as a case study because it is located in an arid area, and the depths beneath the ground surface to the groundwater level are shallow. For this purpose, 15 important criteria were adopted as follows: groundwater depth, rivers, soil types, agricultural land use, land use, elevation, slope, gas pipelines, oil pipelines, power lines, roads, railways, urban centers, villages and archaeological sites. These criteria were then entered into the geographic information system (GIS). The GIS software has a large capacity to manage and analyze various input data using special analysis tools. In addition, Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods were used to derive the relative weightings for each criterion in different styles. These methods are (Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Simple Additive Weighting (SAW), Ratio Scale Weighting (RSW) and Straight Rank Sum (SRS)).Raster maps of the selected criteria were prepared and analyzed within the GIS software. The final map for candidate landfill sites was obtained through combining the GIS software and (MCDM) methods. Subsequently, comparison methods (Change Detection, Combination, Kappa and Overall Assessment) for each pair of raster maps that result from using the two different methods of multi-criteria decision making were implemented to determine the pixel percentage of matching and non-matching as well as to determine and check the suitability of the selected sites for landfills on both resulting maps using two methods. Two suitable candidate sites for landfills were determined to fulfill the scientific and environmental requirements in each major city. These areas are (6.768 and 8.204) km2 in Al-Hillah, (2.766 and 2.055) km2 in Al-Qasim, (1.288 and 1.374) km2 in Al-Hashimiyah, (2.950 and 2.218) km2 in Al-Mahawil, and (7.965 and 5.952) km2 in Al-Musayiab. The required area of the selected sites can accommodate solid waste from 2020 until 2030 based on the required areas according to the third method.The third part of this study includes soil investigations for the selected landfill sites. The suggested design should ensure that there is no groundwater pollution by leachate from these sites because the groundwater depth is very shallow in the Babylon Governorate. To avoid this problem, soil investigation was conducted at these sites so that the most suitable landfill design could be established. Each site was subjected to field soil tests to find the composition of the soil strata at each site to a depth of 10 m, and these results were compared with the soil properties adopted for final site selection. The Iraqi Ministry of Housing & Construction, National Centre for Construction Laboratories and Research Babylon, Iraq, carried out the analytical work on the soil in 2016. The results of the soil investigation at these sites include the soil profile, groundwater depth, chemical properties, allowable bearing capacity, atterberg limits test results and material characteristics of the soil strata. According to the results of these tests, the best design is the one that puts the compacted waste at the surface.The fourth part of this study covers the selection of a suitable proposed design in the arid areas (Babylon Governorate, Iraq) for the selected landfill siting. In the current study, the design of this landfill includes the suggested soil layers for the liner system and final cover system. For the base liner system (from the bottom toward the top), the composite bottom barrier layer consists of highly compacted sandy clay. The thickness of the bottom barrier layer is 60 cm, and its saturated hydraulic conductivity is 1.0E-7cm/s. The 1.5 mm thick geomembrane (HDPE), with hydraulic conductivity of 2.0E-13 cm/s, is placed over the composite bottom barrier layer. The leachate collection system consists of drainage layer (gravel) with a thickness of 30 cm and a hydraulic conductivity of 3.0E-1 cm/s. The diameter of the main drainpipes is between 15 and 20 cm. The protection layer consists of sand material, and its hydraulic conductivity is 5.0E-3 cm/s. The thickness of the protection layer is 30 cm.The compacted solid waste is placed upon the surface to a height of 2 m because of the shallow groundwater depth and to avoid groundwater contamination by leachate from the landfill site. The density of the compacted waste is 700 kg/m3, and its saturated hydraulic conductivity is 1.0E-5 cm/s.Three scenarios were used for the suggested designs for the final cover system of the landfills in arid areas. The first scenario was “evapotranspiration soil cover (ET) (capillary barriers type)”, the second scenario was a modified cover design of "RCRA Subtitle D", and the third scenario was the “Recommended design”. In this study, “Recommended design”, the third scenario for the final cover system, was adopted in the arid area (Babylon governorate, Iraq) based on combining certain layers from the first and second scenarios. For the three scenarios, the soil components in these designs used was based on available local materials in the study area. The layers of the base liner system were adopted in all scenarios.The third scenario for the final cover system, “Recommended design”, was implemented based on weather parameters in the arid areas. The water infiltrated from the surface of landfill is stored within upper layers that have fine particles. This allows the stored water to evaporate from the soil surface of the landfill or transpire through vegetation due to