Borges_Three-dimensional Analysis Embankments on Soft Soils Incorporating Vertical Drains by FEM

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    Three-dimensional analysis of embankments on softsoils incorporating vertical drains by finite element method

    JoseLeitao Borges *

    Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal

    Received 22 October 2003; received in revised form 1 November 2004; accepted 3 November 2004

    Available online 15 December 2004

    Abstract

    Three-dimensional behaviour of an embankment on soft soils incorporating vertical drains is analysed by a numerical model

    based on the finite element method. The model, which incorporates the Biots consolidation theory (coupled formulation of the flow

    and equilibrium equations) and constitutive relations simulated by the pqh critical state model, is applied on both the embank-

    ment with vertical drains (three-dimensional analysis) and the same problem but without vertical drains (two-dimensional analysis).

    Special emphasis is given to the analysis, during and after the construction period, of the excess pore pressures, settlements, hori-

    zontal displacements and stress levels.

    2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

    Keywords: Vertical drains; Embankment; Soft soils; Finite element method; Three-dimensional analysis; Consolidation

    1. Introduction

    The study of embankments on soft soils is one of the

    permanent problems of the soil mechanics and has been

    analysed by a large number of authors. At the present

    time, in spite of all experience obtained over the last dec-

    ades, the execution of this kind of constructions still col-

    locates diverse and delicate problems that are

    determined by the weak geotechnical characteristics of

    the foundation soils: (i) low strength significantly limits

    the load (embankment height) that is possible to apply

    with adequate safety for short term stability; (ii) high

    deformability and low permeability determine large set-tlements that develop slowly as pore water flows and ex-

    cess pore pressure dissipates (consolidation).

    To design embankments on soft soils it is essential to

    take into account the multiple constructive techniques

    that allow to solve those problems. The constructive

    solutions usually based on both foundation soil prop-erties improvement and construction procedures or fill

    properties alteration provide one or more of the fol-

    lowing effects: increase of global stability, consolidation

    acceleration and decrease of long term settlements [13].

    The most used technique when the main purpose is to

    accelerate the consolidation is the use of vertical drains

    in the foundation soils (Fig. 1), which usually determines

    drastic decreases of hydrodynamic consolidation time.

    In the paper, the geotechnical behaviour of an

    embankment on soft soils incorporating vertical drains

    (geosynthetic band drains) is analysed during and after

    the construction period by a numerical model developedby Borges[4]for plane strain and axysymmetric analyses

    (initial version) and three-dimensional analysis

    (improvement included in the program in 2001). Special

    emphasis is given to the three-dimensional behaviour of

    this kind of constructions by the comparison of the re-

    sults of the embankment incorporating the drains

    (three-dimensional analysis) with the results of the plane

    strain analysis of the same problem without vertical

    drains.

    0266-352X/$ - see front matter 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

    doi:10.1016/j.compgeo.2004.11.001

    * Tel.: +351225081928; fax: +351225081940/1440.

    E-mail address: [email protected].

    www.elsevier.com/locate/compgeo

    Computers and Geotechnics 31 (2004) 665676

    mailto:[email protected]:[email protected].
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    Basically, for the present applications, the model uses

    the following theoretical hypotheses: (a) coupled formu-

    lation of the flow and equilibrium equations considering

    soil constitutive relations (elasto-plastic models) formu-

    lated in effective stresses (Biots consolidation theory)

    [47]; this formulation is applied to all phases of the

    problem, both during the embankment construction

    and in the post-construction period; (b) utilisation of

    thepqhcritical state model[46,8], an associated plas-

    tic flow model, to simulate constitutive behaviour of thefoundation and embankment soils.

    Fig. 2(a) shows, in the principal effective stress space,

    the yield and critical state surfaces of the pqh critical

    state model. In the pq coordinate system (where p is

    the effective mean stress and q the deviatoric stress),

    the yielding function is a ellipse (Fig. 2(b)) and, depend-

    ing on the stress path, the pqh model simulates hard-

    ening behaviour (as shown inFigs. 2(b) and (c) for stress

    path 12, where ev is the volumetric strain and ed the

    shear strain) or softening behaviour (stress path 34,Figs. 2(b) and (d)).

