scholarly journals Influence of plastic fines content on the liquefaction susceptibility of sands: monotonic loading

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meisam Goudarzy ◽  
Debdeep Sarkar ◽  
Wolfgang Lieske ◽  
Torsten Wichtmann

AbstractThe paper presents an experimental study on the effect of plastic fines content on the undrained behavior and liquefaction susceptibility of sand–fines mixtures under monotonic loading. The results of undrained monotonic triaxial compression tests conducted on mixtures of Hostun sand with varying amount (0–20%) and type (kaolin and calcigel bentonite) of plastic fines are presented. The specimens were prepared with different initial densities using the moist tamping method and consolidated at two different isotropic effective stresses. The results demonstrate that for both types of plastic fines, an increase in the fines content leads to a more contractive response and lower values of mobilized deviatoric stress. Despite similar relative density and fines content, the sand–kaolin mixtures showed a more contractive behavior than the sand–calcigel specimens. The steady-state lines (SSLs) in e–p´ space generally move downwards with increasing clay content. While the slopes of the SSLs for the clean Hostun sand and the mixtures with 10 and 20% kaolin are quite similar, the SSL lines for the specimens containing 10% or 20% calcigel run steeper or flatter, respectively. The inclination of the SSL in the q–p′ plane was found independent of clay type and content. The sand–kaolin mixtures were observed to be more susceptible to instability and flow liquefaction than the sand–calcigel mixtures.

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 931-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Murat Monkul ◽  
Jerry A. Yamamuro

This study investigates the fines content influence on liquefaction potential of a single base sand mixed with three different essentially nonplastic silts through strain-controlled monotonic undrained triaxial compression tests. Confining stress (30 kPa) and deposition method (dry funnel deposition) were kept the same, while fines content was varied, to solely focus on how different silts and their contents influence the undrained response of the sand under comparable conditions. It was found that if the mean grain diameter ratio (D50-sand/d50-silt) of the sand grains to silt grains is sufficiently small, the liquefaction potential of the sand increases steadily with increasing fines content for the studied range (0%–20%). As D50-sand/d50-silt increases, the liquefaction potential of the silty sand might actually be less than the liquefaction potential of the clean sand. Test results also revealed that commonly used comparison bases (i.e., void ratio, intergranular void ratio, relative density) are not sufficient for assessing the influence of fines on liquefaction potential of silty sands. Finally, relative size of the silt grains should also be considered in geotechnical engineering practice in addition to content and plasticity of fines to characterize the influence of silt on liquefaction potential of sands.


2008 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 1525-1537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fletcher M. Wood ◽  
Jerry A. Yamamuro ◽  
Poul V. Lade

The results from a laboratory experimental study on silty sand are presented. Undrained triaxial compression tests were performed on Nevada sand containing nonplastic silt. All specimens underwent monotonic loading after isotropic consolidation to 25 kPa. Various depositional techniques were used to create specimens to compare their stress–strain behavior within three separate density ranges and three different silt contents. As density increased, the effect of the depositional method on the undrained behavior decreased. The influence of the depositional method on specimen behavior also was found to increase with silt content, particularly at lower densities. These findings therefore are of special interest with regard to laboratory testing for the purpose of characterizing liquefaction potential, where loose, silty sands may be encountered. A description and analysis of five different depositional techniques is provided. These methods include: dry funnel deposition, water sedimentation, slurry deposition, mixed dry deposition, and air pluviation. The results of the undrained testing are analyzed using void ratio after consolidation and silt content as the bases of comparison.


1999 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 482-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
J L Grozic ◽  
P K Robertson ◽  
N R Morgenstern

Methane gas, found in loose deltaic deposits, can contribute to the triggering of flow liquefaction of submarine slopes. The behavior of loose gassy sand is studied in the laboratory using monotonic consolidated undrained triaxial compression tests. Samples consisted of reconstituted Ottawa sand prepared to degrees of saturation ranging from 80 to 100%. Gas contents were determined using a time domain reflectometry miniprobe with a series of calibrations relating apparent dielectric constant to degree of saturation. The results indicate that loose gassy sands can strain soften and experience flow liquefaction. If the degree of saturation is lower than the "cut-off" value, for a specific void ratio, flow liquefaction will not occur.Key words: triaxial testing, liquefaction, Ottawa sand, gassy, unsaturated.


2015 ◽  
Vol 771 ◽  
pp. 104-107
Author(s):  
Riska Ekawita ◽  
Hasbullah Nawir ◽  
Suprijadi ◽  
Khairurrijal

An unconsolidated undrained (UU) test is one type of triaxial compression tests based on the nature of loading and drainage conditions. In order to imitate the UU triaxial compression tests, a UU triaxial emulator with a graphical user interface (GUI) was developed. It has 5 deformation sensors (4 radial deformations and one vertical deformation) and one axial pressure sensor. In addition, other inputs of the emulator are the cell pressure, the height of sample, and the diameter of sample, which are provided by the user. The emulator also facilitates the analysis and storage of measurement data. Deformation data fed to the emulator were obtained from real measurements [H. Nawir, Viscous effects on yielding characteristics of sand in triaxial compression, Dissertation, Civil Eng. Dept., The University of Tokyo, 2002]. Using the measurement data, the stress vs radial strain, stress vs vertical strain, and Mohr-Coulomb circle curves were obtained and displayed by the emulator.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 448-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.S. Lees ◽  
J. Clausen

Conventional methods of characterizing the mechanical properties of soil and geogrid separately are not suited to multi-axial stabilizing geogrid that depends critically on the interaction between soil particles and geogrid. This has been overcome by testing the soil and geogrid product together as one composite material in large specimen triaxial compression tests and fitting a nonlinear failure envelope to the peak failure states. As such, the performance of stabilizing, multi-axial geogrid can be characterized in a measurable way. The failure envelope was adopted in a linear elastic – perfectly plastic constitutive model and implemented into finite element analysis, incorporating a linear variation of enhanced strength with distance from the geogrid plane. This was shown to produce reasonably accurate simulations of triaxial compression tests of both stabilized and nonstabilized specimens at all the confining stresses tested with one set of input parameters for the failure envelope and its variation with distance from the geogrid plane.


2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (10) ◽  
pp. 1583-1599 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Kurz ◽  
Jitendra Sharma ◽  
Marolo Alfaro ◽  
Jim Graham

Clays exhibit creep in compression and shear. In one-dimensional compression, creep is commonly known as “secondary compression” even though it is also a significant component of deformations resulting from shear straining. It reflects viscous behaviour in clays and therefore depends on load duration, stress level, the ratio of shear stress to compression stress, strain rate, and temperature. Research described in the paper partitions strains into elastic (recoverable) and plastic (nonrecoverable) components. The plastic component includes viscous strains defined by a creep rate coefficient ψ that varies with plasticity index and temperature (T), but not with stress level or overconsolidation ratio (OCR). Earlier elastic–viscoplastic (EVP) models have been modified so that ψ = ψ(T) in a new elastic–thermoviscoplastic (ETVP) model. The paper provides a sensitivity analysis of simulated results from undrained (CIŪ) triaxial compression tests for normally consolidated and lightly overconsolidated clays. Axial strain rates range from 0.15%/day to 15%/day, and temperatures from 28 to 100 °C.


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