the high temperature during most months in the study area. The water that enters from the surface of the landfill should be contained above the geomembrane liner and top barrier layer without leakage into the waste body, thereby preventing leachate generation.For the layers of the final cover system (from the bottom to the top), the intermediate cover is used to cover the waste body, and this layer consists of moderate compacted silty clayey loam (native soil). The thickness of the intermediate cover is 30 cm, and its saturated hydraulic conductivity is1.0E-6 cm/s. The foundation layer consists of coarse sand material with a thickness of 30 cm and a saturated hydraulic conductivity of 1.0E-2 cm/s. This layer acts as a cushion for the layers of the final cover system. The gas collection system can be installed within the foundation layer. The top barrier layer is placed over the foundation layer. This layer consists of highly compacted sandy clay of (45 - 60 cm) thickness with compacted lifts (each lift is 15 cm). The saturated hydraulic conductivity of the barrier layer is 1.0E-7 cm/s. The geomembrane liner, (HDPE) of 0.5 cm thickness and a saturated hydraulic conductivity of 2.0E-13 cm/s, is put on top of the barrier layer. The upper layers of the final cover system are the support vegetation layer and the topsoil layer. The composition of the support vegetation layer is moderate compacted loam. This layer is placed directly on the geomembrane liner. The saturated hydraulic conductivity of the support layer is1.0E-5 cm/s, and its thickness is 45 cm. The topsoil layer consists of silty clayey loam, and it is placed over the support vegetation layer with a slope of 3%. The thickness of the topsoil layer is 15 cm, and its hydraulic conductivity is 4.0E-5 cm/s. The Hydrologic Evaluation of a Landfill Performance (HELP 3.95 D) model was applied to the selected landfill sites in the governorate to check if there could be any infiltration of the leachate that will result from the waste in the landfills in the selected sites in the future. The HELP model, which utilizes both weather and soil data, is the most commonly used model for landfill design, and it is employed to evaluate the quantity of water inflow through soil layers for the designed landfill. This suggested landfill is designed using the weather parameters (rainfall, temperature, solar, and the required date to calculate evapotranspiration) for the 12 consecutive years from 2005 to 2016, as well the required data for soil design.In the HELP model, the result for the suggested landfill design for both the recommended design (third scenario) and the second scenario was a modified cover design of "RCRA Subtitle D", which showed there was no leachate through the soil
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| 5. |
- Johansson, Teddy, 1960-
(författare)
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Artificial Ground Freezingin Clayey Soils : Laboratory and Field Studies of Deformations During Thawing at the Bothnia Line
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Artificial ground freezing as a method to temporarily stabilize and create hydraulic sealing in urban as well as in rural areas has been used in a number of Swedish construction projects, particularly during the last decade. One problem with the freezing of soil and rock is that fine-grained clayey types of soils have showed a tendency to under certain circumstances, during the thawing process, create a pore water overpressure and to consolidate, despite a change in the external loading conditions. In certain cases, this condition can be a desired effect as the soil mass after a freeze- and thaw cycle acquires overconsolidated properties. The main objectives of this study are, to describe and review the knowledge and current state of practice of artificial ground freezing, to increase the understanding about the conceptual behaviour for prognosis of the vertical deformation concerning artificial ground freezing and to compare and discuss results from laboratory and field studies concerning vertical deformation during thawing process for Bothnia soil. The field studies and the laboratory tests in this research study have been performed with soil from the freezing of the Bothnia Line in the vicinity of Stranneberget. The Bothnia Line is the railway link between Nyland, north of Kramfors, and Umeå. This thesis relates to a part of the Bothnia Line. It deals with the behaviour of soil during thawing by means of temporary stabilization and hydraulic sealing of fine-grained soil through artificial freezing using brine as the cooling agent. However, the reason behind the problem consists of the final deformations due to the thawing process. The general conclusions of this study are; the Bothnia soil water content decreased in mean approximately 14 % after a freeze-thaw cycle, which approximately corresponds to; wth = 0.8w – 1.5 the decrease of the water content has no correlation to the depth below ground surface, in contrast, there is a strong correlation between the undisturbed soil water content and the magnitude of the decrease in water content the soil liquid limit decreases after a freeze-thaw cycle, simultaneously as the relative share of clay and fine silt grains decreases while the relative share of more coarse grains increases the coarser and denser soil created after a freeze-thaw cycle obtains an increased preconsolidation pressure and an increased undrained shear strength.