    In this model, the parameter that defines the slope

    of the critical state line, M, is not constant as in the

    Cam-Clay and Modified Cam-Clay models, but de-

    pends on the angular stress invariant, h, and friction

    angle of the soil defined in effective terms, / 0, asfollows:

    M 3sin/0

    ffiffiffi

    3p

    cos hsin /0sin h : 1

    This defines the MohrCoulomb criteria (whose sur-

    face in the principal effective stress space is shown inFig.

    2(a)) whenMis introduced in the equation of the critical

    state line

    qMp: 2

    Fig. 2. Yield and critical state surfaces of thepqhcritical state model in (a) principal effective stress space; (b)pqcoordinate system; (c) stress path

    12 (hardening behaviour); (d) stress path 34 (softening behaviour).

    EMBANKMENT

    HARD STRATUM

    DRAINAGE LAYER(0.5 to1m)

    VERTICALDRAINS

    SOFTSOILS

    Fig. 1. Vertical drains acceleration of hydrodynamic consolidation.

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    This is an important characteristic of the pqhmod-

    el because, as shown by triaxial tests [33], the critical

    state of soil depends on h. (DruckerPrager is the crite-

    ria of the Cam-Clay and Modified Cam-Clay models

    and does not depend on h).

    About embankments on soft ground, in order to ver-

    ify accuracy of the finite element program in this kind ofworks, Borges [4] compared numerical and field results

    of two embankments on soft soils, one constructed up

    to failure [9] and the other observed until the end of

    the consolidation[1012]. The accuracy was considered

    adequate in both cases, as numerical and field results are

    similar, namely in terms of settlements and pore pres-

    sures. Only some quantitative differences were observed

    in the horizontal displacements, despite an overall qual-

    itative similarity too.

    In general terms, the verification of the program

    was made by comparing numerical results not only

    with field results, as said above (which is the adequate

    way for complex problems without theoretical solu-

    tions), but also with theoretical results of several

    closed problems, namely one-dimensional Terzaghi

    consolidation, circular load on an elastic foundation

    [34], consolidation of a semi-infinite elastic medium

    under an uniform surface loading over a circular area

    [35], drained and undrained triaxial tests for soils sim-

    ulated with critical state models. Comparisons with

    numerical results presented by other authors, as Lewis

    and Schrefler [5] with CRISP (critical state program),

    were also verified.

    It should be remembered that the first consistent and

    general theory of multi-dimensional consolidation tak-ing into account interdependence between soil effective

    strains and pore water flow (coupled formulation of

    the flow and equilibrium equations) was presented by

    Biot [13,14]. This theory, which was initially developed

    considering soil with isotropic and linear elastic behav-

    iour, was posteriorly improved for more complex behav-

    iours, namely anisotropy and viscosity[1517].

    After the presentation of Biots consolidation theory,

    several authors have applied the finite element method

    on consolidation problems using mathematical formula-

    tions in which some of the initial hypotheses of Biot are

    reformulated (extensions of the Biots theory). Small

    et al. [18] considered the plasticity using MohrCou-

    lomb model and Desai and Siriwardane[19]and Runes-

    son [20] applied critical state models. The variation of

    the permeability in the course of the consolidation was

    considered by Lewis et al. [21]. Norris [22] extended

    the study to the use of constitutive models with kinemat-

    ical hardening.

    Concerning the use of vertical drains in embankments

    on soft soils, Zeng et al. [23]conducted coupled consol-

    idation analyses to assess the effectiveness of a method

    that calculates an equivalent horizontal permeability

    for plane strain analysis in which the vertical drains

    are represented as sheets. Hird and Kwok [24] per-

    formed a parametric study of a test embankment where

    the effect of the vertical drains was considered by

    increasing the subsoil permeability by an estimated fac-

    tor. Poran et al. [25]defined an equivalent vertical per-

    meability for the subsoils by comparing an

    axisymmetric analysis of a cylindrical unit cell, withdrainage occurring both horizontally, inwards, and ver-

    tically, upwards, with a plane strain unit cell with drain-

    age towards the upper boundary only. This equivalent

    vertical permeability was used in a plane strain analysis

    of a trial embankment.

