CHOOSE YOUR CURRENCY


SLOPE STABILITY EVALUATION OF NEWLY CONSTRUCTED RAILWAY EMBANKMENT ALONG LAGOS-IBADAN RAIL LINE, NIGERIA

Amount: ₦15,000.00 |

Format: Ms Word |

1-5 chapters |



ABSTRACT

This  research  is  aimed  to  evaluate  stability  of  the  slope  of  newly  constructed  railway embankment  along Lagos-Ibadan  rail line. Soils samples  were collected  from KM75+500, KM90+500,  KM105+500  and KM116+500  at depths ranging from 0m to 5.5m and 5.5m to 10m and taken to laboratory for tests such as particle size analysis, Atterberg limits, standard Proctor  and direct  shear  test. The slope stability  assessment  was done  for the high filled embankments  in KM75+500, KM90+500, KM105+500 and KM116+500. Geotechnical parameters  were derived from the direct shear test as inputs for slope/W software  used for the slope stability assessment. The results showed that the fill materials for the embankments from 0m to 5.5m was characterized as A-2-6 (clayey soil) subgroup in AASHTO classification system comprises of 78% of sand and 17% of fine particles and is considered as  average   soil  according   to  International   Union   of  Railways   specifications.   The subgrade   materials   from  5.5m  to  10m  consisting   of  51%  sand  and  49%  fines  is classified  as A-6 (clay soil), with high liquid limit of 41% and plastic index of 19% at KM116+500,   and  is  regarded  as  poor  soil  according  to  railway  specifications   that requires  stabilization.  The factor  of safety  of the embankments  according  U.S.  Army Corps   of   Engineers   shows   the   slope   is   stable   at   KM75+500,   KM90+500   and KM105+500   has factor of safety greater than 1.3 but slope at KM116+500  is unstable as the factor of safety is less than 1.3. It was also noticed that there was increases in factor of safety  with decrease  in embankment  height.  Slope  protection  and soil  treatment  be provided KM116+500  embankments.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0  INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study

As the population grows, so does the demand for quick and safe transportation. The railroad sector grew rapidly as an alternative system, and it now serves as the world’s largest transportation system. In addition to conventional tracks, the introduction of new Significant Speed Trains resulted in a high demand for corresponding railroads capable of tolerating heavier loads and a greater speed.

Because of a multitude of circumstances, effectively modeling slope stability difficulties is difficult. One of the most fundamental concerns is that slope behavior cannot be predicted precisely. Engineers utilize a factor of safety methodology to reduce the danger of slope failure. When dealing with fluctuating uncertainties, such as slope stability, deterministic approaches give a systematic technique.   The stability of a slope has a significant  impact  on  the  area  surrounding  it,  because  when  a  slope  collapses,  it frequently endangers human lives or causes significant material damage. As a result, one of  the  most  important  areas  of  practical  usage  in  soil  engineering  is  slope  stability analysis (Capper, 1976).

Nigeria’s federal  government has recently begun establishing standardized and broad inland transportation networks that are accessible to both passengers and enterprises. The Federal Ministry of Transport planned many high-speed rail lines around the country to achieve this goal. For economic reasons, the Lagos-Ibadan rail line extension to Apapa port from Ebute-Meta is a priority.

Subgrade is a phrase used to describe the grade line that is elevated that is ready to receive subballast in construction (Dingqing et al. 2015). Because it provides a strong foundation for the track superstructure, subgrade is an important feature of railway systems. It is necessary to avoid progressive shear failure, excessive swelling and shrinking, and subgrade attrition (Selig and Waters, 1994)

The  Lagos-Ibadan  section  is  part  of Nigeria’s  1,343-kilometer  Lagos–Kano  Standard Gauge Railway, which was been constructed. It is projected to connect the country’s two main  cities,  Lagos  in  the  southwest  and  Kano  on  the  Niger  border in  the north,  if completed. It will also connect the country’s third largest city, Ibadan (also in the southwest), and the national capital Abuja. The railway will run parallel to the Cape gauge line, which was built by the British and has a lower design capacity and is in poor condition (Israel, 2014).