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| 6. |
- Lagerlund, Johan, 1979-
(författare)
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Remedial Injection Grouting of Embankment Dams with Non-Hardening Grouts
- 2009
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The focus of this thesis is to study the possibility of injection grouting of embankment dams affected by internal erosion. Internal erosion is a process where certain soil material from an embankment dam is removed. This phenomenon occurs in the central core of the embankment dam. If the internal erosion is allowed to continue over a longer period of time, the dam might face a fatal situation. Since the dam core is washed out, larger voids are created, thus lowering the geotechnical stability of the dam. If the voids become larger, more seepage is allowed to pass and if more seepage passes, the internal erosion process is accelerated. The central core in an embankment dam is preferably constructed with till. Till is a natural soil that origins from the ice age. The till contains a wide range of grain sizes, basically anything from clay to blocs. The mixture of grain sizes does however give the till characteristics that are highly desirable for a water retaining construction. It is cohesive, has a low permeability, a high angle of internal friction and can be found practically anywhere in Sweden. In an embankment dam the core is the water barrier. The core alone is however weak and cannot withstand the large external forces put on a dam construction. Because of this, several zones are constructed on both sides of the core. The first zone outside the core is the filter. The filter has no cohesion and is constructed with a coarser material than the core. Outside the filter, the shell is found. The shell is constructed with even coarser material than the filter and supports the entire dam structure. Outside the shell the riprap is found. The riprap protects the dam from erosive forces such as wave erosion, ice loads and heavy rainfalls. The filters main task is to protect the core from being washed out. Since the till in the core has a wide range of grain sizes, a constant rate of seepage may start to move its finer particles (clay, silt). If the filter doesn’t catch these moving particles, a loss of material will occur. This is the basis for internal erosion. If the till has a smooth particle size distribution curve it is less prone to internal erosion. The smoothness of the curve ensures that the different grain sizes involved are evenly distributed. The finer particles are mechanically locked in place by coarser particles, which in turn are mechanically locked by even coarser grains. Finally, the soil structure is more able to withstand the erosive forces provided by the seepage. If the finer particles aren’t mechanically locked and eroded by the seepage, the filter must be designed to catch them. Therefore, internal erosion occurs only if both the till and the filter flaws. If the internal erosion is continuous, the loss of material must be replaced. By doing so without dismantling the dam, injection grouting can be performed. The grout will replace the lost core material and restore the dam. The type of grout can basically be divided into two sub groups: 1. Hardening grouts; 2. Flexible grouts.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Lintzén, Nina, 1978-
(författare)
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Properties of snow with applications related to climate change and skiing
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Snow has been a subject of research since the mid-20th century. Research on mechanical properties of snow started as an off-shoot of soil mechanics, where methods, tools and instruments used often are the same. However, during the last decades the winter business industry has been growing requiring a number of new fields of research. The aim with this PhD thesis is to investigate and contribute to solutions of some of the new research problems appearing in this area. Machine-made snow is commonly used for buildings and artwork of snow. Only minor scientific studies of machine-made snow and its properties have been published. Therefore, mechanical properties of machine-made snow were investigated. Strength and deformation properties were evaluated through uniaxial compressive tests where cylindrical test specimens were subjected to different constant deformation rates. Creep deformation, bending strength and ultimate load were also evaluated through beam tests. The results showed that the deformation rate is crucial if the snow will deform plastically or if brittle failure will occur. The grain size and structure of the snow had a strong influence on the strength properties. Snow is a constantly changing material with a large variety of grain sizes and shapes. Therefore it is of importance to classify snow. Classication of snow can be done using different methods depending on the property that is to be investigated. Several non-contact detection methods to evaluate snow properties exist. In this thesis, spectral reflectance measurements were performed to investigate liquid water content in snow using two different systems, a spectrometer and an optical sensor called Road Eye. The Road Eye sensor was also used to classify snow in cross-country ski tracks. This method enables a fast classication of a complete track where different types of snow can be distinguished. The properties of a ski track and the characteristics of the snow determine the type of skis that should be selected for optimum sliding properties. Cross-country skis have different mechanical properties, which to a large extent can be evaluated from the span curve of the ski. Depending on the skiing style, the skier's skills, terrain and track conditions different ski properties are required, which is particularly important for competitive skiing. Span curves of cross-country skis were measured using a digital instrument called Skiselector. Results from the investigations showed that skis within the same pair may have signicantly different properties. Moreover, temperature influences the span curve and thus the mechanical properties of the skis. Therefore, skis should be measured at a temperature close to where they are aimed to be used. Field tests of skis with similar span curves but different ski base topography were tested during wet and cold snow conditions. The results indicate that different topographies are preferable during different snow conditions. Due to the climate change, winters have become shorter and warmer with less natural snow. To compensate for the lack of natural snow, ski resorts and other stakeholders produce machinemade snow in order to run their business. Storing snow in insulated piles is an alternative and sometimes a complement to snow production. Studies on stored snow show that the surface area of the pile should be minimized in order to reduce the melt rate. Furthermore, the pileshould be covered with a suciently thick insulating layer, preferably with good evaporation properties. Theoretical calculations can be used to estimate the amount of snow that melts and to predict the efficiency of different materials as thermal insulation on snow. These calculations coincide well with experiments performed in northern Sweden where snow melt was measured. This PhD thesis consists of five publications and an introduction to this area which in particular puts these publications into a more general frame.
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| 9. |
- Lucian, Charles, 1963-
(författare)
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Geotechnical Aspects of Buildings on Expansive Soils in Kibaha, Tanzania
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The focus of this study is on potential damages to buildings resulting from expansive soils in Tanzania, particularly clay soils in Kibaha. For the fact that most of the affected structures are founded on expansive soils, a clear understanding of the behaviour of soils and their interaction with structures has been of interest to the study in order to evaluate properly the source of the problem.The geotechnical behaviour of expansive clay soils is investigated by looking into the geomorphologic, geological and climatic conditions and mineralogical composition of the soils in the study area.Two sites, representative of known problem-areas in Kibaha were selected for geotechnical tests. Geotechnical site investigation consisted of open trial pits, profile description and the collection of both disturbed and undisturbed samples. To extend and amplify the findings, supplementary samples were collected from the environs of the two sites.The collected samples were submitted to soil laboratories at KTH, ARU, SEAMIC and DIT for mineralogical composition tests, natural water content, density, Atterberg limits and swell tests. The results of this investigation indicate that soils in Kibaha contains clay (31%), have high liquid limit (59%) and plastic limit (37%) which indicate high potential swell.Since swell pressure, free swell and swell percent are key properties of expansive soils, the swell properties were measured by free swell tests and one-dimensional oedometer swell tests. The free swell ranged from 100% to 150% and the swell pressure was in the region of 45 kPa. The coefficient of linear extensibility (COLE) was determined for characterizing expansive clays. For all tested samples, COLE ranged from 0.09 to 0.14 indicating that soils fall in the region of high to very high expansion potential rating. The properties of expansive soils were confirmed by the x-ray diffraction test which showed the presence of smectite in the soil. Furthermore, total suction measurement technique using filter paper method indicated that the soils have high suction values, signifying that they have a tendency to swell upon wetting depending on plasticity of particular soil.The depth of the active zone was measured as a function of moisture variations in the profiles during two extreme weather conditions. The active zone depth was found to be between 1.0 and 2.0 m deep. Procedures to assess models to predict swell in the case study were outlined together with their validity.Vertical and horizontal spatial variability in selected soil properties was defined using geostatistical techniques through the fitting of variogram. The indicator semivariograms of both clay contents and free swell gave a range of 20 m horizontally and 1.0 m vertically, with the horizontal variograms exhibiting greater ranges than the dipping variograms.Physical conditions of the surveyed properties in the area confirmed that building damages are associated with poor building materials triggered by expansive soils. In support of the obtained data, the actual behaviour of the foundations was supplemented with prototypes of strip foundations whose performances were monitored over a period of four months. Finally, suggested are the ways forward to solve the problem of foundation on expansive soil
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| 10. |
- Abdullah, Twana, 1977-
(författare)
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Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment to pollution in Different Soil and Rock Materials
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The augmentation of human population regularly corresponds with change in the land cover, including expansion of urban areas, which imposes increasing the available amount of domestic and drinking water. The study area, Halabja-Saidsadiq Basin, is situated in the Northeast of Iraq and is one of the major groundwater sources of the region. As the surface water sources are not enough in the studied area, it has become necessary to use groundwater at an increasing rate. Usually, a huge amount of groundwater is plentiful in the alluvial deposits or rock outcrops where the urban areas are frequently situated. Such areas face a huge risk of pollution of groundwater due to producing different sources of a contaminant from human's activity. Keeping these aspects in view, groundwater vulnerability studies have been carried out in the current studied basin. The main objective of this work is to investigate the environmental impacts on groundwater quality and recognize the groundwater vulnerability in the area so that the groundwater can be protected from probable contaminations.In the current study, DRASTIC model has been applied since it is one of the most proper useful methods available for the assessment of the groundwater vulnerability. This model has been modified in different ways to achieve the obvious vulnerability condition in the area; likewise, different further methods have been applied for comparison purposes such as: weight modified VLDA and standard COP models. In addition, the applied models were validated by comparing its findings against the estimated groundwater