A prediction model for the loading-wetting volumetric behavior of unsaturated granular materials

Geotechnical structures made of granular material tend to be unsaturated during their service life. However, there is presently a lack of sufficient research and studies on their volumetric behavior under unsaturated conditions. In this study, loading and wetting induced volumetric behavior of granular materials in the unsaturated state was studied within a moisture content-based framework. Recycled crushed brick (CB) and excavation waste rock (WR) were the granular materials used in this research to promote sustainable construction. Several loading, unloading, and wetting state paths were investigated with respect to virgin compaction surfaces (VCS) developed using groups of compaction curves. The obtained experimental data was utilized to develop a constitutive model capable of predicting wetting-induced volume changes of granular materials in a net stress range of 100–4000 kPa and gravimetric moisture content range of 3.6% for WR, and 7.5% for CB to saturation. The model was verified by undertaking several independent state paths on independent materials and comparing the experimental responses with those predicted using the model. The proposed model is featured with simplicity in acquiring the model input parameters with the aim of filling the existing gap between the theoretical and real-life application of unsaturated soil mechanics. An application of the model can be the basis for the prediction of the settlement of a granular geotechnical structure that is being externally loaded and is subject to changes in moisture content due to climatic effects.     

等向应力下原状黄土的压缩及增湿变形特性研究

 用非饱和土三轴剪切渗透仪,在等向应力条件下对原状黄土进行增湿–加载,加载–增湿及加载–增湿–加载3个系列加载增湿路径试验,分析吸力对压缩变形和加载屈服特性的影响,探讨增湿时应力对变形及屈服特性的影响,通过对单线法及双线法的试验结果对比,确认原状黄土的增湿体积变形与加载增湿路径有关,加载及增湿屈服线不具有唯一性,进而提出等向应力条件下原状黄土的弹塑性体变模型。研究结果表明：吸力及应力分别对屈服前压缩及增湿变形特性指标几乎没有影响,而对屈服后的指标皆有明显的影响;单线法与双线法确定的增湿体积变形皆随应力的增大而先增大后减小,峰值点处应力与吸力丧失程度及加载增湿路径无关,且近似等于天然状态土样的初始屈服应力;增湿变形与加载增湿路径有关,单线法的值比双线法确定的值小,差值随增湿程度增大而减小,增湿至饱和时2种方法确定的湿陷变形近似相等。对于相同的塑性体应变,吸力减小屈服线位于加载屈服线之下方,二者随塑性体应变的增大而耦合联动扩大。提出的弹塑性体变模型可以较好地预测不同吸力下的压缩变形,比采用唯一加载湿陷屈服线的模型更好地预测不同应力下增湿变形。     

土的清华弹塑性模型及其发展

 土的清华弹塑性模型具有独特的建模方式。在Drucker假说的基础上,无需其他的附加假设,通过试验资料直接确定塑性势面和塑性势函数,选择适当的硬化参数使屈服函数与塑性势函数一致。通过真三轴试验及平面应变试验,利用该模型的建模方法,在π平面上确定了一种双圆弧的屈服轨迹,从而建立了该模型的三维形式,提出了相应的流动规则表达式;在小浪底堆石料的三轴湿化试验基础上,发现湿化应变作为一种塑性应变与通过该点的屈服面正交,因而只需分别确定干土与饱和土的清华弹塑性模型的参数,同时进行各向等压条件下的湿化试验,测量其湿化体应变,就可以计算出在任意应力状态下浸水湿化的应力应变全过程;与湿化的清华模型相似,进行了不同含水率的土的三轴试验,并进行在干土试样中预加冰屑然后在指定应力状态下使其融化均匀增湿的三轴试验,发现屈服函数不变,硬化参数可以表示为塑性应变和含水率的函数,从而绕过了基质吸力这一变量,建立了非饱和土的清华模型,试验表明它可以合理地预测从干试样增湿到其他含水率的应力应变全过程;密实的永定河砂的试验表明,在相同应力状态下,应变硬化段与应变软化段的塑性应变增量的方向是一致的,将硬化参数表示为塑性功的函数,则可以描述土的应变软化,模型试验结果表明了建立的反映应变软化的清华模型可以合理地计算浅基础的荷载沉降关系;将等向硬化改为旋转硬化,就可以计算砂土在减载和循环加载下的应力应变关系。清华弹塑性模型是一个具有很大发展空间的模型。     

粗粒料湿化变形特性研究

粗粒料作为建筑材料广泛使用于大坝、路基等变形控制要求较高的基础设施建设中,其中,使用过程中的湿化变形尤为重要。通过分析粗粒料单线法湿化试验数据发现,湿化体变与湿化轴变的比值k、平均主应力p和广义剪应力q三者满足扭面关系。当k恒定时,此扭面变为p-q平面内一条经过原点的直线。利用上述发现推导出了k的计算公式,其形式为q/p的对数函数。利用该文提出的湿化体变与湿化轴变比值的计算方法和湿化轴变与湿化应力水平的双曲线关系,拟合了三轴湿化试验数据,发现该文给出的计算湿化变形的方法不仅能够体现湿化体变的湿缩现象,还能体现湿胀现象,而且模拟值与试验数据拟合度较高。     

