ISSN: 1945-7545
CODEN: GTJODJ
Published Online: 29 January 2008
Page Count: 7

A New Laboratory Apparatus to Evaluate Hydrodynamic Dispersibility of Soil During Ocean Dumping

Yeung, Albert T.
Associate Professor, Research Assistant, and Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Hong Kong,

W., Maxwell S.
Associate Professor, Research Assistant, and Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Hong Kong,

Fung, Ivan W. H.
Lecturer, Department of Building and Construction, City University of Hong Kong,

Alfred Au, S. K.
Associate Professor, Research Assistant, and Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Hong Kong,

(Received 28 May 2007; accepted 12 December 2007)

Abstract

Hydrodynamic dispersion of soft marine dredging during ocean dumping may cause ecologic damage of the marine environment. The dispersibility of the fine-grained marine deposit may be mitigated by soil treatment, so as to eliminate the potential ecologic damage. An apparatus is specifically designed, fabricated, and assembled to simulate the ocean dumping process, in particular the process of how the material settles through water, to evaluate the viability, feasibility, and practicality of ocean dumping of cement-treated marine deposit, and to develop a better understanding of various complex hydrodynamic and dispersion processes during ocean dumping of soft marine deposit. The design criteria and details of each component of the new apparatus are presented. The distinct advantages of the newly developed apparatus are discussed. Typical experimental results obtained by the apparatus are presented to demonstrate its simplicity of operation and versatility in the measurement of various parameters at temporal intervals.

Keywords:
soil dispersion, ocean dumping, marine environment protection, experimental apparatus, cement-treatment clay, laboratory studies

Paper ID: GTJ101259
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ101259
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