ages and the observed water characteristic qualities within the region in two successive seasons.According to the spatial distribution of irrigation water quality index, groundwater at the studied basin classified into three group for both dry and wet seasons, namely, Sever Restriction (SR), High Restriction (HR) and Moderate Restriction (MR). The coverage area of all three classes are (1.4%, 52.4% and46.2%) for dry season and (0.7%, 83.3% and16%) for wet seasons, respectively. While, refer to the water quality index for drinking purpose, groundwater in this basin reveals a permissible to excellent groundwater quality of the dry season and a good to excellent groundwater quality of the wet season. The high level of a good groundwater quality in the wet season compared to the dry season might be expected to the groundwater recharge during the winter and spring periods, which lead to dilution of chemical component, in contrast high irrigation and agricultural activities and groundwater discharge in the dry season leads to increase the concentration of chemical component.Field and official data were collected to review several environmental impacts and were used to map standard DRASTIC vulnerability model for the study basin. Based on this model, the study area was classified into four zones of vulnerability indexes, comprises a very low, low, moderate and high vulnerability index with a coverage area of (34%, 13%, 48% and 5%) respectively.In the first modification step, the rate and weight value of each parameter in DRASTIC model is modified. Nitrate concentration from 39 groundwater samples was used for modifying the recommended standard rating value based on the Wilcoxon rank-sum nonparametric statistical test and then sensitivity analysis was used to modifying recommended standard weighting value of each parameter. To calibrate the modified rate, the Pearson's correlation coefficient was applied to estimate the relation between DRASTIC values and nitrate concentrations in groundwater samples. For the first modified model, the correlation coefficient was 72% that was significantly higher than 43% achieved for the standard model. The modified model classified the area into five vulnerability classes, including (very low, low, moderate, high and very high) with covered area of (7%, 35%, 19%, 35% and 4%), respectively.The second modification of DRASTIC model was based on land use and land cover for the studied area. The land use and land cover (LULC) map prepared using ERDAS IMAGINE software from two different scenes of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM). The LULC map indicates that only five classes of LULC can be identified: these are: barren land, agricultural land, vegetation land, urban area and wet land or water body. The modified DRASTIC based on LULC map classified the area into five classes with different coverage area of each class: very low (1.17%), low (36.82%), moderate (17.57%), high (43.42%) and very high (1.02%).The third modified method of the current study is the modification of DRASTIC model based on Lineament feature of the study basin. A lineament map is extracted from Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) satellite imagery using different techniques in remote sensing and GIS. The lineament density map demonstrates that only six classes of lineament density can be identified ranged from (0-2.4). The third modified DRASTIC model classified the area into four vulnerability categories: very low (28.75%), low (14.31%), moderate (46.91%) and high (10.03%).The fourth effort to modify standard DRASTIC model is the application of Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to assess the weight value of each parameter. The modified DRASTIC vulnerability index values based on AHP method ranged between (65.82–224.1) with five vulnerability classes comprises (very low to very high).Weight modified VLDA and standard COP models were also applied to map vulnerability system in the study basin. The vulnerability outcome based on weight modified VLDA model revealed that a total of four ranges of vulnerability indexes had been distinguished ranging from low to very high with vulnerability indexes (2.133-9.16). Subsequently, based on the standard COP model, the area is also divided into four vulnerability classes ranging from very low to high with index value ranged from (0.79) to (6.2).All applied models in the study basin were compared to each other and validated to clarify the validity of the theoretical sympathetic of current hydrogeological conditions and to show the accuracy of the modeled vulnerability system. Two methods were applied for the validation of the result, in the first approach; nitrate concentration analysis has been selected; the nitrate differences between two following seasons (dry and wet) were analyzed from (39) water wells. In the second approach, groundwater vulnerability was assessed based on estimated groundwater age from range of tritium (3H) value in the groundwater samples from different groundwater aquifers in the studied area. The results of both validation methods verify the sensibility of the gradation and distribution of vulnerability levels acquired using the modified DRASTIC model based on (rate and weight modification, weight modification based on AHP process and effect of LULC on DRASTIC model) and also applying weight modified of VLDA model.
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