Effect of principal stress axis rotation on cyclic plastic deformation characteristics of unsaturated base course material

It is generally observed that the stress state induced through traffic loads inside the substructure of pavements cannot be exactly reproduced in laboratory element tests. Moreover, there are not sufficient studies that examine the behavior of granular material under unsaturated conditions, although such conditions are very prevalent in pavement structures. In this research, an attempt is made to determine the cyclic plastic deformation characteristics of unsaturated granular base course material, and to examine the effect of the rotation of the principal stress axis (experienced by pavement elements under traffic loads) on the mechanical behavior of unsaturated granular base course material by applying various loading methods. A series of laboratory element tests using a multi-ring shear apparatus, which can take into account the rotation of the principal stress axis, were carried out on granular base course material under different moisture contents. The experimental results show that the moisture content has an obvious effect on both the shear behavior and the cyclic plastic deformation of granular base course material. However, the moisture content for the maximum deformation of granular base course material varies according to the loading method. It is also explained that cyclic plastic deformation considerably increases due to the rotation of the principal stress axis under repeated axial and shear loading tests. Therefore, the principal stress axis rotation has a significant influence on the cyclic plastic deformation of unsaturated granular base course material.     

A 13-parameter model for unsaturated soil based on bounding surface plasticity

A few constitutive models for unsaturated soils have already been proposed,however,many classic models such as the Barcelona basic model can simulate neither complex volumetric soil behaviour（without forgetting its supreme merit of being the first consistently and rigorously formulated model） nor post-peak softening,and most advanced models generally comprise a large number of parameters making them more difficult to be applied to practical situations.In this paper,we present a new model for unsaturated soils based on an existing model developed originally for saturated soils.It comprises a minimum number of constitutive parameters.The extension to unsaturated state is achieved by following a general methodology previously developed in our laboratory.The capacities of this simple model are tested.With only 13 parameters,it can reproduce the basic behaviour of unsaturated soils such as rebound or collapse upon wetting,depending on the stress levels.It can also reproduce post-peak softening and transition from contractant to dilatant volumetric behaviour during undrained shear.Overall,the first tentative of validation gives a good correlation between simulations and experimental data,and shows encouraging signs for future developments.     

基于颗粒物质热动力学理论的非饱和土热水力耦合模型研究

基于颗粒物质热动力学理论和混合物理论,结合改进的土水特征曲线(SWCC)模型,考虑温度和饱和度变化引发的颗粒层次能量耗散,提出了一个非饱和土的热水力耦合模型。该模型引入颗粒熵和颗粒温度的概念,通过构建热力学恒等式得出非饱和土非弹性变形的本构关系,并通过迁移系数和能量函数模型将非饱和土体的耗散机制与宏观的物理力学行为建立联系。基于该理论模型,研究了非饱和土的热水力耦合问题,通过模拟结果与试验数据的对比,证实了模型的有效性。模拟结果表明,模型具有描述非饱和土在不同温度和吸力下的固结和剪切特性以及非等温条件下的热体应变特性的能力。     

堆石料的亚塑性边界面模型及其验证

 基于高莲士教授针对天生桥面板堆石坝灰岩所进行的堆石料在不同应力路径下的大型三轴试验结果, 提出亚塑性理论边界面模型参数的简捷确定方法。通过编制调参程序, 对堆石料典型三轴试验进行数值模拟, 与试验成果的对比表明, 模型能较好地反映各种复杂加载路径下堆石料变形性状。进而对恒应力比转折、恒应力比加卸载、平面应变试验等土体单元可能出现的复杂应力路径进行了预测, 对深入了解高围压下摩擦型材料的屈服及应力路径相关等特性具有一定意义。同时合理的模型参数为进行面板堆石坝的变形预测和数值仿真模拟奠定了基础。     

Suitability of swelling and collapse theory proposed based on virgin compression surface

