Abstract
This paper deals with a new simple shear apparatus for the investigation of mechanical soil behavior of unsaturated coarse-grained soils under monotonous and cyclic loading conditions. Non-cohesive soils, such as sands, typically encounter low capillary effects, and little research has been dedicated to them so far. This holds true especially for effects of repeated loading. The presented test setup allows control of small matric suction up to 85 kPa within the soil specimens with the help of a vacuum control method. Although the pore water pressures are negative as occurring in nature, the pore air pressure is kept at an atmospheric level. Depending on the pore water drainage condition of the specimen boundaries, either drained constant suction tests (CS-tests) or undrained constant water content tests (CW-tests) can be performed. The focus of the research is placed on the interaction of loading and volume change with matric suction and degree of saturation, i.e., the hydraulic-mechanical coupling, during monotonous and cyclic shear. Central questions are the impact of matric suction and degree of saturation on the densification behavior as well as, vice versa, the effect of cyclic loading on a change of matric suction and degree of saturation. The new simple shear apparatus and testing method will be explained, their benefits and shortcomings will be discussed, and selected results of a series of tests will be presented.
Issue Section:
Research Papers
References
1.
ASTM D6528-07:
Standard Test Method for Consolidated Undrained Direct Simple Shear Testing of Cohesive Soils
, Annual Book of ASTM Standards, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2007.2.
Aubertin
, M.
, Mbonimpa
, M.
, Bussière
, B.
, and Chapuis
, R. P.
, 2003
, “A Model to Predict the Water Retention Curve From Basic Geotechnical Properties
,” Can. Geotech. J.
, Vol. 40
, No. 6
, pp. 1104
–1122
.3.
Becker
, A.
, 2002
, “Stoffmodell und numerisches Modell für zyklisch beanspruchte teilgesättigte Sande [Constitutive and numerical model for cyclically loaded unsaturated sands]
,” Ph.D. thesis, Fachgebiet Bodenmechanik und Grundbau, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany (in German).4.
Becker
, T.
, 2012
, “Materialverhalten eines teilgesättigten bindigen Bodens unter zyklischer Belastung [Material behavior of an unsaturated cohesive soil under cyclic loading]
,” Ph.D. thesis, Fachgebiet Bodenmechanik und Grundbau, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany (in German) (in German).5.
Bishop
, A. W.
, 1959
, “The Principle of Effective Stress
,” Teknisk Ukeblad
, Vol. 106
, No. 39
, pp. 859
–863
.6.
Craciun
, O.
and Lo
, S.-C. R.
, 2009
, “Matric Suction Measurement in Stress Path Cyclic Triaxial Testing of Unbound Granular Base Materials
,” Geotech. Test. J.
, Vol. 33
, No. 1
, pp. 33
–45
.7.
DIN 18127:2012-09,
2012
, “Soil, Investigation and Testing, Proctor-Test
,” Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (DIN), Berlin.8.
Donald
, I. B.
, 1956
, “Shear Strength Measurements in Unsaturated Non-Cohesive Soils With Negative Pore Pressures
,” Proceedings of the 2nd Australia-New Zealand Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
, Christchurch, New Zealand, Jan 23–26, 1956, pp. 200
–205
.9.
Fredlund
, D. G.
and Rahardjo
, H.
, 1993
, Soil Mechanics for Unsaturated Soils
, Wiley
, New York
.10.
Gallipoli
, D.
, Wheeler
, S. J.
, and Karstunen
, M.
, 2003
, “Modelling the Variation of Degree of Saturation in a Deformable Unsaturated Soil,
” Géotechnique
, Vol.
53
, No. 1
, pp. 105
–112
.11.
Grabe
, J.
and Milatz
, M.
, 2014
, “The Change of Matric Suction due to Heavy Vehicle Crossing
,” Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils (UNSAT 2014)
, Vol. 2
, Sydney, Australia, July 2–4, pp. 1431
–1437
.12.
Hilf
, J. W.
, 1956
, “An Investigation of Pore-Water Pressure in Compacted Cohesive Soils
,” Technical Memorandum No. 654, U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation, Design and Construction Devision, Denver, CO.13.
Jotisankasa
, A.
, 2005
, “Collapse Behaviour of a Compacted Silty Clay
,” Ph.D. thesis, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College, London.14.
Likos
, W. J.
, Wayllace
, A.
, Godt
, J.
, and Lu
, N.
