Experimental and Numerical Analyses of the Behavior of Collapsible Loess under Infiltration of Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids

GIOMI IGNACIO; FRANCISCA, FRANCO M.

Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste

American Society of Civil Engineers

Lugar: Reston ; Año: 2024 vol. 28

2153-5493

Leakage from fuel tanks and fuel transport pipelines are common accidents that affect the environment and geotechnical properties of geomaterials, which is of significant relevance in the case of unstable soils. In this work, experimental and numerical analyses were conducted to study the effect of kerosene on the mechanical behavior of collapsible soils. Compressibility tests on undisturbed loess samples were performed at natural water content, flooded with water and kerosene. Numerical models were developed to reproduce and analyze the experimental results. Results show that the Extended Basic Barcelona model (EBBM) can successfully represent the stress-strain behavior of the soil under zero-lateral displacement conditions, as well as the higher compressibility developed by the specimens flooded with water than with kerosene. The presence of kerosene on tested loess produced negligible changes in swelling indexes and was not able to trigger collapse. The effect of particle-fluid interaction on the obtained results is discussed and analyzed to identify the main responsible mechanisms for soil collapse.