Application of the Richards Model in Settlement Prediction of Loess-Filled Foundations

Abstract

The Richards equation has high plasticity and compatibility. Compared with other curve equations, it has higher applicability and accuracy in describing S-shaped curves. It can describe the changes in the initial growth stage, rapid growth stage, and stable growth stage of organisms well and reflect the slow-fast-slow change characteristics of growth. In this paper, the Richards model is introduced into the settlement deformation prediction of loess-filled foundation. Taking a high-loess fill site in northern Shaanxi Province as an example, continuous settlement deformation monitoring is carried out for the filling during the project operation period, and the settlement characteristics of a loess-filled foundation are studied using the monitoring results. It is considered that the settlement deformation curve of a loess-filled foundation has similar characteristics; that is, its deformation increases slowly in the early stage, rapidly in the middle stage, and is basically stable at a fixed value in the later stage. Its cumulative deformation time history curve is a smooth S-shaped curve, and the cumulative settlement increases with time and tends to converge. Analysis shows that the time history curves of cumulative settlement, the settlement deformation rate, and the acceleration of loess foundation filling are highly consistent with the Richards model. Compared with the modified exponential model and hyperbolic model, the predicted results are closer to the measured results; that is, the Richards growth model can be used to predict the settlement deformation of a fill foundation.

Dynamics of a Conformable Fractional Order Generalized Richards Growth Model on Star Network with N=20 Nodes

“…Compared with the logistic equation, Richards equations define for more flexible curves of the S shape where the growth curve is asymmetrical and it can define changes in the initial growth stage, rapid growth stage, and stable growth stage of populations. In the literature, there are many successful applications of the Richards growth model in fields such as forest modelers [1], geology [2], COVİD 19 [3,4], Ebola [5], fruit weight [6], microbial growth [7], interaction two-species population [8], traffic [9] and tree growth model [10].…”