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P Headarian, S. M. Fatemi Aghda, Ali Noorzad,
Volume 7, Issue 2 (3-2014)
Abstract

Tunneling in complex geological and geotechnical conditions is often inevitable, especially in urban areas. The stability analysis and the assessment of ground surface settlement of a shield tunneling are of major importance in real shield tunneling projects. The objective of this research is to determine the collapse pressure of a shallow circular tunnel driven by a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) of the Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) type.  In this study, analytical methods and three-dimensional numerical modeling with ABAQUS software were implemented to examine the effect of face pressure on the behavior of the tunnel. The parameters were calculated using data from Karaj subway-line 2 as a case study. The analytical method used in this study is Leca-Dormiex which is based on limit analysis theory.  The method is based on a translational multiblock failure mechanism.  Also, elastic and Mohr-Coulomb constitutive model have been used for soil behavior. The results of analytical method and numerical modeling were then compared. Based on the obtained results, face pressure assessed from the analytical method of Leca-Dormiex (upper bound) is the minimum pressure that can be implemented on the face tunnel. It also indicates that with implementation of suggested pressure of analytical method, Karaj subway face tunnel is stable and consequently execution of pre-consolidation methods in this section of the tunnel does not seem to be necessary
H Salamat Ravandi, Mh Kharazi Fard, Mr Majdzadeh Tabatabaee,
Volume 7, Issue 2 (3-2014)
Abstract

River bank erosion is a mechanism initiated by soil particles movement due to subsurface flow. This may occur in a soil texture at a critical hydraulic gradient. With regard to the complexity of river bank erosion processes and limited research in this field, it is of significance to investigate and to identify the effective parameters. In the present study, a physical model of a river bank was developed to achieve in-depth understanding of the effects of bank material particle sizes on porous media under various hydraulic gradients. It is concluded that the length of scour hole caused by seepage erosion may depend on the hydraulic gradients as well as Reynolds number. Further, two empirical relationships are derived on the basis of observed experimental results to estimate scour hole length resulted from river bank erosion for laminar and turbulent conditions
Maryam Nikooee, Ali Noorzad, Kaveh Ahangari,
Volume 7, Issue 2 (3-2014)
Abstract

Determination of stress in earthfill dams is one of the most important parameters in dam safety studies. Stress monitoring can be done using total pressure cells which are typically installed during construction. The cell is installed with its sensitive surface in direct contact with the soil to measure total stress of soil and in combination with piezometers to measure pore-water pressure acting in the soil mass. Total pressure cells needs to be installed with care to get reasonable measurements. However, measurements are often incompatible with the theoretical predictions such that pressure cell results usually have some inaccuracies. There are several parameters effecting pressure cell errors. However, in the present paper it is only focused on the height of embankment and the duration of dam construction. For this purpose, a case study, namely Alborz embankment dam located in northern part of Iran was studied. It is an earth dam with clay core with a height of 78 m. Using the monitoring data and considering the effect of embankment height and construction period parameters, a model is presented to predict the pressure cells error with Gene Expression Programming (GEP) procedure by GeneXProTools 4.0 software. The computed coefficient of correlation (R2) for the proposed model is 0.98 showing a good agreement with the monitoring data. The obtained results indicate that the ratio of height difference to time difference for Alborz dam has a significant role in dam pressure cells errors
Abbas Mahdavian, Abbas Fathi Azar Kalkhoran,
Volume 8, Issue 4 (3-2015)
Abstract

Direct observation and experience of past earthquakes together with modeling carried out by researchers, has shown that ground motion acceleration and frequency is affected by the nonlinear behavior of site soil. In the process of assessing the seismic response of structures and lifelines, it is essential to understand the nonlinear behavior of the soil and how it can affect the results. In this paper, the nonlinear behavior of Urmia's subsurface soil is studied by performing one dimensional nonlinear site response analysis in time domain. Artificial acceleration time histories that were synthesized based on the result of seismic hazard analysis, conducted over three return periods, are used as input motion. Spectral acceleration at the ground surface is compared with those calculated for seismic bedrock, and spectral acceleration amplification curves are obtained. These curves show that, the amplification is greater in the central and eastern regions of the city than those for other regions of the city because of a deeper soil profile. The results show that the maximum amplification for higher return period is smaller because of greater soil nonlinear behavior
Vahid Taebi, M Hajisotodeh, Ar Mahbobi Ardakani,
Volume 9, Issue 1 (6-2015)
Abstract

One of the most useful procedures in soil stabilization is lime. Soil improvement using lime is a quick and simple approach which could be included in large and small projects. The objective of soil ‘Improvement’ with quicklime is to achieve an immediate reaction, which significantly strengthens the soil due to the removal of moisture and a chemical change in clays. In order to do a parametric study on the influence of the lime on shear strength preparing the samples is important. In this paper, in addition to considering a method of samples preparation, the effect of lime content, water content and processing time on the shear strength of clay using direct shear test is investigated. The results indicate that the method of samples preparation is effective and is identified that there is an optimum lime and moisture content which maximize shear strength.
Maryam Rezaei, N. Hasani, A. Khorsandi, A. Rezaei,
Volume 9, Issue 3 (12-2015)
Abstract

