Physical model tests are conducted to measure the soil resistance exerted on a steel pipe under vertical uplift loading at varying displacement rates in compacted clay. It is observed that the measured soil ultimate resistances are much lower (two to three times in magnitude) than those recommended by existing design guidelines for pipelines buried at shallow depths. This large discrepancy is attributed to the differences in failure modes observed in the tests and assumed in the guidelines. Under vertical uplift loading, the tensile failure mode is more dominant than the shear failure mode in compacted clay at shallow depths, which is not taken into account in the existing guidelines. Furthermore, the results illustrate that the soil–pipe system exhibits a time- or rate-dependent behaviour under vertical uplift loading – that is, ‘isotach’ behaviour. The soil resistance increases with increasing pipe displacement rate, or vice versa. The soil resistance drops by 10–30% when stress relaxation is allowed. Practical implications of this time-dependent behaviour of compacted clay on the performance of buried pipelines subjected to long-term ground movement are addressed.

This paper presents an interpretation technique to quantify the effects of compaction state and matric suction on the undrained shear strength of compacted clay under confined undrained triaxial compression. This novel technique is based on the mathematical frameworks of SHANSEP (Stress History and Normalized Soil Engineering Property) method for saturated soil and BBM (Barcelona Basic model) for unsaturated soil. Test data of compacted Calgary till were analyzed and interpreted using the proposed technique. The interpretation technique is very useful in delineating the relative impacts of the factors on the behavioral trends in measured undrained shear strength. It was found that in addition to the initial compacted void ratio and suction, soil structure and failure mode exert significant influence on the undrained shear strength of compacted clay. This technique is attractive to engineering practitioners because the confined undrained compression tests (with no pore air and water pressure measurement) are much simpler and less time consuming compared to rigorous laboratory tests on unsaturated soil.

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Offshore structures constructed in waters where ice cover is prevalent for several months a year are subjected to ice loading. Some of these structures are conical or sloped-faced in shape, where flexural failure becomes the dominant mode of failure for the ice sheet. The flexural failure mode reduces the magnitude of ice-structure interaction loads in comparison to other modes of failure. Various researchers have devised flexural failure models for ice-conical structure interactions. Each model shares the same principle of the ice sheet being modeled as a beam on an elastic foundation, but each model has different limitations in precisely simulating the interaction. Some models do not incorporate the ice rubble pile, while other models make oversimplified assumptions for three-dimensional behavior. The proposed three-dimensional (3D) model aims to reduce some of these limitations with the following features: (1) modeling the geometry of the ice rubble pile around the conical pier using the results of small-scale tests, (2) modeling the loads exerted by the ice rubble pile on the conical structure and ice sheet with a rigorous method of slices, (3) adding driving forces in keeping the rubble pile intact and in upward motion during the interaction, (4) accounting for eccentric offsetting moments at the ice-structure contacts, and (5) modeling the flexural behavior of the ice sheet subject to ice rubble loads using finite element method. The proposed model is used to analyze the interaction events recorded at the conical piers of the Confederation Bridge over a period of 11 years.