The conversion of single tracks to double or multiple lines, as well as the renovation of old rails to allow high-speed trains, necessitates a large number of materials. It has also become critical to ensure that the quality of such construction meets the requirements for safe, comfortable, and cost-effective train passage under specified conditions. Furthermore, with such a large building volume, finding good quality materials at a reasonable price is a difficult task.

The limit equilibrium approach is adopted to assess slope stability based on assumptions about the sliding surface geometry. The method is popular because it is easy and only requires a few parameters (geology, slope geometry, topography, geotechnical factors, static and surcharge loads and hydrogeologic conditions). The stability of natural and artificial slopes, such as road/railway embankments, hydraulically produced dams, earth dams, and so on, is a major concern in geotechnical engineering.

This research aimed to  evaluate stability of the slopes of newly constructed railway embankment from KM75+500 to KM116+500 along Lagos-Ibadan rail line. Limit equilibrium approach has been used to examine the slope stability state of the railway embankment, taking into account the strength parameters of the materials of the newly constructed railway embankment located along the study region.

1.2  Problem Statement of the Research Problem

The stability of slope is a main concern where movements of existing slopes would have an effect on the safety of people and property. Although, slope analysis had been carried out during preliminary design of the embankment, but the possible of slope failure is still high after construction. The aforementioned phenomena occur as a result of either an incorrect approach to assessing their stability, or errors made during geotechnical investigations, incorrect assumptions made during the calculation phase, or improper machine placement  on  the slope  surcharge,  or  material  deterioration  over time after construction.  One of the causes of faulty slope stability assessments could be an incorrect estimation of the slope’s geological structure (Das, 2011)

1.3  Justification of Study

The motivation driving toward this study is closely related to the assessing the slope stability of railway embankment and the important role slope/w plays in stability analysis of slopes in civil engineering applications and design. Furthermore, evaluating the slope stability of newly constructed railway embankment was to provide the current stability status of the embankment.

This study is intended to evaluate the slope stability of the newly constructed railway embankment  along  Lagos-Ibadan  rail  line  and  in  the  same  time,  propose  some stabilization measures based on the field investigations and stability assessment of the slope. In other to reduce the problems that could occur after the construction of Lagos- Ibadan railway modernization project, it is essential to identify and assess those sections that could be prone to slope failure periodically.

1.4  Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this research is to evaluate stability of the slope of newly constructed railway embankment along Lagos-Ibadan rail line.

This aim has to fulfill these objectives;

1.   To determine the geotechnical characteristics of the embankments at KM75+500, KM90+500, KM105+500 and KM116+500

2.   To  evaluate  the  safety  factor  for  slopes  at  chanaige  KM75+500,  KM90+500 KM105+500 and KM116+500  embankments using Slope/W 2018 from GeoStudio

3.   To determine potential failure mechanisms

1.5    Scope of the study

The  new  railway  embankments  selected  is  from  KM75+500  to  KM116+500   along Lagos-Ibadan  rail line. Samples were collected at KM75+500, KM90+500, KM105+500 and KM116+500 at depths ranging from 0m to 10m To determine the factor of safety, the Slope/W software was used to evaluate the slopes of varying  heights  10m, 7m and 5m and side slope ratio 1:1.5 and 1:1.75  of berm based on the limit equilibrium of the Morgenstern-Price technique.



This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research


SLOPE STABILITY EVALUATION OF NEWLY CONSTRUCTED RAILWAY EMBANKMENT ALONG LAGOS-IBADAN RAIL LINE, NIGERIA

NOT THE TOPIC YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?



Project 4Topics Support Team Are Always (24/7) Online To Help You With Your Project

Chat Us on WhatsApp »  09132600555

DO YOU NEED CLARIFICATION? CALL OUR HELP DESK:

   09132600555 (Country Code: +234)
 
YOU CAN REACH OUR SUPPORT TEAM VIA MAIL: [email protected]


Related Project Topics :

Choose Project Department