Several studies show that during and before the earthquake, ground water existing in layers of the earth crust undergoes physical and chemical changes. These changes are recorded by measurement devices and known as "Geohydrological Precursors". Based on the studies conducted in this field, earth electromagnetic field waves experience fluctuations during and even before happening of the earthquake, which are called "magnetic anomalies". This type of anomaly is known as "geomagnetic precursor" within the scope of earthquake knowledge. S, the aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of making a connection between two groups of earthquake precursors (hydrological and geomagnetic precursors). In the present research, a series of tests has been done in order to investigate the effect of magnetic fields on physical and chemical properties of water, including Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Height of Water (HW). The tests were designed and conducted to be used in short-term and middle-term earthquake prediction. Analysis of the experimental results using statistical tests indicates that there is a partial meaningful relationship between magnetic fields (geomagnetic precursor) and physical and chemical properties of water (hydrological precursors), with the confidence coefficient equal to 95 percent
Alimohammad Ajorloo, A. Yadolahi, A.r. Zolfaghari,
Volume 9, Issue 4 (3-2016)
Abstract

The use of heavy concrete as a protective shield against high-energy gamma rays is very common. It is also an effective, versatile and economical material. The heavy concrete production can use lead slag as raw materials. The use of lead slag in the production of concrete blocks saves natural resources and reduces the environmental problems caused by the accumulation of industrial waste. However, concrete production, due to the presence of heavy metals with high atomic number can be used as an effective shield against gamma radiation. This study examines the use of lead slag produced in the battery recycling process as concrete aggregates. For this purpose, strength and gamma-ray attenuation coefficient for concrete samples prepared by replacing 40 to 60 percent lead slag instead of natural aggregate. The effect of 1 to 5 percent lead powder in setting time of concrete was measured. The results showed that by increasing the amount of lead slag, density, mechanical strength and gamma-ray attenuation coefficient for concrete samples increased significantly, but lead powder delays setting time of cement paste. In general, appropriate lead slag concrete construction with minimal thickness, reduce the cost of protection and provides the highest level of attenuation
Azam Masoodi, Mohammad Reza Majdzadeh Tabatabi, Ali Noorzad,
Volume 10, Issue 2 (Vol. 10, No. 2 Summer 2016 2016)
Abstract

Subsurface flow contributes considerably to river flow and plays an important role in river sediment loads. This research has been focused on investigation of soil properties and bankstream slope on seepage erosion. For this purpose a series of lysimeter experiments were performed for four different slopes of bankstream by varying the soil grain sizes. The obtained results indicate that Reynolds number in porous medium plays an effective role in depth of scour hole in noncohesive layer. It was observed that the time of beginning of sediment motion decreases with an increase in the soil grain size.


Nazanin Mahbubi-Motlagh, Ahmad-Reza Mahboubi Ardakani,
Volume 12, Issue 3 (Vol. 12, No. 3, Autumn 2018)
Abstract

Introduction
Many studies have shown that the lime stabilization method can increase the strength and hardness of cohesive soils. Increasing these parameters is dependent on several factors such as curing time, lime content, clay minerals, soil particle size and moisture content.
When lime is added to moisture clay soils, a number of reactions occur to improve soil properties: 1- short-term and 2- long-term reactions. The short-term reactions include cation exchange, flocculate and carbonation; whereas, the long-term reactions include pozzolanic reactions. Since adding lime changes clay particles structure, it can change shear strength parameters.
Using geogrids as reinforcement in soil mass creates a composite system in which the soil tolerates compressive stresses. The elements of the reinforcement are also responsible for tensile stresses and interaction the reinforcement elements and soil increases the strength and ductility. The mechanism of stress transfer is based on interaction between soil and reinforcement. Accordingly, one of the most important issues in the analysis and design of reinforced soil structures is determination of frictional resistance parameters in soil-geogrid interface (adhesion and friction angle) which is discussed in this paper.
Stability and performances of reinforced earth structures significantly depend on the shear behavior of interface soil-geogrid in different weather conditions. Factors such as rainfall, seepage of groundwater and seasonal changes influence on soil moisture content. Changes in moisture content or soil dry density change interface soil-geogrid resistance. Increasing moisture content reduces the shear strength of reinforced soil and sometimes leads to large deformation or failure of system.
In this study, clayey soil with low plasticity (CL), hydrated lime for soil stabilization and two types of geogrid with different aperture size for reinforcing were used. In order to improve the brittle behavior of lime stabilized soils and to increase ductility of the samples, in the present study, lime stabilization and geogrid reinforcement was investigated, simultaneously. The interface shear strength parameters of treated soil with different lime content-geogrid and reinforcement coefficient were determined by direct shear tests. In addition, to study the effect of moisture content on interface shear strength soil-geogrid, all samples were subjected to shear in optimum and higher moisture content because the long-term performance of reinforced cohesive soils exposed to seasonal variations is evaluated.
Material and methods
The selected soil for the study is clayey soil from south region of Tehran, Iran. According to Unified Soil Classification System (USCS), the soil was classified as CL (clay of low plasticity).
In this study, three series of specimens were prepared and tested as follows:
  • Stabilized samples with 0, 2, 4 and 6% lime for 7 days curing time
  • Reinforced samples by geogrid (with and without transverse ribs of geogrid)
  • Reinforced stabilized samples with different lime contents (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8%) by geogrid (with and without transverse ribs of geogrid) for 7 days curing times
To investigate the effects of bearing resistance provided by the transverse members of the geogrid and their contribution to the overall strength for reinforced soil sample, numerous tests were conducted with the geogrid without transverse members (all the samples had the same number of longitudinal members of the geogrid).
Direct shear tests were carried out on specimens based on ASTM D5321 at constant horizontal displacement rate of 1 mm/min.
Results and discussion
The results reveal that the shear strength of the stabilized soil increased and there are maximum values in an optimum lime content which is about 4%. Increasing lime content to an optimum lime content of clay caused the maximum changes in clay minerals because of cementitious and pozzolanic reactions and increases the strength of the clayey soil. Reduction of strength by adding lime to the soil more than the optimum content may be caused by the following reasons:
1. Stopping pozzolanic reactions because of finishing reactance during reaction
2. Making difficult the release of limewater (Ca OH 2) in the cementitious context of soil.
Until SiO2 and AL2O3 are not finished, pozzolanic reactions continue and produce cementitious product, thus the shear strength increases and improves the long-term performance of the stabilized soils.
Reinforced soil samples have higher shear strength relative to samples without reinforcement subjected to the same normal stress. This increase in shear strength is mainly attributed to the interlocking of soil particles that penetrate through geogrid apertures. In addition, geogrids restrain particles´ movement and thus increase the mobilized frictional resistance at particle contact points.
Increasing in lime content to 4% (optimum lime content in this study) has significant effect on the development of adhesion and then decreases gradually with increasing of lime content from 4 to 6%, while friction angles remain constant approximately.
Adhesion and friction angles decrease with increasing moisture content.
The results show that the reinforced stabilized specimen with 4% lime has the maximum value of reinforcement efficiency. The increase in moisture content can significantly reduce the reinforcement efficiency.
It is clearly observed that the reinforcement coefficient of reinforced stabilized sample by geogrid that has smaller aperture opening size (4Í4 mm) is higher than reinforced stabilized sample by another geogrid (10Í10 mm) in optimum and higher than optimum moisture content.
Conclusion
One hundred and twenty samples in 3 specimen categories including lime treated, reinforced and reinforced treated samples were prepared for the current study for 7 days curing time in optimum content and higher than optimum content. The main results can be concluded as:
The test results indicate that the shear strength of stabilized clayey samples increases after 7 days curing time due to pozzolanic reactions.
The results show that reinforced samples have higher shear strength relative to unreinforced samples.
Adhesion and friction angles and reinforcement efficiency decrease with increasing moisture content.
The reinforcement coefficient of reinforced stabilized sample by geogrid 1 that has smaller aperture opening size is higher than by geogrid 2. In general, interaction between particles and geogrid with smaller mesh size is stronger because of matching the size of soil particles and meshes../files/site1/files/123/8Extended_Abstract.pdf
 
