Photogrammetry-Based Method to Determine the Absolute Volume of Soil Specimen during Triaxial Testing

Author(s):  
Sara Fayek ◽  
Xiaolong Xia ◽  
Lin Li ◽  
Xiong Zhang

Triaxial tests are used extensively to evaluate stress-strain behavior for both saturated and unsaturated soils. A literature review indicates that all conventional triaxial test methods measure the relative volume of soil; however, between the initial measurements and the start of the triaxial tests, there are unavoidably disturbances during installation that cause deviation of soil volume from that at the initial condition. Recently image-based methods have been developed to measure the absolute volume of soil specimens. However, these methods still have a major limitation in their inability to determine top and bottom boundaries between the soil specimen, and the top and bottom caps. This paper proposes a photogrammetry-based method to overcome this limitation by developing a mathematically rigorous technique to determine the upper and lower boundaries of soil specimens during triaxial testing. The photogrammetry technique was used to determine the orientations of the camera, and the shape and location of the acrylic cell. Multiple ray-tracings and least-square optimization techniques were also applied to obtain the coordinates of any point inside the triaxial cell, and thus back-calculate the upper and lower boundaries. With these boundaries and the side surface, a triangular surface mesh was constructed and the specimen volume was then calculated in both unconfined compression tests and triaxial tests. The calculation procedures are presented in detail with validation tests performed on a cylindrical specimen to evaluate the accuracy of the method. Results indicate that the accuracy of the proposed method is up to 0.023% in unconfined compression tests and 0.061% in triaxial tests.

2000 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 748-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celestino Rampino ◽  
Claudio Mancuso ◽  
Filippo Vinale

This paper reports the experimental study and modelling of the mechanical response of a silty sand used in the core of the Metramo dam, Italy. Specimens were prepared by compacting the soil at optimum water content conditions using the modified Proctor technique. Tests were performed under suction-controlled conditions by a stress path triaxial cell and an oedometer. The experimental program consists of 23 tests carried out in the suction range of 0-400 kPa. The findings indicate the strong influence of suction on compressibility, stiffness, and shear strength. The mechanical properties of the soil improve with suction following an exponential law with decreasing gradient. Furthermore, the soil exhibited collapsible behaviour upon wetting even at low stress levels. Interesting results were also achieved in elastoplastic modelling as well. The results led to characterization of soil behaviour with reference to widely accepted modelling criteria for unsaturated soils, providing noteworthy suggestions about their applicability for granular materials with a non-negligible fine component. Finally, some remarks are made for the extension under unsaturated conditions of the "Nor sand" model for saturated granular soils. The proposed approach yields improved predictions of deviator soil response of the tested soil when Cambridge-type frameworks prove invalid.Key words: unsaturated soils, stress state variables, triaxial tests, oedometer tests, constitutive model.


2001 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Jelinek ◽  
Prem Prasad Paudel ◽  
Hiroshi Omura

The Shiraidake area of northwest Kyushu has an extensive distribution of landslides. A series of undrained triaxial tests and unconfined compression tests were carried out to investigate the variation of strength properties in a selected borehole from the Shiraidake Landslide. It is a translational landslide (called the Hokusho-type in Japan) and is composed of the Early Tertiary and Quaternary sedimentary rocks that are prone to rapid weathering. Core rock samples and recompacted soil samples were used for the study. The results provided the fundamental characteristics of soil and rock under the triaxial and uniaxial tests, and indicated that the undrained behaviour of tested soils generally depends on the pre-shear consolidation pressure and dry density. In addition, the type of material used and the tests performed are important factors that influence the soil and rock strength.


