When constructing temporary roads for disaster recovery, it is necessary to improve the ground or replace the soil with high-quality soil when the ground conditions at the site are not good. However, it may be difficult to procure and transport a sufficient quantity of high-quality soil for replacement at some sites. In addition, when using cement to improve the ground, for example, the high strength of the ground can be maintained for a long period of time, but disadvantages are also encountered with its use. A ground improved by the addition of cement cannot be restored to its original condition. Moreover, cement is relatively expensive and has a negative impact on the environment. The use of soil bags, known as donou in Japan, is one of the effective methods for constructing temporary roads. The advantages of soil bags are that the strength of the ground can be improved more easily and quickly without the need for heavy machinery or modification by cement, and that the damaged areas can be repaired by replacing damaged soil bags with new soil bags. Thus, a roadbed can be simply removed and rapidly restored to its original condition. The loading characteristics of soil bags arranged as a stacked structure need to be understood. In the present study, in order to evaluate the loading characteristics of soil bags, cyclic plate-loading tests were conducted to investigate the pressure transfer among the soil bags and from the soil bags to the lower roadbed layer. It was found from the experiments that the earth pressure was distributed over a wider area in the structure with the staggered stacking of the soil bags than in the structure with the flat stacking of the soil bags.

The pipe-roof method is an increasingly popular pre-construction soil support system for underground space development for its superior safety. Whilst the load-bearing and deformation characteristics of pipe-roof structures has been the subject of much research, uncertainties surrounding the interactions between the pipe-roof and the surrounding soil remain. This paper fills this gap by describing small-scale laboratory testing and complementary theoretical analysis exploring the development of pipe-roof deformation, soil deformation mechanism and displacement field, and soil pressures acting on the pipe-roof. The results show that deformation of the pipe-roof itself leads to a partially mobilized soil arching effect, resulting in a 'tower-shaped' soil displacement mechanism. In addition, the earth pressure distribution above the pipe-roof is arch-shaped, forming a minor principal stress arch. The experimental results inform a theoretical model for the calculation of the soil earth pressure acting on the pipe-roof, considering the interaction between the pipe-roof deformation and the principal stress rotation. Theoretical predictions are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental measurements, with a maximum error of less than 5%. The proposed model is closed-form and suitable for routine use in design.

Cylindrical steel silos with flat bottoms are widely used in agriculture and industry for storing granular materials. While research has advanced our understanding of pressure on silo walls, accurate prediction, especially during the dynamic filling and discharge phases, remains a challenge. This study presents a finite element (FE) analysis of pressure distribution in a model cylindrical steel silo with a flat bottom, investigating the influence of the height-to-diameter (H/D) ratio. The numerical results were validated against experimental data from a pilot-scale test facility storing corn. Material properties were determined through laboratory experiments, with mechanical properties obtained from literature. An arbitrary Lagrangian formulation was employed for the FE calculations. The FE results showed good agreement with experimental data for static pressure distribution on the silo wall across all H/D ratios analyzed. While the patterns of dynamic pressure curves were similar, the FE-predicted magnitudes were lower than those observed experimentally. Notably, the simulations captured significant pressure fluctuations during silo discharge.