Ehsan Dadashi, Ali Noorzad, Koroush Shahriar, Kamran Goshtasbi,
Volume 12, Issue 4 (Vol. 12, No. 4 2018)
Abstract

Introduction
Pressure tunnels in hydroelectric plants are used to convey water to powerhouses. These tunnels are the sources of seepage flow to the rock formation, thus, during the water filling, they will have a low resistance to seepage and, by increasing the internal water pressure of the tunnel, the inflow force will be transferred to the rock mass. In these conditions, the cracks, pores and all other elements of the rock mass are affected by the seepage forces in all directions. This hydro-mechanical interaction affects changing the stresses and displacements of the rock mass around the tunnel and causes modifications in the permeability of rock elements during the water filling. Therefore, changes in stress distribution lead to alterations in the permeability coefficient and redistribution of the seepage field. In these conditions, since the analytical solution of the problem is not possible, the numerical analysis based on the finite element method has been used in this study.
Material and methods
In this approach, the rock mass is considered as an equivalent continuum in which the effects of discontinuities are taken into account in its material behavior. High-pressure tunnels under internal water pressure requires reinforced concrete lining to prevent hydro-fracturing. The ABAQUS software is capable of analyzing such as seepage from the tunnel, modeling of the steel bars in concrete, and taking into account hydro-mechanical interaction. Thus, the software is used for numerical analysis.
The pressure tunnel of the Gotvand dam and hydroelectric power plant (HPP) scheme is taken as a case study for the numerical simulation. Pressure tunnel of the Gotvand dam located in the southwest of Iran is taken as a case study for the numerical simulation. Among behavioral models in the software, Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion is considered to describe the rock mass, but the principle of effective stress determines the rock mass behavior. Since the concrete lining of the pressure tunnel will undergo two mechanisms of the cracking due to tension and the crushing due to compression, concrete damaged plasticity model is used to predict the response of the concrete elements. The evolution of the yield surface of the concrete lining is also controlled with tensile and compressive equivalent plastic strains, correspondingly.
In this study, the hydro-mechanical interaction is implemented based on the analysis of the pore fluid/deformation analysis, and the direct-coupled method is used to solve the governing equations of the problem. To verify the proposed model, the elastic behavior of the media is simulated to compare the numerical and the analytical solutions and good agreement is obtained. The numerical analyses are carried out the hydro-mechanical interaction with constant permeability coefficient. When cracks develop in the concrete lining at high water pressure, the properties of the concrete lining change and as a result, the stress dependent permeability of the lining and surrounding rock mass in pressure tunnels should be considered. The coefficient of permeability controls the rate of seepage flow in porous and fractured media. Although permeability represents an original property of the porous media, it can be modified when subjected to the stress variations. Instead of changing aperture, the change in the void space or volume is the typical consequence that results to change the permeability coefficient. In order to bring the model closer to the real conditions and in the validation of the new model, the influence of the permeability coefficient variations of the concrete and rock mass on the deformations and stresses of the model has been added to nonlinear analysis by USDFLD code. Increasing the water head in the tunnel during water filling is also considered with the combination of DLOAD and DISP codes in the model.
Results and discussion
Since the lining and rock mass have nonlinear properties and complex behavior, for verification of the model in ABAQUS software, the model is simulated with homogeneous, isotropic and elastic behavior. The results of seepage flow on the interface of the concrete lining and rock mass obtained by analytical and numerical solutions indicate that there is a ±5 % difference between them. Then, the results of the elastic behavior of the model show a good agreement with the results of analytical solutions. Therefore, this numerical model has been employed for the nonlinear analyses.
Finally, the optimal thickness of the concrete lining with the appropriate arrangement of the reinforcement in the reinforced concrete linings is utilized to minimize water losses from the tunnel based on the new model. Thus, the results of the analysis with the aim of reducing the water losses from the tunnel indicate that the suitable arrangement of the steel bars in the concrete lining leads to the distribution of micro cracks in the lining, and the reinforcement stress stays at a lower value with high internal water pressure. Based on the new numerical model, it is suggested that the lining should be designed with the thickness of 40 cm and the reinforcement with the diameter of 16 mm and the spacing of 20 cm.
 Conclusion
The results of the numerical model indicate that to control the seepage outflow from concrete-lined pressure tunnels, the thickness of the lining and the suitable arrangement of the steel bars in the concrete lining play a significant role in preventing excessive seepage from the tunnel./files/site1/files/124/3dadashi%DA%86%DA%A9%DB%8C%D8%AF%D9%87.pdf
Kazem Bahrami1, Seyed Mahmoud Fatemi Aghda, Ali Noorzad, Mehdi Talkhablou,
Volume 13, Issue 2 (Vol. 13, No. 2 2019)
Abstract

Aggregates are one of the high demand building materials in construction of structures and their characteristics have important effects on durability and permanence of projects. Abrasion resistance is one of the important features of aggregates that their utilization in concrete and asphalt are affected by texture and lithology of them. As rock consisted of harder minerals have higher abrasion resistance like igneous rocks, due to more siliceous minerals. More varieties in mineralogy compound usually lead to increase in aggregate abrasion. Aggregates that are contained of different minerals usually have less abrasion resistance. Porosity usually decreases the resistance abrasion. In addition to lithological properties, the environment where aggregates are deposited is important in determining resistance-related parameters of aggregates.
Rivers, alluvial fans, and taluses are the main environments where aggregates are deposited. Geological processes, such as weathering and particle movement may cause changes in natural aggregates, hence affecting their abrasion and impact resistance. Rock weathering can results in increasing porosity, producing minerals that are weaker in comparison to their original rock.
In the process of particles transport by stream water, weak parts of aggregates will be omitted. The present study is focused on the relationship between geology medium and the weight loss of aggregate in Los Angeles test. 
Methodology
Considering that lithology features in aggregates resistance against abrasion have an important role, in order to examine the effect of various geology environments in abrasion resistance of aggregates, the medium should be chosen having similar lithology. Therefore, the north of Damavand and the south of Daneh Khoshk anticline (north of Dire plain) were firstly chosen by using geology map, satellites images and field study. Damavand zone consists of trachyte and trachy-andesite volcanic rocks. These rocks cover the whole area around the Damavand peak. Also, Daneh Khoshk anticline is covered by thick Asmari formation. The selected environment are in the length of each other. Such that taluses feed alluvial fan and alluvial fans feed rivers. Samples were collected from different area of southern part of anticline. 10 river area, 12 alluvial fan and 6 taluses in the south-west area of Daneh Khoshk anticline (north of Dire plain) were chosen. Los Angeles test has been done according to standard A method ASTM D2216-10, 1990 on samples and the results were analyzed by analogous analyzer.
Results and discussion
Results show that porosity and micro-crack percentage increase, respectively in accumulated aggregate in river, alluvial fans and taluses areas. Also, porosity and micro-crack in various alluvial fans is different and is influenced by the area and length of main channel of alluvial fans’ catchment. The porosity decreases by the increase in the length of channel and area of alluvial fans’ catchment.
The percentages of aggregate weight loss in talus, alluvial fan and river areas decreases, respectively. Based on the obtained results, the lowest rates of weight loss belong to river environments (23.7 % in Daneh Khoshk and 42% in Damavand) whereas the highest rates of weight loss belong to taluses (49.3% in Daneh Khoshk and 48% in Damavand). The alluvial fans have an average state. Another noticeable point is the high weight loss in Los Angeles test in Damavand aggregate. Due to having harder mineral, igneous aggregate have more abrasion resistance, but this research illustrates that the weight loss resulting from Los Angeles test in these aggregates is high. This is because of virtues texture that weakness against the impact as well as their high porosity.
Conclusion
The result of this research indicates that the volume of aggregate weight loss in Los Angeles test is related to aggregate accumulation environment. The extent of aggregate abrasion resistance is lowest in talus medium and increases in alluvial fan and river environment, respectively. The difference in aggregate abrasion resistance in various areas result from geology process differences that applies to aggregates in various environment. The extent of caring particles in talus environment is very low and the type of movement is mass or sliding type in these media, micro-crack and weak parts remains within aggregates. The surface of micro crack is weak such that breaks easily in Los Angeles test due to the pressure results from the impact of aggregate, as well as the impact of steel ball on aggregate leading to aggregate breakages. Aggregates move more distances in alluvial fan and river. Aggregate strike together in riverbed and alluvial fan yielding to aggregates breakages from micro-cracks. As the movement distance increases, aggregates approach more to intact rock. During the particles move, the weathered and weak parts are damaged by aggregate abrasion to riverbeds and alluvial fan, and more resistant and harder aggregates remain. As the water current increases, the aggregates impact each other harder, more resistant micro-crack breakages and this change leads to decrease the weight loss in Los Angeles test.
./files/site1/files/132/1Extended_Abstracts.pdf
Ahmad Khorsandi Aghai,
Volume 13, Issue 3 (Vol. 13, No. 3 2019)
Abstract