2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 472-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Li ◽  
Xiong Zhang ◽  
Gang Chen ◽  
Robert Lytton

When characterizing an unsaturated soil using the triaxial test apparatus, it is required to measure the soil deformation during loading. Recently, a photogrammetry-based method has been developed for total and localized volume change measurements on unsaturated soils during triaxial testing. In this study, more in-depth discussions on the photogrammetry-based method are addressed, such as system setup, the measurement procedure, accuracy self-check, data post-processing, and differences from conventional image-based methods. Also, an application of the photogrammetry-based method on unsaturated soil deformation measurements is presented through a series of undrained triaxial tests with different loading paths. After testing, three-dimensional (3D) models of the tested soils at different loading steps were constructed based on the 3D coordinates of measurement targets on the soil surface. Clear barreling processes for soils during deviatoric loading were observed through the constructed 3D models at different axial strain levels. Soil volume changes and volumetric strain nonuniformities during isotropic and deviatoric loadings were extracted based upon detailed analyses of different soil layers. Through a full-field strain distribution analysis, a shear band evolution process was captured for the soil during deviatoric loading at a low confining stress. The photogrammetry-based method proved to be very powerful for in-depth soil deformation characteristics investigation.


1982 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-420
Author(s):  
J. Lafleur ◽  
G. Lefebvre ◽  
M. Marcotte ◽  
V. Silvestri

This paper describes the sampling procedure and the results of large diameter (150 mm) CID triaxial tests made on samples recovered from the weathered clay crust of the Champlain sea deposits.A visual inspection of the fissures at the depth of sampling (3 m) revealed two types of discontinuities: (a) sub-vertical joints containing black organic matter, spaced approximately every 10 cm, and (b) closed microfissures, randomly distributed in spacing and direction. In order to recover unremoulded samples of this material and avoid a difficult retrimming in the laboratory, a double core barrel 150 mm in diameter (the same as that of the triaxial cell base) was used. Eight compression tests under low confining stresses were made; they showed that the post-peak strength parameters were substantially higher than those back-calculated from a landslide involving the same weathered crust. Examination of the shape of the failure planes and of the stress–strain curves led to the conclusion that, in spite of the large sample size, the propagation of the fractures was controlled by the intact clay matrix rather than by the fissures. Since this was not believed to reproduce the actual field behaviour, a complementary test programme was undertaken, which indicated that the strength parameters were better evaluated from CID tests performed in the normally consolidated range. Keywords: fissured clays, weathering, landslides, triaxial test, shear strength parameters, sampling, back-analysis.


1999 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Rampino ◽  
C Mancuso ◽  
F Vinale

This paper describes two new apparatuses recently developed at the Università di Napoli Federico II (Italy) in order to test soils under unsaturated conditions. The related experimental procedures and the first results obtained on a dynamically compacted silty sand are also discussed. The devices mentioned are a Bishop and Wesley stress-path cell and a Wissa oedometer, modified to control matric suction and to measure all the stress-strain variables relevant to unsaturated soil mechanics. Specific experimental procedures were established to perform tests under general conditions and were carefully verified during several tests. Using the triaxial cell, isotropic and anisotropic compression stages were carried out under constant suction levels of 0, 100, 200, and 300 kPa. Furthermore, two deviator stages were performed following different stress paths and water drainage conditions. Using the oedometer, an additional suction level (400 kPa) was investigated during compression tests driven up to 5 MPa of vertical net stress (sigmav - ua). This research is a part of a major project in progress at the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Geotecnica of Naples; it is aimed at the experimental analysis of the behaviour of several dynamically compacted soils and at the numerical modelling of boundary problems related to earth structures.Key words: unsaturated soils, equipment layout, silty sand, matric suction.