This study investigates the suitability of the swelling and collapse theory proposed based on a constitutive virgin compression surface (VCS) developed within the modified Monash Peradeniya Kodikara (MPK) framework. The modified MPK approach incorporates net stress, void ratio, and moisture ratio as state variables to interpret the swelling-collapse behavior of unsaturated soils. The soil selected for this research was an expansive Quaternary age basaltic residual clay located in Victoria, Australia. The experimental program included testing on unsaturated compacted clay specimens and clay specimens stabilized with lime at the optimum lime content (OLC). The OLC was obtained based on the swelling potential. Static compaction tests were conducted on untreated and lime-treated samples to establish the VCS and to propose the relationship between moisture ratio and net stress. Next, 1-D compression and consolidation laboratory tests were carried out to investigate and compare the mechanism of collapse and swelling based on well-established suction-based theories and the moisture content-based approach of this research. The swelling and collapse response obtained through both theories were very close which verified the suitability of the moisture content-based approach, being the Modified MPK framework. This study also investigated the application of suction-controlled experimental data extracted from the relevant literature within the modified MPK framework. The novelty of this study is proposing and validating a framework for conversion of the results between two different partial theories to interpret the volumetric behavior of expansive clay. Finally, a new method is proposed to estimate the swelling-collapse state of a sample through wetting without the need to establish the VCS.     

等应力比路径下粗粒土湿化试验研究

采用古水面板坝玄武岩堆石料进行了等应力比路径下的粗粒土湿化试验。试验结果表明,在等应力比路径下的土体的湿化变形不仅受应力状态的影响还受加载应力路径的影响。在传统湿化变形公式中引入应力路径参量,并采用体积应力和参考应力水平描述应力状态对湿化变形的影响,建立了等应力比路径下的湿化变形公式。所建立的湿化变形公式能够很好地描述等应力比路径下的粗粒土湿化变形。     

非饱和土热–水–力全耦合本构模型及其验证

在地热资源开发与利用、核废料地质处理、垃圾填埋场等诸多岩土工程领域都需要考虑温度对非饱和土性质的影响。为了更为全面描述非饱和土在热–水–力耦合条件下的变形及持水特性,以平均土骨架应力、修正吸力和温度为应力变量,以比体积和饱和度为应变变量,建立了一个非饱和土热–水–力全耦合本构模型。模型通过屈服面方程及屈服面之间的耦合规律来反映热–水–力之间的相互影响,主要包含温度和饱和度对力学特性的影响,吸力和超固结比(应力历史)对热变形的影响,密度、温度和滞回效应对持水特性的影响,温度、应力和滞回效应对干化及湿化变形的影响。利用建立的模型,对不同应力路径下的试验进行预测。通过预测与试验结果的对比,验证了模型的适用性。     

Elasto-Plasticity of Unsaturated Soils: Laboratory Test Results on a Remoulded Silt

Current models of the elasto-plastic behaviour of unsaturated soils contain important underlying assumptions that have not been tested due to a lack of adequate experimental data. To address this issue, the objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive set of experimental data. An extensive experimental program has been performed on a remoulded unsaturated silt. To characterise its elasto-plastic behaviour, samples were taken through various stress paths, including wetting, drying and compression. Experimental results were analysed to provide (1) evidence of suction-induced preconsolidation; (2) dependence of cohesion and shear strength at failure on suction; (3) stiffness in relation to suction and (4) uniqueness of the critical state line.     

某板岩粗粒料湿化特性三轴试验研究

对某板岩粗粒料进行了大型三轴湿化变形试验,分析了湿化体积应变、湿化剪应变等随围压、应力水平变化关系。试验结果表明：湿化体积应变、湿化剪应变随着围压增大或应力水平的提高而增大。利用试验结果研究了沈珠江湿化变形模型对试验所用的板岩粗粒料的适用性。结果显示,沈珠江模型不能满意地反映湿化体积应变,但是,能较好地反映湿化剪应变与应力状态的关系。分析湿化后剪切强度性质,发现不同应力水平下湿化对粗粒土的强度指标影响很小。     

非饱和结构性黄土双轴湿陷试验的离散元分析

为了分析结构性黄土在复杂应力路径(非侧限压缩路径)下浸水和加荷的次序对黄土湿陷变形的影响以及探讨黄土在双轴剪切和浸水时粒间胶结破坏行为,本文应用分层欠压法制备出非饱和结构性黄土离散元试样,进行了单线法(不同增湿路径:一次增湿、逐步增湿)和双线法双轴数值湿陷试验。结果表明:单线法在某偏应力水平下浸水所得轴向湿陷应变大于双线法;当增湿偏应力大于增湿后试样的强度时会产生湿陷破坏。逐步增湿引起的体积变形小于一次增湿试验;逐步增湿比一次增湿胶结破坏点数量少。     

Constitutive model for swelling properties of unsaturated bentonite buffer materials during saturation

Bentonite-based materials are candidate buffer materials for the geological disposal of radioactive waste in many countries. Once the disposal facility is closed and the groundwater level recovers, the buffer will gradually become saturated by the infiltration of groundwater. The swelling properties of saturated bentonite affect the distribution of dry density and the stress state within the buffer. Therefore, to evaluate the long-term safety of the buffer, a model must be developed that can continuously express the mechanical behavior of bentonite from the construction and operation of the repository for disposal (the unsaturated state) to the resaturation phase (saturated state). In this study, the existing elastoplastic constitutive model for saturated expansive soils was extended to predict the mechanical response in the unsaturated state. In formulating this model, the effective degree of saturation and the plastic volumetric strain were employed as the hardening parameters to express the changes in stiffness and swelling properties due to desaturation or saturation. In addition, a method was proposed for estimating the material parameters added to the expanded constitutive model. This study demonstrated the validity of the proposed constitutive model and the parameter estimation method by comparing the results of simulations with those of laboratory tests.     