    Because embankments on soft soils incorporating

    vertical drains behave three-dimensionally (in terms of

    stress and water flow, as shown below in Section 3),

    one of the aims of the paper is to achieve a more com-

    plex phenomenological interpretation of the 3D gheo-

    technical behaviour of this kind of works, by

    performing a three-dimensional numerical analysis with

    the program developed by the author.

    For three-dimensional applications, the program uses

    two types of the 20-noded brick element. Fig. 3(a)

    shows the type used in the foundation soils (element

    with 60 displacement degrees of freedom, at the corners

    and at middle of the sides, and with 8 more excess pore

    pressure degrees of freedom, at the corners), where con-

    solidation analysis is considered. In the fill, it is the 20-

    noded brick element with only 60 displacement degrees

    of freedom (at the corners and at middle of the sides)

    that is used.

    Similarly, for two-dimensional analyses, two types

    of the six-noded triangular element are considered(Fig. 4): (i) with 12 displacement degrees of freedom,

    at the vertices and at middle of the edges (for fill ele-

    ments) and (ii) with 3 more excess pore pressure de-

    grees of freedom at the vertices (for foundation

    elements).

    2. Description of the problem

    The problem concerns the construction of a 2 m

    height symmetric embankment, with a 10.6 m crest

    width, 2/3 (V/H) inclined slopes and very large longitu-

    dinal length. The foundation is a 5 m thick saturated

    clay layer lying on a rigid and impermeable soil, which

    constitutes the lower boundary. The clay is lightly over-

    consolidated to 1.8 m depth and normally consolidated

    from 1.8 to 5 m. It will be analysed the embankment

    with and without vertical band-shaped drains (geosyn-

    thetic prefabricated drains) with a 200 5 mm2 section

    and installed in a square grid with drain spacing of 2

    m. The grid limit is 1.7 m beyond the toe to take up

    any lateral spread of excess pore pressures. It is not in-

    tended that the band drain reproduces any commercial

    product.

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    Fig. 5shows the finite element mesh used in the three-

    dimensional analysis of the embankment incorporating

    the vertical drains.

    The displacement boundary conditions were defined

    taking into account that the soft clay lays on a hard

    stratum (y= 0 plane, where displacements are set as

    zero in the three directions, x, y and z). One the other

    hand, symmetry conditions imply: (i) zero displacement

    in x-direction for nodes on the x= 0 plane; (ii) zero

    displacement in z-direction for nodes on the z= 0

    plane, vertical plane containing one row of drains;

    (iii) zero displacement in z-direction for nodes on the

    z= 1 m plane, vertical plane equidistant from two rows

    of drains in x-direction. Assuming that the horizontal

    displacement can be defined as zero at nodes that are

    enough distant from the embankment, the plane of

    Fig. 3. 3-D finite element used in the program, 20-noded brick element: (a) with 60 displacement degrees of freedom and 8 excess pore pressure

    degrees of freedom; (b) with 60 displacement degrees of freedom.

    - displacement unknown

    - excess pore pressure

    unknown

    Fig. 4. 2-D finite element used in the program, 6-noded triangular

    element: (a) with 12 displacement degrees of freedom and 3 excess pore

    pressure degrees of freedom; (b) with 12 displacement degrees of

    freedom.

    Fig. 5. 3D finite element mesh for the problem with vertical drains.

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    x= 23.9 m was considered as the lateral boundary with

    zero displacement in x-direction.

    With regard to drainage boundary conditions, excess

    pore pressure was set as zero on the ground level (upper

    drainage surface), i.e., on the y = 5 m plane, and on the

    drainage surfaces defined by the drains considered as

    sheets, namely on the following planes: x= 0, x= 2,x= 4, x= 6, x= 8 and x= 10 m, with y-coordinate

    varying from 0 to 5 m and z-coordinate from 0 to 0.1

    m (which means that centres of the drains are on the

    z= 0 boundary plane and each drain was installed with

    its larger dimension, 0.20 m, in z-direction).

    The embankment construction was simulated activat-

    ing the elements that form the fill layers. Four 0.5 m

    height layers were considered and, in order to assess

    the drainage effect even during the construction period,

    a discontinuous sequence of construction was defined as

    indicated in Fig. 6. The first three layers were con-

    structed in 3.5 days each, and the fourth in 7 days.

    The pause periods, which took place after each layer

    construction, were respectively 3.5, 3.5 and 38.4 days.

    As said in Section 1, the coupled analysis was performed

    in all phases of the problem, both during the embank-

    ment construction and in the post-construction period.

    The constitutive relations of both the embankment

    and foundation soils were simulated using the pqh

    critical state model[46,8]with the parameters indicated

    in Table 1 (k, slope of normal consolidation line and

    critical state line;k, slope of swelling and recompression

    line;C, specific volume of soil on the critical state line at

    mean normal stress equal to 1 kPa; N, specific volume of

    normally consolidated soil at mean normal stress equalto 1 kPa).Table 1also shows other geotechnical proper-

    ties: c, unit weight; m 0, Poissons ratio for drained load-ing; c0 and / 0, cohesion and angle of friction definedin effective terms; kxand ky, coefficients of permeability

    in x and y directions. Table 2 indicates the variation

    with depth of the at rest earth pressure coefficient, K0,

    and over-consolidation ratio, OCR, in the foundation.

    The embankment soil was considered with 0.43 for K0and 1 for OCR. All these parameters were defined tak-

    ing into account typical experimental values for this

    kind of soils [4,26].

    Fig. 7 shows the 2D finite element mesh for the

    embankment without the drains, problem that can be

    considered as a plane strain problem, given the very

    large longitudinal length of the embankment; y axis is

    the symmetry line and, with exception of the boundary

    conditions for excess pore pressure (set as zero only on

    the upper drainage surface, i.e., at nodes with y= 5m), all the other characteristics of the problem, when

    compared with the three-dimensional problem, are

    maintained.

    Given the non-linearity of the constitutive model

    used in the soils (pqh critical state model) and the

    boundary conditions, in both problems (with and with-

    out drains) mesh sensitivity in terms of variation of

    numerical results was analysed by considering several

    meshes and time increments (different geometry and

    time discretizations). The meshes (Figs. 5 and 7) and

    the increments used in the paper were assessed adequate

    by analysing, at each calculation of the coupled analysis,

    the global equilibrium of the problem (comparing exter-

    nal forces with stresses at all Gauss points of the ele-

    ments). The smooth geometric variation of the stress

    results in the medium (presented in the following

    5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 time (days)0

    0.51

    1.5

    2

    0

    embankment

    height

    (m)

    Fig. 6. Embankment construction sequence.

    Table 1

    Geotechnical properties of the foundation and embankment soils

    c (kN/m3) m 0 c 0 (kPa) / 0 () kx(m/s) ky (m/s) pqh critical state model

    k k C N

    Foundation 17 0.25 0 30 109 109 0.22 0.02 3.26 3.40

    Embankment 20 0.30 0 35 0.03 0.005 1.80 1.817

    Table 2

    At rest earth pressure coefficient, K0, and over-consolidation ratio,

    OCR, in the foundation

    Depth (m) K0 OCR

    01 0.7 2.43

    11.8 0.70.5 2.431

    1.85 0.5 1

    Fig. 7. 2D finite element mesh for the problem without vertical drains.

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    tical drains, in comparison with embankment without

    the drains.

    Figs. 11 and 12 show the deformed meshes for both

    analyses, at the end of construction and at the end of

    consolidation (displacements are represented in a scale

    three times larger than the scale used for lengths). These

    results are complemented by the results shown in Figs.

    1316, namely, settlements at the embankment base at

    different phases for the analysis with drains (Fig. 13),

    and for both analyses: (i) settlements at the embankment

    base at the end of construction and at the end of consol-

    idation (Fig. 14); (ii) variation in time of settlement at

    the middle point under the embankment on the ground

    level, i.e., point with x= 0 and y= 5 m (and z= 0, for

    three-dimensional case) (Fig. 15); (iii) horizontal dis-

    placements at the end of construction and at the end

    of consolidation, along vertical line under the toe, i.e.,

    along points with x = 8.3 m (and z = 0, for three-dimen-

    sional case) (Fig. 16).

    Based on these results, one can point out that, for

    both analyses, during the construction period: (i) there

    are settlements in the central loaded zone (zone A of

    Fig. 10); (ii) there are important upward vertical dis-

    placements near the embankment toe (Figs. 1114);

    (iii) horizontal displacements are outwards (Fig. 16).

    As explained by Borges [4] and Borges and Cardoso

    [27], if the consolidation is not significant during the

    construction period (which is valid, in most cases, for

    embankments without vertical drains, given the usually

    low permeability of the soft soils), these displacements

    are related to a strain field characterised by volumetric

    strains that are practically zero (undrained conditions)

    and shear strains that have very expressive values. If

    the consolidation effect is significant during the con-

    struction period (which really happens in the problem

    with the band drains), this effect is essentially expressed

    by the increase of the settlements (associated with the in-

    crease of volumetric strains by consolidation), as shown

    inFig. 14comparing maximum values of settlements at

    the embankment base for both analyses (13.8 and 8.4

    cm).

    During the post-construction period, the main char-

    acteristic of the problem in terms of displacements is

    Fig. 9. Excess pore pressure (u) for the embankment without vertical

    drains. (a) 1 m height embankment (time = 14 days); umax= 19.62 kPa.

    (b) 2 m height embankment (end of construction); umax= 40.16 kPa.

    (c) 925 days after construction; umax= 25.13 kPa.

    A B D

    C

    Fig. 10. Four typical zones in the foundation.

    Fig. 11. Deformed meshes for the embankment with vertical drains.

    (a) End of construction. (b) End of consolidation.

    Fig. 12. Deformed meshes for the embankment without verticaldrains. (a) End of construction. (b) End of consolidation.

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    expressed by generalised settlements and horizontal dis-

    placements that can be outwards too, as shown in Fig.

    16 for the embankment without the vertical drains. As

    explained by Borges [4], these outward horizontal dis-

    placements, in consonance with experimental results ob-

    served in real works [912,2831], are associated with

    shear strains during the consolidation process which

    are properly simulated only by elastoplastic models with

    closed yielding surfaces, which is the case of the pqh

    critical state model used in this study.

    Three more important effects about the use of the ver-

    tical drains, obtained from the analysis of the results, are

    pointed out below.

    The first effect, as expected, is the very expressive de-

    crease of the consolidation time (reduction from approx-

    imately 5000 to 500 days, as shown inFig. 15).

    The second effect is the reduction of the maximum va-

    lue of the long term settlements (about 16%, from 48.7

    to 40.9 cm, as illustrated in Fig. 14). This effect is asso-

    ciated with a certain improvement of the foundation soil

    properties (decrease of voids ratio) by consolidation

    -0.60

    -0.50

    -0.40

    -0.30

    -0.20

    -0.10

    0.00

    0.10

    0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00

    Distance from x=0 plane (m)

    Settlement(m)

    h = 0.5 m (t = 7 days)

    h = 1 m (t = 14 days)

    h= 1.5 m (t= 17.5 days)

    h =1.5 m (t = 55.9 days)

    h = 2 m (end of construction)

    h = 2 m (end of cosolidation)

    h embankment height

    t time after beginning

    of construction

    Fig. 13. Settlements at the embankment base for the embankment with vertical drains.

    -0.600

    -0.500

    -0.400

    -0.300

    -0.200

    -0.100

    0.000

    0.100

    0.000 2.000 4.000 6.000 8.000 10.000

    Distance from x=0 plane (m)

    Settlement(m)

    Embankment without

    vertical drains (end of

    construction)

    Embankment without

    vertical drains (end of

    consolidation)

    Embankment with

    vertical drains (end of

    construction)

    Embankment with

    vertical drains (end of

    consolidation)

    Fig. 14. Settlements at the embankment base for the embankment with and without vertical drains.