1965 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Earle J Klohn

Dense, heavily preconsolidated glacial till is a relatively incompressible soil that occurs throughout most of Canada. When loaded, it undergoes very small settlement, most of which is elastic. For the average structure, these elastic compressions are too small to be of concern and are usually ignored. However, for some structures they can be critical and their magnitude must be estimated prior to construction. To make the necessary analyses requires knowledge of the elastic properties of the in situ glacial till.This paper presents the results of field and laboratory tests that were made on a dense glacial till deposit to determine its modulus of elasticity, in connection with the design and construction of a 100 ft. high combined earth and concrete dam. In the field, in situ loading tests were made against the walls of a 50 ft. deep test shaft. The modulus of elasticity was computed, using elastic equations applicable to the case of a rigid circular plate pressed against a semi-infinite elastic solid. Moreover, during construction of the project, measurements were made of the elastic rebounds and settlements that occurred under known conditions of unloading and loading. Steinbrenner’s approximate solution for computing settlement due to loads acting on the surface of an elastic layer was then used to compute the apparent modulus of elasticity. In the laboratory, unconfined compression tests and repetitive triaxial tests were made on undisturbed samples. The modulus of elasticity was estimated from the stress-strain relationships obtained.The data presented in the paper indicate that the apparent, in situ modulus of elasticity of the glacial till deposit is very high, being in the order of 150,000 lb./sq. in. Reasonable agreement exists between modulus of elasticity values computed from the in situ plate bearing tests and those computed from observed rebounds and settlements. However, modulus of elasticity values computed from unconfined compression and repetitive triaxial tests in the laboratory are apparently too small, being only a fraction of those values obtained by the field procedures. Sample disturbance is thought to be a major factor affecting laboratory test results.Grain size characteristics, density, natural water content, and strength properties of the glacial till deposit are presented in the paper. These data provide a comprehensive description of the material and permit comparison with glacial till deposits encountered at other areas.


2020 ◽  
Vol 857 ◽  
pp. 311-318
Author(s):  
Omar Hamdi Jasim ◽  
Doğan Çetin

This study aims to assess the impact of time on sawdust usage to enhance the behavior of the clay used in landfills. The soil used in this paper was brought from Büyükçekmece region / Istanbul. Four proportions (1, 2, 3 and 5) of the sawdust were added as a percentage of the dry weight of the soil. Soil-sawdust mixtures were compacted with the optimum water content corresponding to each percentage and samples were extracted. The extracted samples were divided into two groups, the immediate tests were performed on the first group while the second group was kept in special containers for long-term tests after 90 days. A series of undrained unconsolidated triaxial tests (UU) and unconfined compression tests (UCS) were performed on the specimens and compared with the row soil, in the immediate tests, the results from the UU triaxial test showed that the undrained shear strength was increased as the sawdust content increased and then decreased, it was conducted that the optimum sawdust content was 3%, it was increased the undrained shear strength by (39.5%) and (41.44%) for UU triaxial and Unconfined compression tests respectively. After 90 days of the curing period, it found that 2% is the optimum sawdust content, it was increased the undrained shear strength by (202.51%) and (176.64%) for UU triaxial and unconfined compression test respectively. In the immediate and long-term tests, the coefficient of permeability increased by (66.66) and (94.44%) as the sawdust increased from 0 to 5 % respectively. Sawdust increases the hydraulic conductivity of the clay. It can be concluded that the sawdust usage has a remarkable effect on the shear strength of the clay for both immediate and long-term tests.


1999 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Fam ◽  
M B Dusseault

This note examines the effect of unloading duration on unconfined compression test results. Artificial clayey specimens were prepared using the slurry consolidation technique. Extracted specimens were loaded vertically under K0 conditions, and the load was kept constant until the end of primary consolidation. Specimens were unloaded and unconfined compression tests were carried out at different times after unloading. It is observed that the longer the unloading duration, the lower the measured unconfined strength. This behavior is attributed to the presence of negative excess pore pressure that dissipates with time, reducing the strength. Using the measured coefficient of consolidation, the degree of excess pore pressure dissipation and therefore the average mean effective stress near the failure zone can be calculated at the time of failure. Mohr circles are drawn tangential to the total shear envelope, using the calculated mean effective stresses. Reasonable agreement between predicted and measured unconfined compressive strengths has been observed, suggesting that consolidation theory can be adopted to assess the effect of unloading duration on unconfined compressive strength. Finally, engineering applications using a similar concept are briefly discussed.Key words: clays, unloading, consolidation, unconfined compression tests, triaxial tests.


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.


1970 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Pusch

A series of unconfined compression tests has been made on a marine, quick clay and small specimens were extracted for microstructural investigation. The natural microstructural pattern was characterized by a network of small aggregates connected by links of particles. The links broke down successively at increasing shear deformation and formed domain-like groups of particles. In the macroscopic shear zone the shear forces tended to orient and deform the aggregates.The aggregates behaved as rigid bodies to a certain stress level during the shear process. The concept of residual strength may correspond to the state where the majority of the links have been broken while the aggregates are still intact.


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