非饱和膨胀土变形和强度特性的三轴试验研究

为了研究吸力变化对非饱和膨胀土变形和抗剪强度特性的影响,利用三套新研制的双压力室非饱和土三轴仪,进行一系列吸湿试验、等吸力压缩固结试验和等吸力剪切试验。试验土样取自鄂西北的中膨胀性土,采用静力压实方法制备试样。试验成果表明:该非饱和膨胀土在低围压吸湿过程中的体变性状呈明显的屈服特性,因此验证了Barcelona膨胀土本构模型中SD屈服包线的存在。在等向压缩固结过程中,该非饱和膨胀土的屈服应力随吸力增加而增大,而屈服后的压缩系数随吸力增大而减少,表明吸力对土体具有硬化作用。该非饱和膨胀土的有效内摩擦角不随吸力变化而变化,吸力对抗剪强度的贡献(似凝聚力)随吸力呈非线性增加,吸力对该膨胀土抗剪强度的贡献明显高于压实高岭土和砂性土。     

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.     

双向耦合循环剪切条件下饱和砂土体应变发展规律试验研究

砂土的剪胀与循环应力路径密切相关。针对饱和南京细砂,利用空心圆柱扭剪仪(HCA)进行了一系列均等固结条件下轴向–扭转耦合循环剪切排水试验,研究了复杂应力路径下饱和砂土的剪胀性及其体应变量化方法。研究表明:双向耦合循环剪切条件下饱和砂土的剪胀由一个完全可逆的循环体应变分量和一个不可逆的累积体应变分量构成,循环应力路径对累积体应变发展规律影响显著;以等效循环应力比ESR作为表征复杂应力路径下动应力大小的指标,饱和砂土累积体应变与ESR值具有事实上的唯一性关系,累积体应变随ESR的增加而线性累积;通过引入参数ESR,提出了双向耦合剪切条件下饱和砂土累积体应变规准化方法。验证性试验表明新的体应变增量模型的预测值与试验结果的吻合度较高,而基于循环直剪试验结果建立的Byrne模型对双向耦合剪切条件下饱和南京细砂的体应变预测偏小。     

Characterizing the deformation behavior of Tertiary sandstones

Tertiary sandstones possess deformational behavior different from hard rocks, especially the relatively larger amount of volumetric dilation during shearing. Such excess dilation contributes to the increase of crown settlement during tunnel excavation and accounts for several cases of tunnel squeezing within Tertiary sandstones. Therefore, the deformation behavior of Tertiary sandstones sampled from more than 13 formations was studied. To distinguish the volumetric deformation induced by hydrostatic stress or by shear stress as well as to decompose the elastic and the plastic components of strains, special experimental techniques, including pure shear tests and cycles of loading–unloading were applied.The experimental results reveal that the deformation of Tertiary sandstone exhibits the following characteristics: (1) significant amount of shear dilation, especially elastic shear dilation; (2) non-linear elastic and plastic deformation; (3) plastic deformation occurs prior to the failure state. Furthermore, features of plastic deformation were inferred from experimental results and, as a result, the geometry of plastic potential surface and the hardening rule were accordingly determined. A constitutive model, involving nonlinear elastic/plastic deformation and volumetric deformation induced by shear stress, is proposed. This proposed model simulates the deformational behavior for the shear-dilation-typed rocks reasonably well. Furthermore, tests on the versatility of the proposed model, including varying hydrostatic stress and stress paths, indicate that the proposed model is capable of predicting deformational behavior for various conditions.     

Hypoplastic constitutive modeling of wetting deformation of weathered rockfill materials

The wetting deformation of weathered rockfill materials has been attracting growing attention from both engineers and scientists. The importance of realistic predictions of wetting deformations for high earth and rockfill dams is a strong motivation to establish a suitable constitutive model. Recently, the hypoplastic constitutive model by Gudehus and Bauer was extended by introducing solid hardness depending on the state of weathering. The extended model takes into account the influence of the current density, the effective stress state, the rate of deformation, and the time dependent process of degradation of the solid hardness. In the present paper, the performance of this model is evaluated by comparing numerical simulations with experiments obtained from a water sensitive rockfill material. In particular, triaxial compression paths and creep deformation under deviatoric stress states are considered. Finally, the constitutive model proposed is used to study the influence of a degradation of the solid hardness on the long term behavior of a hypothetical fill dam.