Browsing by Author "Akis, Ebru"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Citation - WoS: 1
Citation - Scopus: 1
The Effect of Group Behavior on the Pull-Out Capacity of Model Soil Nails in High Plasticity Clay
(Springer int Publ Ag, 2024) Akis, Ebru; Bakir, Bahadir Sadik; Yilmaz, Mustafa Tolga
Soil nailing technique is widely used in stabilizing roadway and tunnel portal cut excavations. The key parameter in the design of soil nail systems is the pull-out capacity. The pull-out capacity of soil nails can be estimated either from the studies involving similar soil conditions or from the empirical formulas available in the literature. Particularly, it has been documented placing nails closer than a certain minimum distance results in a reduction in the pull-out resistance of a nail placed in sand. However, this requirement has not been discussed for the nail groups located within clay formations. In order to investigate the influence of nail spacing on the pull-out resistance of nails, a series of laboratory pull-out experiments were performed in clay of high plasticity. The results of these experiments showed a remarkable trend. Specifically, there was a significant reduction in the pull-out capacity of a nail when the spacing between nails two times the nail diameter (2 & Oslash;). In contrast, the pull-out capacity of a nail embedded in clay remained unaffected by neighboring nails, provided the spacing was maintained at six times the nail diameter (6 & Oslash;). In addition, during the conducted pull-out tests, it was observed that the failure mode of a single nail and 6 & Oslash; spaced group nails near the surface results as heaving around the single nail. However, in the case of closely positioned (2 & Oslash; spaced) nails, the affected area following nail failure exhibits distinct characteristics, which operate as a group. This leads to the occurrence of failure in the form of heaving around the group of nails.
The Estimation of the Residual Shear Strength of High Plastic Clays Based on Direct Shear Test Results
(Gazi Univ, 2021) Akis, Ebru
Landslides are the most common incidents with a rate of 45% considering the distribution of natural disaster numbers to disaster types. In order to make remedial measures for the landslides, the residual shear strength parameters formed in the shear plane during the landslide must be estimated as close to the reality as possible. These parameters can be determined by multi-reversal direct shear, ring shear tests, back calculations, correlations in the literature by means of physical properties of the soil. The difficulty of predicting the groundwater conditions during landslide is obvious and it directly affects the residual shear strength values when shear strength parameters are determined using the back analysis method. On the other hand, residual shear strength parameters obtained from the literature can give a wide range. Besides, ring shear tests are not commonly performed in laboratories and depending on the type of soil, multi reveral direct shear tests may need to be performed at very low speeds. Relatively long test time adversely affects the practical use of the multi reversal direct shear tests. In this study, the relationship between peak and residual shear strength in normally consolidated high plastic clays was studied within the framework of the above restrictions. Firstly, the empirical correlation between the residual shear strength and the index porperties and peak shear strength was predicted by evaluating the results of the studies in our country's literature. Then, the results obtained from the multi reversal direct shear tests with remoulded high plastic clay samples and the predicted values were compared.
Citation - WoS: 5
Citation - Scopus: 6
Investigation of the Effect of Shearing Rate on Residual Strength of High Plastic Clay
(Springer Heidelberg, 2020) Akis, Ebru; Mekael, Ahmad; Yilmaz, Mustafa Tolga
The residual shear strength on failure plane is a crucial parameter to be estimated for analysis of an active landslide. This strength must be determined precisely to build a reliable theoretical model for calculations. The multi-reversal direct-shear test is a practical method to determine this shear strength in laboratory due to wider availability of apparatus. The shearing rate is among the factors that significantly affect the precision of test results for clay specimens. However, limits for this rate are yet to be clarified to shorten the duration of multi-reversal direct-shear tests. In this study, two tests series at different shearing rates were performed to investigate the effect of shearing rate on the residual strength of highly plastic clay sample recovered from a landslide area in Northern Turkey. The shearing rates were set to 0.024 mm/min which was decreased to 0.001 mm/min during the last forward shearing phase for the first test series, whereas the rate was fixed to 0.0007 mm/min for the second test series. The residual friction angle determined by these tests was interpreted by using a theoretical analysis of the landslide, and they were compared with the estimations due to empirical relationships given in the literature. It is concluded that, although the rate of 0.024 mm/min is consistent with the recommendations in literature, this rate can yield overestimation of residual shear strength determined in multi-reversal direct-shear tests.
Citation - WoS: 2
Citation - Scopus: 4
Optimum Cost Prediction of Reinforced Concrete Cantilever Retaining Walls
(Mdpi, 2023) Akis, Ebru
Reinforced concrete cantilever retaining walls (RCCRWs) are widely used in civil engineering projects as a common type of retaining structure. The design of these structures focuses on ensuring safety against various failure scenarios and compliance with standard building code requirements. This research aims to enhance the design process of RCCRWs by developing a specific code and optimizing it through a metaheuristic-based algorithm. In this study, the cost prediction of RCCRWs is also investigated through a parametric study involving key variables such as wall height, seismic zone, backfill material properties, and backfill inclination angle. To achieve this, non-linear regression analysis is employed to establish an empirical correlation, enabling cost estimation for optimized RCCRWs. The resulting prediction equation is simple to use, requiring only limited inputs. Therefore, it can be applied during the initial stages of a project, making a valuable contribution in determining approximate costs for RCCRW projects.
Sustainable Stabilization of Expansive Soils Using Waste Marble Powder and Expanded Polystyrene Beads: Experimental Evaluation and Predictive Modelling
(Elsevier, 2026) Akis, Ebru; Citak, Mete; Lotfi, Bahram
Expansive soils exhibit considerable volume changes with moisture fluctuations leading to serious challenges for civil infrastructure, causing structural instability, pavement distortion, and foundation damage. While lime and cement remain widely used stabilizers, recent research has increasingly focused on waste-derived materials such as marble powder (MP) and expanded polystyrene beads (EPSb) as promising alternatives. These materials provide a practical approach to soil stabilization while contributing to the reuse of industrial by-products. In this study, the engineering behavior of high-plasticity clay was improved through the inclusion of MP and EPSb as additive materials. MP was added at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, and EPSb at 0%, 0.3%, and 0.9% by dry weight of the high plasticity clay. Both additives were used alone and in combination. Laboratory tests, including Standard Proctor, free swell (FS), and unconfined compressive strength (UCS), were conducted. The results confirmed that the additives effectively reduced the liquid limit (LL) by 20.1% and the plasticity index (PI) by up to 22.4%. Results showed that EPSb effectively reduced FS and UCS, while MP decreased FS and increased UCS up to an optimal content. The most effective mixes achieved a maximum reduction of 54.7% in free swell (FS) (at 20% MP and 0.9% EPSb content) and a maximum increase of 13.1% in unconfined compressive strength (UCS) (at 5% MP content) compared to the untreated soil. The compaction tests further revealed a general decrease in optimum moisture content (OMC) and a slight increase in maximum dry density (MDD) with increasing MP content. Accordingly, the free swell (FS) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the treated soils were predicted using multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models, developed from both the current experimental dataset and previously published studies. Input variables included untreated FS and UCS values, additive percentages, and one index property. The ANN model demonstrated superior predictive capability, achieving R2 values of 0.955 and 0.874 for FS and UCS, respectively, compared to 0.411 and 0.618 obtained with MLR. These results highlight the robustness of ANN in capturing nonlinear soil behavior and underscore its reliability and accuracy, particularly under limited data conditions.