Inclusion of specific water volume within an elasto-plastic model for unsaturated soil

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
S J Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Critical State ◽  
Constitutive Models ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Triaxial Tests ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Plastic Model ◽  
Elasto Plasticity ◽  
Soil Behaviour

Existing elasto-plastic critical state constitutive models for unsaturated soil provide no information on the variation of water content or degree of saturation. These models cannot therefore, for example, be used to predict unsaturated soil behaviour during undrained loading, when the variation of suction is determined by the requirement that water content remains constant. This problem has been tackled by extending an existing elasto-plastic model to include relationships describing the variation of specific water volume (the volume of water and solids in an element of soil containing unit volume of solids). The proposed form of the variation of specific water volume was based on consideration of the soil fabric, resulting in a coupled form of elasto-plastic behaviour. Predictions from the elasto-plastic model showed good agreement with the experimental results from suction-controlled triaxial tests on unsaturated samples of compacted speswhite kaolin. Normal compression lines for specific water volume at different values of suction were well predicted, as was the variation of specific water volume during wetting. Critical state values of specific water volume were slightly underestimated, but test paths for both drained and undrained shearing were predicted with reasonable success. Key words: compacted clays, constitutive model, critical state, elasto-plasticity, triaxial tests, unsaturated.

scholarly journals Dilatancy Characteristics and Constitutive Modelling of the Unsaturated Soil Based on Changes in the Mass Water Content

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 4859
Author(s):  
Xiao Xu ◽  
Guoqing Cai ◽  
Zhaoyang Song ◽  
Jian Li ◽  
Chongbang Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Soil Mechanics ◽  
Constitutive Models ◽  
Confining Pressure ◽  
Prediction Equation ◽  
Constitutive Modelling ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
High Plasticity

Most soil mechanics theories are limited to strain hardening and shrinkage under high compressive stresses, and there are some shortcomings in the selection of suction or degree of saturation as the water content state varies in the constitutive models of unsaturated soil. Based on the triaxial shear tests of unsaturated compacted soil (a silt of high plasticity) with different water content and confining pressure (low-confining), a shear dilatancy model of unsaturated soil based on the mass water content is proposed in this paper. The influence of the water content on the shear deformation characteristics of the unsaturated soil is analysed. The stress–dilatancy relationship and the prediction equation of the minimum dilatancy rate of the unsaturated soil under different water content and different confining pressure are provided. Selecting the mass water content as the state variable, a constitutive model suitable for the dilatancy of unsaturated soil is established. The method of determining model parameters based on the mass water content is analysed. The applicability of the model is verified by comparisons between the predicted and experimental results.

scholarly journals Recommended Procedures to Assess Critical State Locus from Triaxial Tests in Cohesionless Remoulded Samples

Geotechnics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-127
Author(s):  
António Viana da Fonseca ◽  
Diana Cordeiro ◽  
Fausto Molina-Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Critical State ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
State Theory ◽  
Soil Freezing ◽  
Triaxial Tests ◽  
Cohesionless Soils ◽  
Saturation Condition ◽  
Testing Procedures ◽  
Laboratory Procedures ◽  
Soil Behaviour

The critical state theory is a robust conceptual framework for the characterisation of soil behaviour. In the laboratory, triaxial tests are used to assess the critical state locus. In the last decades, the equipment and testing procedures for soil characterisation, within the critical state framework, have advanced to obtain accurate and reliable results. This review paper summarises and describes a series of recommended laboratory procedures to assess the critical state locus in cohesionless soils. For this purpose, results obtained in the laboratory from different cohesionless soils and triaxial equipment configurations are compiled, analysed and discussed in detail. The procedures presented in this paper reinforce the use of triaxial cells with lubricated end platens and an embedded connection piston into the top-cap, together with the verification of the full saturation condition and the measurement end-of-test water content—preferable using the soil freezing technique. The experimental evidence and comparison between equipment configurations provide relevant insights about the laboratory procedures for obtaining a reliable characterisation of the critical state locus of cohesionless geomaterials. All the procedures recommended herein can be easily implemented in academic and commercial geotechnical laboratories.