In this research, the relationship and reaction between quantitative and qualitative Shahre Rye spring’s karstic water (Cheshme Ali) and spring’s adjacent alluvium aquifer have been considered to determine the relationship between alluvial and karstic aquifers and to study the connections between the two different groundwater environments. The results of the present research suggest geological conditions, hydrogeology and different hydraulic condition between Cheshme Ali karstic water with its surrounding alluvium’s aquifer. However the study results show the lack of a hydraulic connection between the two different groundwater environments (karst and alluvium) that are formed by north Rye fault.
Introduction
There have been many studies in the field of the present research, some of which are mentioned below.
(Tobarov, 1966). The N. Massei et al. (2002). (Robert E. 2005). (Ezatollah Raeisi 2008). (Cholami et al. 2008). (N. Goldscheider and C. Neukum 2010). (Dusan Polomcic et al. 2013).
The aim of this research is to identify the hydraulic relation between the alluvial aquifer and the karstic aquifer of the Cheshme Ali, during which the geographic, topographic and geologic situations and the changes in water discharge of Cheshme Ali and the changes in water table of the observation wells of the aquifer to the north of the spring have been reviewed simultaneously.
The results indicate a lack of relation between the alluvial aquifer and the karstic aquifer of the Cheshme Ali in Shahre Rye.
The general specification of the study area
The surface area of Shahre Rye equals to 2,293 km2 and the city is limited to the north by Tehran, to the south by Qom, to the east by Varamin and Pakdasht and to the west by Islamshahr, Robat Karim and Zarandieh (Fig. 1). The Cheshme Ali is located in the eastern parts of the city and southeast of Tehran. From a geographic point of view, the Cheshme Ali spring is situated in the southern part of the Cheshme Ali hill, and after leaving the ground, the spring's water flows to the south of Shahre Rye.
Methodology
1. Topography
The topographic specifications of the Cheshme Ali and its surrounding are as follows:
The highest points of the Cheshme Ali's surroundings are the Sepaye Hills with an altitude of 2,085 m above the sea, which are located to the east of Cheshme Ali. The height of Bibi Shahbanoo hill to the southeast of Cheshme Ali is about 1,498 m. The altitude of the northern hill of Cheshme Ali, where the spring is located is about 1,077 m and the lower sloped land surrounding it have an altitude of 1,072 m above the sea. This means that the opening of the Cheshme Ali spring is located at 1,072 m above the sea.
2. Geology
From the geological point of view, the existing units around Cheshme Ali of Shahre Rye consist of Precambrian, Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments and rocks as geological specifications of Cheshme Ali and its surroundings are shown in Fig. 2.
From the structural geology, and geological specifications two geological sections AB, CD Were prepared and presented in Figure 3.
The Figure 3 shows, Cheshme Ali spring appears from Cretaceous thick layered limestone (Tizkooh formation Kt1) and the shahre Rye fault mechanism on either side of layering. However the water flow of cheshme Ali is nearly east – westerly after spring’s openings (A) and then spring water flow direction is to the south (Fig. 4).
The hydrogeology of the spring and the wells
1. The Cheshme Ali in Shahre Rye is a karstic spring, with few hydrogeological specifications that are concluded from the result of geological and hydrogeological review and analysis of the spring’s water quality.                                                           
Therefore, the karstic Cheshme Ali spring has a varied range of discharge which is from medium (25 to 100%) to high (>100%). Moreover in the curves of the spring’s discharge and simultaneous rainfall, shown in figure 5, the peak volume of water discharge of the spring corresponds fully with the peak rainfall, underlining the influence of simultaneous rainfall on the spring.                
The study of the hydrographic makeup of the spring (curve 2) shows the difference in the period between the upward curve (seven and a half months) and the downward curve (four and a half months) underlining the lower permeability of the spring’s intake area versus the grounds conducting spring water to the openings.
2. The hydrogeology of the surrounding wells:
For the purpose of studying the fluctuation of water tables of the observation wells around the spring and in its adjacent alluvial aquifer, the isobaths maps of groundwater level and groundwater table of the spring’s surrounding areas were drawn ( Fig.6). The level of groundwater table to the north of spring is 5.9 m and 6.6 m to the south of it, while the spring water is at ground level. In order to have a better understanding of the potentials of groundwater table in Shahre Rye’s Cheshme Ali and its surrounding environments from south to north, the potential profile is provided in figure 7 using the potential figures of witness wells and the Cheshme Ali spring. In the potential profile, the groundwater level of the Cheshme Ali is higher than the groundwater potential level of the witness wells, which seems to suggest the recharge of the plain by the spring.
The review of the groundwater quality in wells and the Cheshme Ali spring
The groundwater quality characters of the Cheshme Ali and the wells to the north and south of the spring are presented in table 2,that shows three differences and similarities in the results of the chemical analysis of water from Cheshme Ali and from wells located to the north and the south of the spring. The difference between the chemical composition of water from the spring and the chemical composition of the well located to the north is considerably more than the difference between the chemical compositions of the spring and the well located to the south.
Summary and conclusion
Based on the geological studies of this research, the Cheshme Ali spring in Shahre Rye appears from the Karstic Tizkooh formation (Fig. 2) and the geological structure shows a northerly direction for the slopes of the layers in Tizkooh formation, and an east-westerly direction for the appearance of the spring water (Fig. 3 and Fig. 9). The spring’s flow is disseminated and the spring is of Karstic - fault type (table 1). The discharge of Cheshme Ali corresponds entirely to rainfall and is influenced a lot by it (Fig. 5). The condition of groundwater table of the well and the spring (Fig. 6, A) and the water level potential of the spring and its surrounding wells underlines the existence of two different hydraulic environments (Fig. 6, B). Moreover, from the aspect of potential groundwater column, there is a large difference between the groundwater table potential of the spring and the potentials of the two wells to the north and south of the spring (Fig. 7and8). From a qualitative aspect, the quality of spring water differs greatly from the quality of water from the wells located to the north and south (table 2).
The results of this research are as follows:
1. The study of geologic, structural geology and the geological section shows the water in the Cheshme Ali of Shahre Rye is originating from the Karstic formation of Tizkooh that layers sloping are to the north, the spring water appears from the site of the Rye fault and then flows to the west.
2. The studies have proven that Cheshme Ali to be a Karstic – fault spring with disseminated flow, whose discharge is influenced by rainfall and condition of groundwater level and the table which underlines the alluvial aquifer shows lack of relation between two alluvial and karstic aquifers.
3. The water quality analyses show a great difference between the specifications of the spring water and its surrounding wells groundwater.
4- The north Rye fault mechanism are formed two different groundwater environment ( Karstic and alluvium) and however different groundwater conditions between north and south of alluvium.
Mahnaz Firuzi, Mohammad Hossein Ghobadi, Ali Noorzad, Ehsan Dadashi3,
Volume 13, Issue 5 (English article specials 2019)
Abstract

