Use of Biocementation for Slope Stabilization of Levees

While levee embankments are the first line of defense for urban flooding, recent flooding events have revealed the widespread issue of slope instability of embankments around the country that lead to levee failures. This proposed work aims to improve the slope stability of earthen levees by soil strengthening through the use of a biologically-inspired technique called biocementation. The major objective of this proposed study is to determine the optimal and most practical biocementation method that results in the best performance of levee slopes under various flooding conditions. Two biocementation methods will be tested: microbiologically-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) and enzyme-induced calcite precipitation (EICP). These methods differ mainly in the size of the biological agent (whole bacterial cell versus enzyme) and, thereby, their mobility in soils of different grain sizes. The MICP and EICP methods for soil strengthening will be optimized in laboratory-scale column experiments. The optimized methods will then be used to construct levees in an experimental flume system. The performance of these strengthened levees will be tested under varying hydrological conditions, including normal, overtopping, and flooding scenarios. This study will provide data-driven comparisons between MICP and EICP methods and will determine the most appropriate method for the improvement of levee slope stability. The results of this study will help mitigate flooding events that could cause major issues in transportation infrastructure and traffic safety.

• Record URL:
  http://intrans.iastate.edu/mtc/index.cfm/research/project/project/1192489112

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $162233
• Contract Numbers:

  DTRT13-G-UTC37

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Midwest Transportation Center

  Iowa State University
  2711 S Loop Drive, Suite 4700
  Ames, IA  United States  50010-8664

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Iowa State Universtiy

  Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
  394 Town Engineering
  Ames, Iowa  United States  50011
• Managing Organizations:

  Iowa State University, Ames

  Institute for Transportation
  2711 South Loop Drive, Suite 4700
  Ames, Iowa  United States  50010-8664
• Performing Organizations:

  Iowa State University, Ames

  Institute for Transportation
  2711 South Loop Drive, Suite 4700
  Ames, Iowa  United States  50010-8664
• Principal Investigators:

  Ikuma, Kaoru

  Cetin, Bora

  Rehmann, Chris

  Ong, Say Kee

• Start Date: 20160901
• Expected Completion Date: 20170831
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Flood protection; Infrastructure; Levees; Slope stability; Soil stabilization
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Materials; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01618658
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Midwest Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: DTRT13-G-UTC37
• Files: UTC, RiP
• Created Date: Dec 2 2016 12:23PM