<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Effects of spatial fluctuations of soil parameters are considered in a new context – considering variability of soil parameters in conjunction with non-uniform stress fields, which can locally amplify (or suppress) subsoil inhomogeneities. In this way, several design situations for the Coulomb frictional material with random tan(φ(<italic>x</italic>)) reveal a reduction of variance, which is less significant than for the standard volume averaging. When looking for an ‘effective’ random variable [tan(φ)]<sub>a</sub> – that is, a random variable, which is equivalent to the random field tan(φ(<underline><italic>x</italic></underline>)) – the Vanmarcke averaging by simple volume integrals is insufficient; it systematically overestimates effects of variance reduction, thus causing potentially unsafe situations. The new proposed approach is coherent, formally defined and more realistic.</p>
</abstract>

Effects of spatial fluctuations of soil parameters are considered in a new context – considering variability of soil parameters in conjunction with non-uniform stress fields, which can locally amplify (or suppress) subsoil inhomogeneities. In this way, several design situations for the Coulomb frictional material with random tan(φ(x)) reveal a reduction of variance, which is less significant than for the standard volume averaging. When looking for an ‘effective’ random variable [tan(φ)]a – that is, a random variable, which is equivalent to the random field tan(φ(x)) – the Vanmarcke averaging by simple volume integrals is insufficient; it systematically overestimates effects of variance reduction, thus causing potentially unsafe situations. The new proposed approach is coherent, formally defined and more realistic.

Stress-weighted spatial averaging of random fields in geotechnical risk assessment

Department of Geotechnics, Hydroengineering, Underground- and Water-Structures

Wroclaw University of Science and Technology

Studia Geotechnica et Mechanica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Effects of spatial fluctuations of soil parameters are considered in a new context – considering variability of soil parameters in conjunction with non-uniform...

Stress-weighted spatial averaging of random fields in geotechnical risk assessment

Article Category: Original Study

Published Online: Dec 22, 2021

Page range: 465 - 478

Received: Jul 28, 2021

Accepted: Nov 22, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sgem-2021-0039

Keywords
spatial variability, effective soil parameters, variance reduction, the Vanmarcke averaging, safety factor

© 2021 Włodzimierz Brząkała, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Stress-weighted spatial averaging of random fields in geotechnical risk assessment

Article Category: Original Study

Published Online: Dec 22, 2021

Page range: 465 - 478

Received: Jul 28, 2021

Accepted: Nov 22, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sgem-2021-0039

Keywordsspatial variability, effective soil parameters, variance reduction, the Vanmarcke averaging, safety factor

© 2021 Włodzimierz Brząkała, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
spatial variability, effective soil parameters, variance reduction, the Vanmarcke averaging, safety factor