Nowadays, one of the most popular ways to get a more sustainable cement industry is using additions as cement replacement. However, there are many civil engineering applications in which the use of sustainable cements is not extended yet, such as special foundations, and particularly micropiles, even though the standards do not restrict the cement type to use. These elements are frequently exposed to the sulphates present in soils. The purpose of this research is to study the effects in the very long-term (until 600 days) of sulphate attack in the microstructure of micropiles grouts, prepared with ordinary Portland cement, fly ash and slag commercial cements, continuing a previous work, in which these effects were studied in the short-term. The microstructure changes have been analysed with the non-destructive impedance spectroscopy technique, mercury intrusion porosimetry and the “Wenner” resistivity test. The mass variation and the compressive strength have also been studied. The impedance spectroscopy has been the most sensitive technique for following the sulphate attack process. Considering the results obtained, micropiles grouts with slag and fly ash, exposed to an aggressive medium with high content of sulphates, have shown good behaviour in the very long-term (600 days) compared to grouts made with OPC.

This work describes a new procedure aimed to semi-automatically identify clusters of active persistent scatterers and preliminarily associate them with different potential types of deformational processes over wide areas. This procedure consists of three main modules: (i) ADAfinder, aimed at the detection of Active Deformation Areas (ADA) using Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) data; (ii) LOS2HV, focused on the decomposition of Line Of Sight (LOS) displacements from ascending and descending PSI datasets into vertical and east-west components; iii) ADAclassifier, that semi-automatically categorizes each ADA into potential deformational processes using the outputs derived from (i) and (ii), as well as ancillary external information. The proposed procedure enables infrastructures management authorities to identify, classify, monitor and categorize the most critical deformations measured by PSI techniques in order to provide the capacity for implementing prevention and mitigation actions over wide areas against geological threats. Zeri, Campiglia Marittima–Suvereto and Abbadia San Salvatore (Tuscany, central Italy) are used as case studies for illustrating the developed methodology. Three PSI datasets derived from the Sentinel-1 constellation have been used, jointly with the geological map of Italy (scale 1:50,000), the updated Italian landslide and land subsidence maps (scale 1:25,000), a 25 m grid Digital Elevation Model, and a cadastral vector map (scale 1:5,000). The application to these cases of the proposed workflow demonstrates its capability to quickly process wide areas in very short times and a high compatibility with Geographical Information System (GIS) environments for data visualization and representation. The derived products are of key interest for infrastructures and land management as well as decision-making at a regional scale.

This paper presents a study on the possibility of using fly ash cement as grouts for micropiles. 19 This type of special geotechnical work is commonly used for many applications. Generally, 20 micropiles grouts are prepared using Portland cement, although the standards do not restrict 21 the cement type to use, as long as they achieve a strength requirement. In this research, fly 22 ash cement grouts made with w:c ratios 0.40, 0.45, 0.50 and 0.55 were studied from 2 up to 23 90 days of age. Their microstructure was characterized using the non-destructive impedance 24 spectroscopy technique, electrical resistivity, and mercury intrusion porosimetry. Their 25 2 durability properties have been studied by determining the water penetration under pressure, 26 and the chloride diffusion coefficient. The compressive strength was also measured and 27 determined, and a maximum water:cement ratio, different for each cement type was obtained. 28All the results were compared to those obtained for Portland cement grouts. The results 29 obtained confirm that the performance of micropiles made using fly ash cement grouts is 30 adequate, and as it is well know the cements with mineral admixtures provide environmental 31 benefits, so the use of cement including fly ash will contribute to the sustainability, with 32 similar properties to those given by OPC. 33Keywords: micropiles, special geotechnical works, fly ash, durability, microstructure, 34 impedance spectroscopy, water:cement ratio. 35 1.-INTRODUCTION 36In the field of geological engineering, the use of special geotechnical works has become very 37 important. Some of the most commonly used special geotechnical works for civil engineering 38 structures and for building foundations are piles, micropiles, soil anchors and jet grouting 39injections. There are great differences between those types of works and one of these 40 differences is related to the material in which the steel reinforcement elements are embedded. 41In the case of the piles, concrete is usually used. However, for micropiles, soil anchors and jet 42 grouting injections, the reinforcement elements are embedded in cement grouts, although 43 mortars might also be used. This fact is very important, because the behaviour of the cement 44 grouts and mortars shows many differences compared to concrete. For example, in general 45 the porosity of hardened grouts is greater than the porosity of concretes [1], [2], and it could 46 influence the durability and mechanical properties of the elements of each particular special 47 geotechnical work. But on the other hand, a higher amount of cement might improve the 48 durability of this type of elements. So, a different performance could be expected if the 49 material used to protect the reinforcement steel elements is cement grout or concrete, as it is 50 3 usual for the majority of civil engineering structures. Furthermore, the uncertainties can 51 increase as a function of the cement type used, especially if it is used a sustainable cement, 52 which incorporates som...

In recent years, there was an increasing number of studies focusing on rockfalls due to their impacts on social and sustainable development. This work carries out a three-dimensional (3D) simulation of rockfalls at a cultural heritage site nearby the village of Cortes de Pallás (Valencian Community, East Spain). The simulation is based on data collected previously, during an emergency declaration due to the occurrence of a considerable rockfall (7980 m3) on the southern bank of the Cortes de Pallás reservoir, on 6 April 2015. The hydroelectric power plant was damaged, and the main access road to the village of Cortes de Pallás was blocked for eight months. The predominant discontinuities of the rock mass were analyzed by means of the application of structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry techniques to the set of images taken by remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS). The average size of the block was determined as 3.2 m in diameter and 17.6 m3 in volume. Additionally, a digital elevation model (DEM) was generated from an aerial laser scanning (ALS)-derived point cloud using a 1 × 1 grid. These data were implemented in RocPro3D software, obtaining the distances traveled by the blocks detached from different source areas at a cultural heritage site located near the rockfall event, which presents the same geological context. The simulation presented herein shows aggravating circumstances that endanger the cultural heritage area, with higher rockfall hazards than previous official studies (1991) displayed.

Nowadays, the use of micropiles has undergone a great development. In general, they are made with cement grout, reinforced with steel tubing. In Spain, these grouts are prepared using OPC, although the standards do not forbid the use of other cements, like sustainable ones. Micropiles are in contact with soils and groundwater, in which the presence of sulphates is common. Their deleterious effects firstly affect to the microstructure. Then, the aim of this research is to study the effects of sulphate attack in the microstructure of micropiles grouts, prepared with OPC, fly ash and slag commercial cements, compared to their behaviour when they are exposed to an optimum hardening condition. The microstructure evolution has been studied with the non-destructive impedance spectroscopy technique, which has never been used for detecting the effects of sulphate attack when slag and fly ash cements are used. Its results have been contrasted with mercury intrusion porosimetry and “Wenner” resistivity ones. The 28-day compressive strength of grouts has been also determined. The results of microstructure characterization techniques are in agreement, although impedance spectroscopy is the most sensitive for following the changes in the porous network of grouts. The results showed that micropiles made using fly ash and slag cements could have a good performance in contact with aggressive sodium sulphate media, even better than OPC ones.