To investigate the static and dynamic characteristics of rubber–sand composite soil (RS soil) reinforced with cement, a series of triaxial compression tests and resonant column tests was performed by considering the influence of rubber content (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%), cement content (0, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.0 g/100 mL), and effective consolidation confining pressure (50, 100, and 150 kPa). Compared with the RS soil, the addition of cement significantly improved the shear strength of a cement–rubber–sand composite soil (RCS soil), based on an undrained shear test. The increase in cement content not only makes the elastic modulus and cohesion of the RCS soil increase but also reduces the internal friction angle of the RCS soil. With the increase in rubber content, the failure of the RCS soil samples changes from strain-softening to hardening, and the prediction equation of the initial elastic modulus of the RCS soil is given herein when the recommended cement content is 3.5 g/100 mL. The effects of rubber content, cement content, and effective confining pressure on the dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio of the RCS soil were studied via the resonant column test. The test results show that the increase in rubber content slows down the modulus attenuation of the RCS soil, but increases its damping ratio. The test results also show that the increase in cement content makes the bonding force between particles greater so that the modulus attenuation of the RCS soil becomes slower and the damping ratio is reduced. At the same time, according to the change rule of the maximum dynamic shear modulus of the RCS soil with the rubber content, when the recommended cement content is 3.5 g/100 mL, an empirical formula and recommended value of the shear modulus Gmax of the RCS soil are proposed.
As an indispensable part of the lifeline for the offshore gas and oil industry, submarine pipelines under long-term marine environmental loadings have historically been susceptible to earthquakes. This study investigates the impact of trench backfilling on the residual liquefaction around a pipeline and the induced uplift of a pipeline under the combined action of an earthquake, ocean wave and current loading. A fully coupled nonlinear effective stress analysis method, which can consider the nonlinear hysteresis and the large deformation after liquefaction of the seabed soil, is adopted to describe the interaction between the seabed soil and the submarine pipeline. Taking a typical borehole in the Bohai strait as the site condition, the nonlinear seismic response analysis of the submarine pipeline under the combined action of seismic loading and ocean wave and current is carried out. The numerical results show that trench backfilling has a significant impact on the seismic response of the pipeline. The existence of trench backfilling reduces the accumulation of the residual excess pore water pressure, so that the seabed liquefaction around the pipeline is mitigated and the uplift of the pipeline is also decreased.
1 November 2025 in Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering