Particle breakage evolution of coral sand using triaxial compression tests

Particle breakage continuously changes the grading of granular materials and has a significant effect on their mechanical behaviors.Revealing the evolution pattern of particle breakage is valuable for development and validation of constitutive models for crushable materials.A series of parallel triaxial compression tests along the same loading paths but stopped at different axial strains were conducted on two coral sands with different particle sizes under drained and undrained conditions.The tested specimens were carefully sieved to investigate the intermediate accumulation of particle breakage during the loading process.The test results showed that under both drained and undrained conditions,particle breakage increases continuously with increasing axial strain but exhibits different accumulating patterns,and higher confining pressures lead to greater particle breakage.Based on the test results,the correlations between particle breakage and the stress state as well as the input energy were examined.The results demonstrated that either the stress state or input energy alone is inadequate for describing the intermediate process of particle breakage evolution.Then,based on experimental observation,a path-dependent model was proposed for particle breakage evolution,which was formulated in an incremental form and reasonably considers the effects of the past breakage history and current stress state on the breakage rate.The path-dependent model successfully reproduced the development of particle breakage during undrained triaxial compression using the parameters calibrated from the drained tests,preliminarily demonstrating its effectiveness for different stress paths.     

Anelastic strain recovery compliance of rocks and its application to in situ stress measurement

Laboratory experiments were performed under uniaxial compression for seven rocks, to measure anelastic strain recovery (ASR) compliance in volumetric and shear modes. Together with previous experiments in uniaxial, hydrostatic and triaxial compression, the effects of both the rock type and the magnitude of stress on ASR compliance in both modes were analyzed, with particular focus on long-term ASR compliances resulting in ultimate values of J_aV2f and J_aS2f in volumetric and shear modes, respectively. The results showed that the values of J_aV2f and J_aS2f obtained in uniaxial compression at 50% of the uniaxial compressive strength can be approximately determined by the tangential Young's modulus at 50% of the uniaxial compressive strength (E₅₀). The ratio J_aV2f/J_aS2f obtained in uniaxial compression at 50% of the uniaxial compressive strength converges within a narrow range at a sufficient elapsed time for all of the rocks used in this study, whereas the long-term ASR compliances in both modes are not a similar function of time. The ratio J_aV2f/J_aS2f significantly decreases with the mean normal stress since J_aV2f decreases and J_aS2f increases as the mean normal stress increases. Thus, a method is suggested for determining the approximate magnitudes of principal stresses without referring to ASR compliance but rather by considering the effect of the mean normal stress on long-term ASR compliance. This method was verified by applying it to experimental data. Furthermore, a method is proposed for determining the applicability of the ASR method prior to its application in the field by using the depth and the value of E₅₀.     

Behavior of geogrid–reinforced sand and effect of reinforcement anchorage in large-scale plane strain compression

This paper presents experimental investigations on the behavior of geogrid–reinforced sand featuring reinforcement anchorage which simulates the reinforcement connected to the wall facings in numerous in-situ situations. A series of large plane strain compression tests (the specimen 56 cm high × 56 cm wide × 45 cm long) was conducted. Standard Ottawa sand and 4 types of PET geogrids exhibiting 5% stiffness in the range of 750–1700 kN/m were used in this study. The specimens were tested by varying the relative density of sand, confining pressures, geogrid types, and reinforcement-anchorage conditions. Experimental results indicate that relative to unreinforced specimens, both anchored and non-anchored geogrid reinforcements can enhance the peak shear strength and suppress the volumetric dilation of reinforced soil. The studies on anchorage revealed that anchoring the reinforcement can restrain the lateral expansion of reinforced specimens, resulting in a substantial increase in shear strength and a reduction in volumetric dilation. The strength ratios of non-anchored specimens appeared to be insensitive to the reinforcement stiffness, whereas the strength ratios of the anchored specimens increased markedly with increases in soil density, reinforcement stiffness, and system deformation (i.e., axial stain). Geogrid anchorage contributed a large percentage of the total shear-strength improvement, nearly 3-times more than the contribution of the soil–geogrid interaction in non-anchored specimens. Lastly, an analytical model was developed based on the concept that additional confinement is induced by reinforcement anchorage, and the predicted shear strength of the anchored soil was verified based on the experimental data.     

Liquefaction and post-liquefaction properties of sand-silt mixtures and undisturbed silty sands

Severe damage to earth structures mainly consisting of fine sands containing non-plastic silt has often occurred due to the liquefaction of the fill materials. However, the changes in the liquefaction susceptibility and post-liquefaction undrained behaviour of fine sands associated with the increase in the amount of non-plastic silt have not been well understood under a constant degree of compaction which has been employed as the construction management index for these structures. To clarify this point, a series of undrained cyclic triaxial liquefaction tests, followed by monotonic loading, was conducted on seven sand-silt mixtures with fines contents ranging from 0 to 100% in the present study. Undrained triaxial compression tests without precedent cyclic loading were also performed on the same materials for comparison purposes. In these tests, cylindrical specimens with an initial degree of compaction of 95%, prepared by the wet tamping method, were employed to simulate the construction conditions of earth structures. The test results showed that: (1) the liquefaction resistance, and the static strengths of specimens with and without precedent cyclic loading history decreased with increasing fines content ranging from 0 to 50%; however, they increased afterward, and (2) sand-silt mixtures with fines contents of 30, 50, and 65% consistently exhibited extremely small post-liquefaction strengths without showing any significant changes in the excess pore water pressure generated in the precedent liquefaction tests, which may lead to the post-liquefaction flow failure of earth structures. From these results, the risk of employing a uniform degree of compaction irrespective of the fines content was presented. In the present study, similar triaxial liquefaction tests, with measurements of the shear wave velocities by means of bender elements, were also conducted on both undisturbed and reconstituted non-plastic medium-fine sands containing fines which were retrieved from road embankments damaged possibly due to liquefaction brought about by the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake. The soil ageing effects were briefly discussed from the test results.     

Effect of fiber reinforcement and distribution on unconfined compressive strength of fiber-reinforced cemented sand

A series of unconfined compression tests were carried out to examine the effect of fiber reinforcement and distribution on the strength of fiber-reinforced cemented sand (FRCS). Nakdong River sand, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber, cement and water were mixed and compacted into a cylindrical sample with five equal layers. PVA fibers were randomly distributed at a predetermined layer among the five compacted layers. The strength of the FRCS increases as the number of fiber inclusion layers increases. A fiber-reinforced specimen, where fibers were evenly distributed throughout the five layers, was twice as strong as a non-fiber-reinforced specimen. Using the same amount of fibers to reinforce two different specimens, a specimen with five fiber inclusion layers was 1.5 times stronger than a specimen with one fiber inclusion layer at the middle of the specimen. The fiber reinforcement and distribution throughout the entire specimen resulted in a significant increase in the strength of the FRCS.     

An investigation into the effects of lime on compressive and shear strength characteristics of fiber-reinforced clays

To meet the ever-increasing construction demands around the world during recent years,reinforcement and stabilization methods have been widely used by geotechnical engineers to improve the performances and behavior of fine-grained soils.Although lime stabilization increases the compressive strength of soils,it reduces the soil ductility at the same time.Recent research shows that random fiber inclusion modifies the brittleness of soils.In the current research,the effects of lime and polypropylene(PP) fiber additions on such characteristics as compressive and shear strengths,failure strain,secant modulus of elasticity(E_(50)) and shear strength parameters of mixtures were investigated.Kaolinite was treated with 1%,3% and 5% lime by dry weight of soil and reinforced with 0.1% monovalent PP fibers with the length of 6 mm.Samples were prepared at optimum conditions and cured at 35℃ for 1 d,7 d and28 d at 90% relative humidity and subsequently subjected to uniaxial and triaxial compression tests(UCT and TCT) under cell pressures of 25 kPa,50 kPa and 100 kPa.Results showed that inclusion of random PP fibers to clay-lime mixtures increases both compressive and shear strengths as well as the ductility.Lime content and curing period were found to be the most influential factors.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) analysis showed that lime addition and the formation of cementitious compounds bind soil particles and increase soil/fiber interactions at interface,leading to enhanced shear strength.The more ductile the stabilized and reinforced composition,the less the cracks in roads and waste landfill covers.     

海水冻融侵蚀下PVA-纳米SiO2混凝土性能试验研究

采用快冻法研究了海水冻融环境下PVA纤维和纳米SiO2对混凝土抗冻性能的影响.结果表明:每25次冻融循环结束后,不同类型混凝土的相对动弹性模量和抗压强度剩余比都有不同程度的下降;PVA纤维和纳米SiO2均能提升混凝土的抗冻性能;单掺PVA纤维或纳米SiO2试验组的抗冻性普遍低于PVA-纳米SiO2混掺试验组;混掺0.1...     

Dynamic properties of calcareous and siliceous sands under isotropic and anisotropic stress conditions

The strain-dependent dynamic properties of sand are generally described by their relative density and mean effective stress, while the contribution of other factors, like soil origin, mineralogy, grain morphology, and initial stress anisotropy, have not been fully recognized. This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the shear modulus and damping ratio of calcareous and siliceous sands of different origins and their identical grain size distribution and stress-density states. Resonant column and cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on reconstituted samples of these two sands obtained from coastal areas. The significance of the initial effective confining pressure and stress anisotropy on the dynamic properties of the sands is evaluated and compared. It is demonstrated that the small-strain shear modulus of the calcareous sand is more affected by an increase in mean effective confining pressure than the siliceous sand. However, the effect of the initial shear on the secant shear modulus of the sands is unique. Based on the test data, a rigorous correction factor is proposed to account for the influence of the initial stress anisotropy on the small-strain shear modulus of the sands. A comparison between the strain-dependent dynamic properties of the calcareous and siliceous sands reveals that the calcareous sand has a higher secant shear modulus, lower damping ratio, and higher linear and volumetric threshold strain. Since the stress-density states and grain size distribution of the two sands were identical in the experiments, the discrepancy in the dynamic properties can be attributed to other factors, including sand origin, grain angularity, mineralogy, and formation processes, which are not commonly taken into account in the current practice.     

Fiber reinforcement effects on sand considering a wide cementation range

This paper describes laboratory drained standard triaxial tests conducted on artificially cemented Osorio sand specimens reinforced with randomly oriented discrete extensible polypropylene fibers. Cemented specimens were prepared with cement contents varying from 0% to 10% by weight of dry sand and cured for seven days. Fiber length and diameter were 24 mm and 0.023 mm, respectively, in the contents of 0% and 0.5% by weight of dry sand–cement mixture. Test results indicated that the addition of cement to sand increases stiffness, peak strength and brittleness. Both cement and fiber insertions affect dramatically the stress–dilatancy behavior of the sand. The fiber reinforcement increases peak strength just up to a certain cement content (up to about 5% in the present study), increases ultimate strength, decreases stiffness and changes the cemented sand brittle behavior to a more ductile one. The triaxial peak strength increase due to fiber inclusion is more effective for smaller amounts of cement, while the increase in ultimate strength is more efficacious when fiber is added to sand improved with higher cement contents. Peak strength envelopes indicate that the friction angle is about 46° for fiber-reinforced specimens containing up to 7% cement content, reaching 51.5° for higher cement contents. Cohesion intercept is drastically affected due to fiber addition to all cement contents, increasing for cement contents up to 4% and reducing for higher cement contents. It is important to make clear that the trends observed herein are relevant for the soil, cement and fiber type used in the present research and that further studies are necessary to generalize such findings.     

Static liquefaction behavior of saturated fiber-reinforced sand in undrained ring-shear tests

The problem of static liquefaction of sand is nowadays a classical soil mechanics subject. Using a ring-shear apparatus, we explore the possibility of fiber reinforcement as a new method to improve the liquefaction resistance of sand. In order to understand the effect of the fiber content and sand density on the static liquefaction behavior of fiber-reinforced sand, a series of undrained ring-shear tests were carried out on saturated samples with different fiber content and sand density, and the test results and mechanisms of fiber reinforcement were then analyzed. The results indicate that the undrained shear behavior of fiber-reinforced loose samples is not greatly influenced by the presence of fiber, but for medium dense and dense samples, the presence of fiber clearly affects their undrained behavior. Untreated specimens showed a continuous decrease in shear resistance after failure, while the specimens treated with fiber showed fluctuations even after shear failure, and these fluctuations become stronger with increasing fiber content. The peak shear strength increases with the fiber content, especially in dense specimens. After shearing, all the fiber-reinforced and untreated dense samples maintained structural stability, while the unreinforced loose samples showed a completely collapse of structure. The presence of fibers may thus limit or even prevent the occurrence of lateral spreading that is often observed in unreinforced sand.     

风积沙的工程力学性质试验研究

对风积沙的压实特性、压缩特性、强度特性进行了系统的试验研究,得出了各影响因素的变化关系曲线,试验结果表明,风积沙的压实效果受颗粒级配、含水量、荷载大小、振动频率及振幅等因素影响.     

Compression and extension yield of an anisotropically consolidated soil

A series of undrained and drained triaxial tests were conducted to investigate the yielding behavior of anisotropically consolidated reconstituted Shanghai clay under triaxial compression and extension loading conditions. The soil was consolidated with K of 0.5, where K is the ratio of cell pressure to axial pressure. The tests included drained constant η (=q/p′) loading tests and undrained and drained triaxial compression and extension shear tests on anisotropically consolidated specimens. It was found that the anisotropically consolidated Shanghai clay obeys Rendulic’s principle under compression loading, but not under extension loading, and that the yield surface inclined inside the state boundary surface under extension loading. Moreover, the pre-yield behavior and the post-yield behavior were found to be very different under these two loading conditions (compression and extension loading). The test results confirm the validity of the sloping elastic wall theory, and the influence of anisotropic parameter β on the shape of the yield curve in the p′?v plane was also studied in the paper. Constitutive modeling methods for anisotropic consolidated soils were also discussed based on the test results.     

Development of a transparent triaxial cell and observation of rock deformation in compression and creep tests

A transparent triaxial cell was designed and manufactured using acrylic resin. The cell was used to conduct strength and creep tests. Photographs were taken of the specimens at constant time intervals during the constant strain rate test. Photographs were also taken at constant intervals of strain during the creep test, but this rate was changed to one image per second when the specimens first showed tertiary creep. Comparison of the axial and lateral strains during the constant strain-rate and creep tests indicated no significant differences between the two tests. It is well known that the axial creep strain rate is inversely proportional to remaining life in tertiary creep. This study showed that the lateral creep strain rate is also inversely proportional to remaining life. The constant strain-rate tests were conducted with transparent end pieces attached firmly to the upper and lower ends of the specimens. Three holes were drilled into the end pieces, and water was expelled into the holes when the specimens were compressed. It was clearly observed that the water began flowing from the holes back into the specimen during the volumetric expansion of the specimen. The transparent triaxial cell permitted easy observation of water ejection and re-absorption into the specimens.     

A constitutive model for evaluation of mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforced cemented sand

The aim of this study is to present a constitutive model for prediction of the mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforced cemented sand. For this purpose, a generalized plasticity constitutive model of sandy soil is selected and the parameters of the model are determined for three types of sandy soils using the results of triaxial tests. Next, the proposed model is developed using the existing models based on the physico-mechanical characteristics of fiber-reinforced cemented sand. The elastic parameters, flow rule and hardening law of the base model are modified for fiber-reinforced cemented sand. To verify the proposed model, the predicted results are compared with those of triaxial tests performed on fiber-reinforced cemented sand. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed model is studied at different confining pressures, and cement and fiber contents.     

