Vecchiano is located in the northern part of the Pisa plain, just at the foot of D'Oltre Serchio mounts. During the 20th century the landscape surrounding this village has been deeply modified by intense extractive activities. Large and vertical quarry walls, affected by serious instability problems, are the most visible legacy of those activities. The investigations of this graduation thesis concern a quarry that is located below the S. Maria in Castello sanctuary, adjacent to the northern boundary of Vecchiano. This quarry represents a menace for ecology and people, because of the degraded conditions of the floor, and the serious instability problems of the walls. This site is a prior case to include in PAERP project (Provincial Plane of Extraction Activities) of the Provincia di Pisa. Geo-engineering techniques permitted to advance new hypothesis about the revaluation of the quarry. Measures of recovery and instability reduction are proposed to increase the safety of the area. Several different steps leaded to summarize the geologic previous knowledge of the area and to examine in deep structural and geomechanical aspects of the rock mass. The study started with the collection of preliminary information concerning historical, geologic-structural and geomorphological information of the area. Subsequent in situ activities included survey on a detailed scale, collection of photos and rock samples, geometric measurements and Schmidt hammer tests. Different laboratory activities, such as uniaxial compression tests (Point load test) and geomechanical classifications of the rock mass, permitted to obtain cohesion and friction angle values. All collected data have been used with GIS (Geographic Information System) and numerical analysis software (UDEC 4.0). The geological model created with these software include quarry face instabilities and slope stability analysis, taking into account slipping and overturning movements.
Slope stability analysis of the S. Maria in Castello sanctuary's rock (Vecchiano, Tuscany, Italy): geomechanical characterization and distinct elements numerical modeling
D'AMATO AVANZI, GIACOMO ALFREDO;
2010-01-01
Abstract
Vecchiano is located in the northern part of the Pisa plain, just at the foot of D'Oltre Serchio mounts. During the 20th century the landscape surrounding this village has been deeply modified by intense extractive activities. Large and vertical quarry walls, affected by serious instability problems, are the most visible legacy of those activities. The investigations of this graduation thesis concern a quarry that is located below the S. Maria in Castello sanctuary, adjacent to the northern boundary of Vecchiano. This quarry represents a menace for ecology and people, because of the degraded conditions of the floor, and the serious instability problems of the walls. This site is a prior case to include in PAERP project (Provincial Plane of Extraction Activities) of the Provincia di Pisa. Geo-engineering techniques permitted to advance new hypothesis about the revaluation of the quarry. Measures of recovery and instability reduction are proposed to increase the safety of the area. Several different steps leaded to summarize the geologic previous knowledge of the area and to examine in deep structural and geomechanical aspects of the rock mass. The study started with the collection of preliminary information concerning historical, geologic-structural and geomorphological information of the area. Subsequent in situ activities included survey on a detailed scale, collection of photos and rock samples, geometric measurements and Schmidt hammer tests. Different laboratory activities, such as uniaxial compression tests (Point load test) and geomechanical classifications of the rock mass, permitted to obtain cohesion and friction angle values. All collected data have been used with GIS (Geographic Information System) and numerical analysis software (UDEC 4.0). The geological model created with these software include quarry face instabilities and slope stability analysis, taking into account slipping and overturning movements.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