Slope stability could be a major concern during the construction of infrastructures. This study is focused to analyze the slope stability of Manjil landslide that was located 41+400 to 42+200 km along Qazvin-Rasht freeway, Iran. The Manjil landslide, which had 168 m long and approximately 214 m wide, was occurred due to inappropriate cutting in June 2013 and led to destructive and closure of freeway. Slope stability analysis was carried out using a finite element shear strength reduction method (FE-SRM). The PHASE2D program was utilized in order to model the slope cutting and stability of landslide. Slope angle was flatted with 3H:2V geometry and stabilized with piling. The results indicated safety factors of 1.95 and 1.17 in the static and pseudo-static states, respectively, while the maximum bending moment with single pile (SP) in the pseudo-static state was 5.69 MN. Maximum bending moment of the pile around the slip surface was significantly large and more than the bending moment capacity of the pile. Due to the large bending moment on the pile, pile-to-pile cap connections (two pile group: 2PG) should be designed at the toe of the slope. The obtained results showed reduction of this parameter to 2.48 MN. Thus, it can be concluded that 2PG is a suitable stabilization method for the Manjil landslide.
Ahmadreza Mazaheri, Ali Noorzad,
Volume 14, Issue 2 (8-2020)
Abstract

Introduction
The use of various additives to improve the properties of soils from past years have been studied by different researchers. Such additives are lime, cement, fly ash and fiber which have been used frequently in combination with soil. Lime is one of the oldest additives that it is utilized with different types of soils. Lime has positive impact on geotechnical properties of soil that alter some of the soil characteristics. Adding lime causes to reduce plasticity ranges, enhanced efficiency, strength and shrinkage of the soil. Extensive researches in the field of sustainability of clay with lime indicate that the optimum percentage of lime in the soil modification is between 1 to 3% by weight of the soil. But some researchers believe 8% by weight of lime are effective for soil stabilization. The presence of lime in clay soil yiels to occur some reaction, that it improves the soil properties. Reactions are included cation exchange flocculation, carbonation and pozzolanic reactions. Cation exchange between the clay cations and calcium cations takes place in lime. Cation exchange causes clay particles to get closer to each other creating complex structures in the clay soil and this improves the   clay soil features. In recent years the use of nanoparticles is considered in civil engineering field. The investigations have demonstrated that the use of nanomaterial increases cement reactivity and also improves density because it is filled with particles. Recent research has shown that the use of montmorillonite nano-clay soils to control swelling and to reduce failure potential in the soil. A number of researchers have expressed the use of nanoparticles causes to decrease the hydraulic conductivity of soils. In this paper, the effect of nano-clay and lime on the important soil parameters is evaluated. For this purpose, lime at 2 and 4 percentage and nano-clay at 0.5, 1 and 2 percentages have been added to clay soil and their impact on parameters such as optimized moisture, Atterberg limits, unconfined compressive strength and self-healing properties of soil is evaluated. Self-healing properties is one of the features, to repair damages due to internal erosion in the clay which is very efficient and important.
Materials and experimental methods
In the present research, the effect of lime and montmorillonite nano–clay to soil strength is evaluated. For this purpose, samples of clay soil (CL) has been used. In the experimental study, the percentages of additives mixed with the dry soil and then the optimum moisture and maximum specific weight of soil are determined with different percentages of additives. Soil Atterberg limits based on the ASTM D4318 standard have been determined.   Dry samples have been mixed together and then the water is added and mixed well with each other. Then the sample has been prepared in the form of a steel cylinder (cylindrical specimens) with a diameter of 50 mm and a height of 100 mm. Specimens were molded immediately and the weight and dimensions were carefully measured and then placed in plastic to prevent moisture loss and put them at 20 °c and 90%  moisture curing room.
Results and discussion
In this study, the percentage of lime is between 0, 2, 4 percent by weight and nanomaterials percentage is between 0.5 and 1 and 2 percent that can be varied in order to analyze the effect of various additives on the properties of the soil samples. The results indicate that increasing the nano-clay and lime percentage can enhance the optimum specific gravity of soil. The optimum moisture content of sample without any additive is equal to 19.5%. However, samples contain 2% nano-clay and 4% lime, the optimum moisture content increases to 23.5%. But the presence of lime reduces the maximum dry density of soil while adding nano-clay increases this amount. In samples with 4% lime and with no nano-clay, maximum dry density is 17  but in case of lime with 4% and nano-clay with 2% it is increased to 17.5 . In addition, adding lime without the presence of nano-clay only increases strength of soil. When 2 percent of lime is added, the strength of soil increases about 39 percent. As mentioned before, the effect of lime and nano-clay on increasing of unconfined compressive strength is almost the same which means by adding 2% of lime or nano-clay the strength of the soil increases about 40 percent. Using both lime and clay nanoparticles simultaneously (each 2%), a significant increase in strength of soil occurs in approximately 77 percent.
Conclusion
The use of nano-clay and lime improves soil strength parameters. But economically lime is more affordable than nano-clay. Therefore, if you need to increase only unconfined compressive strength, then the nano-clay is not recommended.
When it comes to self-healing in clay, the nano-clay can improve resistance rupture of the soil. By adding 2% of nano-clay in soil, healing of soil resistance after the break and after 24 hours can reach up to 60% of the ultimate strength of the soil. This property can be used to repair of locations that are subjected to internal erosion and scouring.
 