, 2010
, “Modified Direct Shear Apparatus for Unsaturated Sands at Low Suction and Stress
,” Geotech. Test. J.
, Vol. 33
, No. 4
, pp. 286
–298
.15.
Lu
, N.
and Likos
, W. J.
, 2006
, “Suction Stress Characteristic Curve for Unsaturated Soil
,” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng.
, Vol. 132
, No. 2
, pp. 131
–142
.16.
Lu
, N.
, Godt
, J. W.
, and Wu
, D. T.
, 2010
, “A Closed-Form Equation for Effective Stress in Unsaturated Soil
,” Water Res. Res.
, Vol. 46
, No. 5
, pp. 1
–14
.17.
Meilani
, I.
, Rahardjo
, H.
, Leong
, E.-C.
, and Fredlund
, D. G.
, 2002
, “Mini Suction Probe for Matric Suction Measurements
,” Can. Geotech. J.
, Vol. 39
, No. 6
, pp. 1427
–1432
.18.
Milatz
, M.
, 2013
, “On the Control of Low Negative Water Pressures in Laboratory Tests on Unsaturated Sand
,” Proceedings of the 5th International Young Geotechnical Engineers' Conference (iYGEC)
, Paris, Aug 31–Sept 1st, 2013, pp. 55
–58
.19.
Milatz
, M.
and Grabe
, J.
, 2014
, “Triaxial and Simple Shear Tests on Unsaturated Sand Specimens With Negative Pore Water Pressures
,” Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils (UNSAT 2014)
, Vol. 2
, Sydney, Australia, July 2–4, pp. 1631
–1637
.20.
Nishimura
, T.
, Koseki
, J.
, Fredlund
, D. G.
, and Rahardjo
, H.
, 2012
, “Microporous Membrane Technology for Measurement of Soil–Water Characteristic Curve
,” Geotech. Test. J.
, Vol. 35
, No. 1
, pp. 1
–8
.21.
Purwana
, Y. M.
, Jitsangiam
, P.
, Nikraz
, H.
, and Jotisankasa
, A.
, 2011
, “Experimental Studies of Suction-Monitored Direct Shear Apparatus on Perth Poorly Graded Sand
,” Proceedings of the International Conference on Advances in Geotechnical Engineering
, Perth, Australia, Nov 7–9, 2011, pp. 273
–278
.22.
Ridley
, A. M.
and Burland
, J. B.
, 1993
, “A New Instrument for the Measurement of Soil Moisture Suction
,” Géotechnique
, Vol. 43
, No. 2
, pp. 321
–324
.23.
Roscoe
, K. H.
, 1953
, “An Apparatus for the Application of Simple Shear to Soil Samples
,” Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (ICSMFE)
, Switzerland, Aug 16–27, Vol. 1
, pp. 186
–191
.24.
Schümann
, B.
, 2010
, “Modeling of Soils as Multiphase-Materials With Abaqus
,” Proceedings of the 2010 Simulia Customer Conference
, Providence, Rhode-Island, May 25–27, pp. 384
–398
.25.
Tarantino
, A.
and Tombolato
, S.
, 2005
, “Coupling of Hydraulic and Mechanical Behaviour in Unsaturated Compacted Clay
,” Géotechnique
, Vol. 55
, No. 4
, pp. 307
–317
.26.
Tombolato
, S.
, Tarantino
, A.
, and Mongiovi
, L.
, 2008
, “A Simple Shear Apparatus for Testing Unsaturated Soils
,” Unsaturated Soils. Advances in Geo-Engineering, Proceedings of the 1st European Conference, E-Unsat 2008
, Durham, UK, July 2–4, 2008, pp. 89
–95
.27.
Vanapalli
, S. K.
, Nicotera
, M. V.
, and Sharma
, R. S.
, 2008
, “Axis Translation and Negative Water Column Techniques for Suction Control
,” Geotech. Geol. Eng.
, Vol. 26
, No. 6
, pp. 645
–660
.28.
Wood
, D. M.
, Drescher
, A.
, and Budhu
, M.
, 1979
, “On the Determination of Stress State in the Simple Shear Apparatus
,” Geotech. Test. J.
, Vol. 2
, No. 4
, pp. 211
–221
.
This content is only available via PDF.
All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or copied, in whole or part, in any printed, mechanical, electronic, film, or other distribution and storage media, without the written consent of ASTM International.
You do not currently have access to this content.
