Geotechnical assessment of marginal soils for sustainable infrastructure

土建基础设施的可持续(成本效益、环境友好和社会可行)管理取决于对支撑土壤的工程性质的清楚了解。边际土材料(膨胀粘土和湿陷性粉土)与不断变化的气象条件**的相互作用**对不间断地使用埋藏的公用事业提出了严重的挑战。TransGas Limited提供**天然气(14,000公里长的管道)以及为配电**网络(69,000公里的干线和390,000个服务)提供的系统完整性评估和服务。与地下管道相关的主要问题是**可变的岩土管道故障率，从40/年到110/年不等。为了支持公司的**管理战略，这项合作研究的主要目标是了解和改善边缘土壤的**岩土行为。这是该公司第一次参与对本土土壤矿藏进行**全面的岩土评估。根据一项详细的研究计划**(使用实验室调查和数值模拟)，将制定一个科学框架，**处理萨斯喀彻温省的膨胀和可坍塌沉积物。在自然和压实条件下，将使用饱和和非饱和土力学的基本概念来研究土壤特性。**由此产生的创新技术(表征方案和计算预测)将对民用基础设施系统的设计、施工、运行和修复起到关键作用。对于TransGas Limited来说，了解和改善当地边缘土壤的预期**经济效益是**最大限度地减少**泄漏调查的次数，并优先考虑网络中的脆弱地区。同样，减少管道破裂和气体泄漏带来的环境**和安全效益将确保公众对天然气**分配系统的信心。研究结果将对该公司正在进行的和未来的管道**网络扩展至关重要。最后，预期的技术专长能力发展、招募高**合格的专业人员以及多学科互动对里贾纳大学来说是重要的好处。

The sustainable (cost effective, environmentally friendly, and socially viable) management of civil**infrastructure depends on a clear understanding of the engineering properties of the supporting soils. The**interaction of marginal earthen materials (expansive clays and collapsible silts) with changing meteorological**conditions poses serious challenges to an uninterrupted use of buried utilities. TransGas Limited provides**natural gas (14,000 km long pipeline) as well as system integrity assessment and service for the distribution**network (69,000 km of mains and 390,000 individual services). The main issue associated with buried pipes is**the variable geotechnical pipe failure rate that ranges from 40/year to 110/year. In support of the company's**management strategy, the main objective of this collaborative research is to understand and improve the**geotechnical behavior of marginal soils. This is the first time that the company is participating in a**comprehensive geotechnical evaluation of indigenous soils deposits. Based on a detailed research program**(using laboratory investigation and numerical modeling), a scientific framework will be developed to work**with expansive and collapsible sediments in Saskatchewan. Soil properties will be investigated using**fundamental concepts of saturated and unsaturated soil mechanics under natural and compacted conditions.**The resulting innovative technology (characterization protocols and computational predictions) will be pivotal**for the design, construction, operation, and rehabilitation of civil infrastructure systems. The expected**economic benefits of understanding and improving local marginal soils for TransGas Limited are minimizing**the number of leak surveys and prioritizing vulnerable areas within the networks. Likewise, the environmental**and safety benefits due to reduced pipe ruptures and gas leaks will ensure public confidence in the natural gas**distribution system. The research results will be critical for the company for ongoing and future pipeline**network expansions. Finally, the expected capacity development in technical expertise, recruitment of highly**qualified professionals, and multi-disciplinary interactions are important benefits for the University of Regina