Effects of fines on liquefaction behaviour in well-graded materials

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 1460-1471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine A. Kwa ◽  
David W. Airey
Keyword(s):  
Critical State ◽  
Soil Mechanics ◽  
State Parameter ◽  
Triaxial Tests ◽  
Particle Sizes ◽  
Graded Materials ◽  
Fines Content ◽  
Cyclic Resistance ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Soil Behaviour

This study uses a critical state soil mechanics perspective to understand the mechanics behind the liquefaction of metallic ores during transport by ship. These metallic ores are transported at relatively low densities and have variable gradings containing a wide range of particle sizes and fines contents. The effect of the fines content on the location of the critical state line (CSL) and the cyclic liquefaction behaviour of well-graded materials was investigated by performing saturated, standard drained and undrained monotonic and compression-only cyclic triaxial tests. Samples were prepared at four different gradings containing particle sizes from 9.5 mm to 2 μm with fines (<75 μm) contents of 18%, 28%, 40%, and 60%. In the e versus log[Formula: see text] plane, where e is void ratio and [Formula: see text] is mean effective stress, the CSLs shifted upwards approximately parallel to one another as the fines content was increased. Transitional soil behaviour was observed in samples containing 28%, 40%, and 60% fines. A sample’s cyclic resistance to liquefaction depended on a combination of its density and state parameter, which were both related to the fines content. Samples with the same densities were more resistant to cyclic failure if they contained higher fines contents. The state parameter provided a useful prediction for general behavioural trends of all fines contents studied.

An elasto-plastic model of unsaturated soil with an explicit degree of saturation-dependent CSL

2019 ◽  
Vol 260 ◽  
pp. 105240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Li ◽  
Zhen-Yu Yin ◽  
Yu-Jun Cui ◽  
Kai Liu ◽  
Jian-Hua Yin
Keyword(s):  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Plastic Model

scholarly journals Effect of soil moisture content on the bearing capacity of small bored piles in the unsaturated soil of Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 337 ◽  
pp. 03006
Author(s):  
Verônica Ricken Marques ◽  
Antonio Belincanta ◽  
Mary-Antonette Beroya-Eitner ◽  
Jorge Luis Almada Augusto ◽  
Ewerton Guelssi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Bearing Capacity ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Matric Suction ◽  
Load Test ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Static Load Test

In this study, the influence of soil moisture on the bearing capacity of piles founded in an unsaturated clay soil was investigated. The soil studied, composing the upper soil layer in Maringá, Brazil, is lateritic, has degree of saturation between 37% and 70% and has collapsible behaviour when wet. The bearing capacity was determined by full-scale load tests following the Brazilian Standard for Static Load Test. Two pile lengths, 4 m and 8 m, were considered. To analyse the influence of soil moisture, two tests were performed for each pile length: one in soil in its natural moisture content and another in pre-moistened soil. Results show that for both pile lengths, an increase in water content caused a significant reduction in bearing capacity, which is attributed to the decrease in the matric suction of the soil. This is confirmed by the results of the initial evaluation made on the variation of matric suction and its contribution to the bearing capacity with changes in water content. In summary, this study confirms that the pile bearing capacity in unsaturated soil is dependent on soil water content, highlighting the fact that the approach of assuming full saturation condition in the evaluation of the pile bearing capacity in such soil may give erroneous results. Moreover, this study demonstrate that the empirical methods most commonly used in Brazil for pile bearing capacity determination, the Décourt & Quaresma and Aoki & Velloso methods, are overly conservative when applied to the Maringá soil.

scholarly journals HYDROMECHANICAL BEHAVIOUR OF TWO UNSATURATED SILTS: LABORATORY DATA AND MODEL PREDICTIONS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agostino Walter Bruno ◽  
Domenico Gallipoli ◽  
Joao Mendes
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Clayey Silt ◽  
Constant Suction ◽  
Observed Behaviour ◽  
Hydromechanical Behaviour ◽  
Soil Behaviour ◽  
Hydromechanical Model

This paper presents the results from a campaign of unsaturated and saturated isotropic tests performed on two compacted silts of different coarseness, namely a clayey silt and a sandy silt, inside triaxial cells. Some tests involved an increase/decrease of mean net stress at constant suction or an increase/decrease of suction at constant mean net stress. Other tests involved an increase of mean net stress at constant water content with measurement of suction. During all tests, the void ratio and degree of saturation were measured to investigate the mechanical and retention behaviour of the soil. The experimental results were then simulated by the bounding surface hydromechanical model of Bruno and Gallipoli (2019), which was originally formulated to describe the behaviour of clays and clayey silts. Model parameters were calibrated against unsaturated tests including isotropic loading stages at constant water content with measurement of varying suction. Loading at constant water content is relatively fast and allows the simultaneous exploration of large ranges of mean net stress and suction, thus reducing the need of multiple experiments at distinct suction levels. Predicted data match well the observed behaviour of both soils, including the occurrence of progressive yielding and hysteresis, which extends the validation of this hydromechanical model to coarser soils. Specific features of the unsaturated soil behaviour, such as wetting-induced collapse, are also well reproduced.