    Settlement(m)

    -0.60

    -0.50

    -0.40

    -0.30

    -0.20

    -0.10

    0.00

    0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

    Time after the end of construction (days)

    Embankment without

    vertical drains

    Embankment with

    vertical drains

    Fig. 15. Settlement in time at the middle point under the embankment

    on the ground level (point withx= 0,y = 5 and, for three-dimensional

    case,z = 0) for the embankment with and without vertical drains.

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    during the construction period. This is a kind of a soil

    hardening effect that influences the decrease of long

    term settlements (as well as the reduction of long termhorizontal displacements, as shown inFig. 16). This ef-

    fect only happens because shear stress increases during

    the load periods and can reach higher values in the prob-

    lem with the vertical drains (the consolidation effect dur-

    ing the pause periods increases undrained strength of the

    soil). If the problem was one-dimensional (as in the

    oedometer tests), this effect would not take place be-

    cause in the load periods there is no variation of effective

    stress (in undrained conditions) and it is indifferent

    whether there is pause periods or not, if total load is

    the same.

    The third effect is the uniformity of settlements along

    z-direction for the embankment with band drains, de-

    spite its three-dimensional behaviour in terms of stresses

    and water flow. This point is justified by the existence of

    arch effect inside the fill, which is expressed by the

    application of a non-uniform vertical load on the foun-

    dation surface (seeFig. 17). The vertical load, at a deter-

    mined phase, is smaller on zones that tend, by

    consolidation, to settle more than the others, i.e., near

    the vertical drains. This effect, as shown by field results

    [1012], tends to be equilibrated in a non-uniform distri-

    bution of the vertical load that approximately unifor-

    mizes the corresponding settlements.

    Finally,Figs. 18 and 19 show values of the stress lev-

    els (which vary from 0 to 1, being 1 the critical state le-

    vel) at different phases of the problem; Fig. 20presentsthe effective principal stresses for the embankment with-

    out vertical drains at the ends of construction and

    consolidation.

    The definition of stress level, SL, is given in Fig. 21

    for an arbitrary stress state represented by the point A

    in the pq plane, where p is the effective mean stress

    and q the deviatoric stress.

    For the embankment without vertical drains (Fig.

    18), one can point out that: (i) during the construction

    period, the main characteristic of the problem is

    Fig. 16. Horizontal displacements at the end of construction and at the end of consolidation along vertical line under the toe (points withx = 8.3 m

    and, for three-dimensional case,z = 0) for the embankment with and without vertical drains.

    Fig. 17. Increment of vertical effective stress (kPa) at the end of

    construction for the embankment with vertical drains.

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    expressed by the increase of the stress levels in the foun-

    dation (and therefore by the decrease of the problem

    safety[27,32]), especially in Zone B (Fig. 10); as shown

    in Fig. 20(a), this effect is associated with an effective

    stress path basically characterised by the rotation of

    the principal stresses directions (i.e., low variations of

    effective mean stress and significant increases of devia-

    toric stress); (ii) during the post-construction period,

    the effective stress path (associated with the dissipation

    of the excess pore pressures) is characterized by expres-

    sive increases of effective mean stress and low variations

    of deviatoric stress (for inFig. 20the magnitude of the

    principal stresses increases without their directions sig-

    nificantly changing), which implies a generalised reduc-

    tion of the stress levels, as illustrated in Fig. 18.

    With regard to the results of stress levels of the

    embankment with vertical drains (Fig. 19), the main

    difference in relation to the embankment without

    drains concerns the very significant reduction of the

    stress levels at all phases of the problem (and particu-

    Fig. 18. Stress levels for the embankment without vertical drains. (a) 1

    m height embankment (time = 14 days). (b) 2 m height embankment

    (end of construction). (c) End of consolidation.

    Fig. 19. Stress levels for the embankment with vertical drains. (a) 1 m height embankment (time = 14 days). (b) 2 m height embankment (end of

    construction). (c) End of consolidation.

    Fig. 20. Effective principal stresses for the embankment without

    vertical drains. (a) End of construction. (b) End of consolidation.

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