 
Mahnaz Firuzi , Mohammadhosen Ghobadi , Ali Noorzad, Ali Asghar Sepahi,
Volume 15, Issue 1 (Spring 2021 2021)
Abstract

Introduction
Landslides have an effective role in the destruction of freeways and railroads, which have been caused to many human and financial losses. Understanding this phenomenon and its effective factors can be important in planning for development projects and away from landslide prone areas. Based on extensive field in the Qazvin-Rasht freeway that the authors carried out in various researches in 2014-2017, it was found that the freeway was threatened by the type of instabilities due to variety of lithologies  and tectonic structures exploitation phase and needs to be stabilized. The purpose of this study is to determine of the distribution of landslides in different types of lithologicalunits of the Qazvin-Rasht freewaythat shows the role of geology and differences in geotechnical characteristics and tectonic structures in the creation and distribution of landslides on the road.The role of geology on the difference in geotechnical properties and tectonic structures in the creation and distribution in the road. Geological engineering properties and appropriate stabilization methods is the other goals of this study.
Material and Methods
In the study, the locations and the type of landslides are distinguished and the information were plotted on geological map. Then by the ARC GIS 10.2 program, and the use of area density method, the percentage of landslide events in each geological formation was identified. In order to study the role of lithology (type of rock, texture, mineralogy, weathering, alteration and erosion), sampling were carried out from rocks of Karaj formation, Shemshak formation, Cretaceous orbitalolina limestone and Fajan conglomerate. Geotechnical characteristics of the samples were determined by performing laboratory tests such as dry weight, porosity, uni-axial compressive strength according to ISRM standard (1979). For determining the role of tectonic structures (number of joints, dip and dip direction, length (m), spacing (cm), filling percentage, opening (mm), roughness, weathering, water, friction angle) were performed. Then, the results obtained from relative density and frequency were matched with the geological, geotechnical characteristics and tectonic structures of each formation.
Results
In order to separate different types of landslides on various kinds of rocks, area density and frequencyof  landslides were determined by Eqs 1 and 2. Graph of frequency and area density are presented in Fig. 6 and Table 2, respectively. As can be seen in this figure and table, in Karaj formation, the percentage of rock fall, toppling, avalanche, scree slope and combined slip are the highest. In the rocks belonging to the Shemshak formation, the susceptibility of the debris flow and landslides has been increased. In Fajan conglomerates and limestones of the Ziarat and Cretaceous formations, the rockfalls is more formed.
where LI: area density, AL:  area of landslides in each lithological unit, AT: area of landslides in total area.
where LF: frequency of landslide, NL:  number of landslides in each lithological unit, NT: number of landslides in total area.
Conclusion
Result showed that despite significant heterogeneity in lithology, geotechnics, engineering geology and tectonic structures, there are similarities between the types and distribution of landslides. Four of the identified landslides consist of rock fall, toppling, avalanche in the resistant and medium strength rocks such as andesite, trachy-andesite and basalts of Karaj formation, Cretaceous orbitalolina limestone and Fajan conglomerate with regard to the dominant direction of the joints in relation to the slope, the shear strength of the joints and their weathering, falling and scree slope in thesiliceous zone and composite landslide in the argilite-alounite zone due to the high alteration and groundwater level and water retention by the presence of clay minerals, landslide in the sequence of loose and resistant rocks, debris flow and landslides in the soils of Shemshak formation due to the lepidoblastic texture of the slate and their high erosion potential due to the weather climate along the Manjil-Rudbar freeway../files/site1/files/151/4.pdf
Alireza Sadeghabadi, Ali Noorzad, Amiali Zad,
Volume 15, Issue 2 (9-2021)
Abstract