Evaluation of the mechanical anisotropy of lacustrine smectite clays by triaxial test analysis

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jubier Alonso Jiménez-Camargo ◽  
Dora Carreon-Freyre
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Mechanical Response ◽  
Clayey Soil ◽  
Mechanical Anisotropy ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Triaxial Tests ◽  
Particle Deformation ◽  
Relevant Variable ◽  
Pressure Equalization

Abstract This paper describes the role of fabric anisotropy during clayey soil deformation. A set of triaxial tests was performed on vertical and horizontal specimens of undisturbed smectite lake sediments from Jurica, Queretaro in Mexico. The results allowed to analyze the influence of bedding and discontinuities on the mechanical behavior of Jurica clays after failure. Tests with applied low strain rates allowed pore pressure equalization within specimens with different gravimetric water content and degree of saturation. Shear failure results of undrained tests showed that deformation distributes differently in both horizontal and vertical directions and that stress may be dissipated by pore collapses, fractures and particle deformation. The experimental evidence suggests that microfabric is a relevant variable in the overall mechanical response of clayey sediments that depends on the natural fabric (bedding and discontinuities), mineralogy, and water content. A detailed analysis of Young´s Moduli (E) showed the high variability of this parameter from 108 to 409 kg/cm2 (calculated at 30% of σdmax) and its dependence on the orientation of the specimen and the water content. In addition, p’-q’ graphs illustrate the relevance of considering mechanical anisotropy in clays and provide further insights to understand the role of smectites in progressive shear deformation.

Predicting the permeability function for unsaturated soils using the soil-water characteristic curve

1994 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.G. Fredlund ◽  
Anqing Xing ◽  
Shangyan Huang
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Unsaturated Soils ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Residual Water ◽  
Soil Water Characteristic Curve ◽  
Coefficient Of Permeability ◽  
Permeability Function

The coefficient of permeability for an unsaturated soil is primarily determined by the pore-size distribution of the soil and can be predicted from the soil-water characteristic curve. A general equation, which describes the soil-water characteristic curve over the entire suction range (i.e., from 0 to 106 kPa), was proposed by the first two authors in another paper. This equation is used to predict the coefficient of permeability for unsaturated soils. By using this equation, an evaluation of the residual water content is no longer required in the prediction of the coefficient of permeability. The proposed permeability function is an integration form of the suction versus water content relationship. The proposed equation has been best fit with example data from the literature where both the soil-water characteristic curve and the coefficient of permeability were measured. The fit between the data and the theory was excellent. It was found that the integration can be done from zero water content to the saturated water content. Therefore, it is possible to use the normalized water content (volumetric or gravimetric) or the degree of saturation data versus suction in the prediction of the permeability function. Key words : coefficient of permeability, soil-water characteristic curve, unsaturated soil, water content, soil suction.

Consistent Three-Dimensional Elasto-Plastic Model to Study Unsaturated Soil Behavior with Considerations of Coupled Hydro-Mechanical Hysteresis

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110022
Author(s):  
Beshoy Riad ◽  
Xiong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Yield Curve ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Smooth Transition ◽  
Soil Behavior ◽  
Plastic Model ◽  
Mechanical Coupling ◽  
Mechanical Hysteresis ◽  
Characteristic Features

This paper presents a consistent three-dimensional elasto-plastic model to study unsaturated soil behavior with consideration of coupled hydro-mechanical hysteresis. The model was first formulated under isotropic conditions with special consideration to the non-linearity of the hydraulic behavior. Only one yield curve is used to represent the yielding of both mechanical and hydraulic behaviors (i.e., the occurrence of plastic water content changes and mechanical strains). Later, the model is extended to general three-dimensional stress conditions. It was formulated in a way that a smooth transition between the saturated and unsaturated soil states is guaranteed. The model provides consistent predictions for different soil phases that is considered a significant limitation in many existing models. One of the characteristic features of the proposed model is the ability to represent the hydro-mechanical coupling during shearing. Moreover, the model is able to represent the degree of saturation increase or decrease during shearing that is closely related to the soil’s contractive or dilative behavior, respectively. The model is validated through the prediction of several hydro-mechanical behavioral features. The paper also compares the model predictions with published experimental results performed under different loading conditions. The response of the model is satisfactory in relation to both mechanical and hydraulic behaviors.

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