Evaluation of compressibility and small strain stiffness characteristics of sand reinforced with discrete synthetic fibers

This experimental investigation evaluates the compressibility and small strain stiffness of sand reinforced with discrete synthetic fibers. Varying fiber contents (FC), fiber aspect ratios (AR), and void ratios were selected as testing variables in this study, and the modified oedometer tests were conducted to measure the compression index (C_c) and maximum shear modulus (G_max) of fiber-reinforced sand. The results of this study demonstrate that the C_c of the tested fiber-reinforced sand increases with an increase in FC because the packing of sand grains in the fiber-reinforced sand is very loose due to a disruption of direct contact between the sand grains due to the presence of long discrete fibers. Additionally, this disruption of direct contact between sand grains due to the fibers results in a reduction of interparticle contact and coordination number between sand grains. Therefore, the G_max of tested fiber-reinforced sand decreases with an increase in FC. Most notably, the G_max of the tested fiber-reinforced sand with varying FC and AR can be expressed as a single function of the void ratio at a given applied stress, which implies that the inclusion of fibers just alters the packing state of sand grains, and the interparticle contact stiffness is mainly determined by the contacts between sand grains.     

初始干密度及掺砂比对膨胀土抗剪强度指标影响

研究了风化砂改良膨胀土对抗剪强度及其指标的影响。通过改变风化砂的掺量,研究了风化砂对膨胀土物理性质的影响。试验表明,随着掺砂比例的增加,最佳含水率逐渐下降,渗透系数逐渐增大,说明风化砂能有效降低膨胀土的塑性指数,增大膨胀土的透水性能,使之更适合用作公路路基填料。通过研究风化砂掺入比例及初始干密度对膨胀土抗剪强度指标c、φ值及抗剪强度的影响,可以得出:在掺砂比例一定时,改良膨胀土的粘聚力随着初始干密度的增大而增大,内摩擦角随着初始干密度的增大先增大后减小再增大,抗剪强度值总体逐渐增大;在初始干密度一定时,改良膨胀土的粘聚力随着掺砂比例的增大而减小,内摩擦角随着掺砂比例的增大先增大后减小,抗剪强度总体变化趋势减小。当初始干密度为2.0 g/cm³,掺砂比例为30%时,抗剪强度达到最大值。     

松干密度的测定及其在灰土地基质量控制中的作用

提出了土和石灰松干密度的概念及其试验测定方法,并将其应用于石灰土的体积含灰比到质量含灰比的换算。研究表明,该方法可应用于灰土击实试验和灰土地基施工质量控制。对石灰土地基施工和质量检测工作具有明确的指导作用。     

Physical and mechanical properties of chemically grouted sand

It is generally accepted that only chemical grouts or solutions are available to penetrate and fill narrow joints or soils with very small pore size. Over the last 30 years a few hundreds of different compounds have been used for this purpose showing a wide spectrum of properties. Epoxy resins are among the compounds that are commonly used in building restoration because of their high strength and durability against mechanical or physical erosion. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the improvement of the physical properties (water permeability, porosity and dry unit weight) and mechanical properties (compressive strength, elastic modulus, splitting tensile strength and strength under triaxial stress conditions) of fine sand mixed with a water-soluble two component epoxy resin is, since there is not any published data about the efficiency of such high strength material in ground improvement. The experiments were carried out using different solutions of epoxy resin, which had epoxy resin/water (ER/W) ratio of 2.0, 1.5, 1.0 and 0.5. Cylindrical specimens were prepared by mixing fine sand with an adequate quantity of epoxy resin and were used for compression, splitting tensile and triaxial strength tests. Development of compressive and splitting tensile strength was evaluated from tests at the ages of 3, 7 and 28 days whereas strength under triaxial conditions was determined on specimens cured for 28 days.The results of this study indicate that the epoxy resin solutions, especially the solutions with low water content resulted in higher strength, lower porosity and lower water permeability of the sand, improving significantly the physical and mechanical properties of the fine sand.