Expansive soils contain clay minerals such as compacted kaolin which are widespread in nature. Displacements of this type of soils are associated with matric suction and degree of saturation. To determine the in-situ characteristics, necessary measures may be required to deal with the possible failure related to this type of soil. Different constitutive models of unsaturated soils have been considered the subject of many recent researchers (Sheng et al. 2004; Wheeler et al. 2003; Nuth and Laloui 2008; Zhang and Lytton 2009 a, b 2012). However, those constitutive models are generally complicated that are not properly implemented in computer programs for practical applications. The Barcelona Basic Model (BBM) is one of the geomechanical constitutive models to capture the elastoplastic behavior of unsaturated soils../files/site1/files/152/%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%82_%D8%A2%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AF%DB%8C.pdf
Dr Seyed Yahya Mirzaee, Phd Student Zahra Chaghazardi, Dr Manouchehr Chitsazan, Dr Farshad Alijani,
Volume 17, Issue 1 (Spring 2023 2023)
Abstract

The Evan plain is located in the Khuzestan province in the southwest of Andimshek city. Groundwater is one of the available water resources for irrigation, drinking, and industry in this region. Due to the importance of examining the ground water quality of the Evan plain, hydrochemical parameters and nitrate pollution have been evaluated. Nitrate is one of the most widespread pollutants of ground water in the world. However, few studies have been conducted on this pollutant in the Evan plain. Therefore, to assess the quality of ground water in this area with emphasis on nitrate pollution, sampling was carried out in September of the water year (1400-1401) from 22 wells in this plain. During the sampling, field parameters (temperature, pH, EC), concentrations of major elements (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl-, SO42-, HCO32-, CO32-), and nitrate were measured. The results of the factor analysis demonstrated three influencing factors, namely EC, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl-, SO42-  (as the first factor), pH and Hco32- (as the second factor), and NO3- (as the third factor), with a total of 89.72% having the most changes in the Evan plain aquifer. The dominant water type in the Evan plain is sulfate-calcite. Hierarchical clustering analysis shows the three clusters for the regionalization of nitrate data. In general, the changes in nitrate ion concentration in the groundwater of the Evan plain are affected by the size of the soil particles, the depth of the groundwater, and the utilization of chemical fertilizers in the area.
 

Dr Asghar Milan, Mehran Shafiei,
Volume 17, Issue 2 (Summer 2023)
Abstract

Calculating the volume of earthworks in mines is one of the challenging, costly, and time-consuming issues in the field. In mining projects, it is necessary to calculate the volume of excavation to estimate the volume of extraction in order to plan the sale of the produced products and to calculate the cost performance of the contractors. The calculation of excavation volumes presents many challenges, such as the selection of the best measurement tool and technique, the need to adjust maps produced in different time periods, the existence of inflation coefficients and the volume to weight conversion factor. Today, tools such as laser scanners, total stations and metric cameras are used to calculate earthwork volumes. However, they are expensive to use and require an experienced operator. Therefore, there is a need to investigate methods to calculate volumes in less time with acceptable accuracy. This research evaluated the use of smartphones for optimal volume estimation of earthworks. In this research, the image data obtained from the smartphone was processed with a technique based on structure from motion (SFM) and the results were used to create a digital terrain model to estimate the volume of earthworks. The calculated volume differences for the earthworks volume compared to ground methods for a soil mass and the studied excavation are 3.86% and 1.84% respectively, which shows that the method used in this research has the necessary accuracy to calculate earthworks volumes and considering the many advantages it has over traditional methods in terms of cost and time, it can replace them.

Professor Hamidreza Nassery, Koosha Tamimi, Dr Farshad Alijani, Dr Sadegh Tarigh Azali,
Volume 17, Issue 3 (Autumn 2023)
Abstract

The development of underground transportation activities in cities, such as tunnel boring, may exert short-term or long-term effects on the groundwater and springs of such areas. The construction of the tunnel of Tehran Metro Line 6 (TML6) through alluvium and carbonate rocks of Ali Spring has aroused concern due to the caused fluctuations in discharge and temporary dryness of the spring. The hydrochemical properties of the groundwater and catchment area were investigated to find a connection between the aquifers around the spring and determine the major aquifer feeding it. The estimated volume of water penetrated to the tunnel and the most greatly affected area by the water leakage into the tunnel was determined using analytical methods of water leakage into the tunnel and the DHI method. The statistics for precipitation with the changes in the discharge of the spring before and after the excavation of the metro tunnel were compared to evaluate the changes in the discharge of the spring with the precipitation in the area. The results showed that the metro tunnel excavation has dramatically affected the hydrological system of the area and discharge of the Ali Spring. Moreover, continuing the extraction may produce adverse effects on the discharge of other springs and wells and alter the flow system of the area temporarily or forever.

Prof. Hamid Reza Nassery, Eng. Maryam Arab, Dr. Zahra Kayhomayoon,
Volume 18, Issue 2 (Summer 2024)
Abstract

The study of the aquifer hydrogeochemical processes and the detailed investigation of the groundwater pollutants in order to control the pollution and prevent its environmental consequences are of special importance. The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of the Siahroud River on lead and nitrate contamination of groundwater in Qaimshahr-Joibar plain. For this purpose, two surface water samples were collected from Siahroud River, before and after Qaimshahr city, and 13 groundwater samples were collected from 13 wells, located in the bed of Siahroud river, in three periods during 2019-2020. The of nitrate, lead and dissolved oxygen concentrations of the samples were measured in the laboratory of Mazandaran Regional Water Company. The assessment of the pollution of water resources in the area shows that the discharge of urban, rural and industrial sewage and agricultural drains into the Siahroud River has caused an increase in the concentration of nitrate and lead ions in the groundwater. The Siahroud River has had an impact on groundwater pollution in the Qaimshahr plain in the upstream and some middle parts of the range due to the direction of groundwater flow and the exchange that exists between the river and the aquifer, as well as the direct discharge of pollutant sources to surface water.


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