scholarly journals An elasto-plastic model for unsaturated soil incorporating the effects of suction and degree of saturation on mechanical behaviour

Géotechnique ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Gallipoli ◽  
A. Gens ◽  
R. Sharma ◽  
J. Vaunat
Keyword(s):  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Mechanical Behaviour ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Plastic Model

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

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.

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 Hydro-mechanical behaviour of a sandy silt from a river embankment

2020 ◽  
Vol 195 ◽  
pp. 01033
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Butticè ◽  
Alessio Ferrari ◽  
Carmine G. Gragnano ◽  
Guido Gottardi
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Behaviour ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
Confining Stress ◽  
River Level ◽  
Suction Control ◽  
Sandy Silt ◽  
Axial Translation ◽  
Safety Margins ◽  
River Embankment

The paper presents the results of an experimental campaign aimed at characterizing the hydro-mechanical behaviour of a sandy silt from a river embankment. Due to continuous river level fluctuations and changing climatic and environmental conditions, flood embankment materials experience frequent variations in degree of saturation and suction values. Such variations strongly impact the earthwork performance both in terms of seepage and stability conditions. For these reasons, a detailed characterization of the material behaviour in unsaturated conditions was carried out. Experiments were designed in order to highlight the response of the involved soil in terms of changes in matric suction and confining stress. All tests were performed on undisturbed samples from the embankment. To cover the suction range, which is expected to be significant for the material and assessed through field monitoring, a combination of several suction-control and suction-measurement techniques was used (e.g. negative water column, axial translation, tensiometers). Obtained results enabled (i) to quantify the evolution of the yield stress with suction, (ii) to assess the collapse upon wetting behaviour, (iii) to get detailed information on the water retention behaviour and (iv) to define the relative permeability of the soil. This extensive characterization work serves as a basis for the analysis of the embankment response following river level variations, the final purpose of the research being to establish a reliable methodology and a feasible procedure for the realistic assessment of the safety margins under transient seepage.

scholarly journals Relative performance of two unsaturated soil models using different constitutive variables

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 1423-1437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martí Lloret-Cabot ◽  
Simon J. Wheeler ◽  
Jubert A. Pineda ◽  
Daichao Sheng ◽  
Antonio Gens
Keyword(s):  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Unsaturated Soils ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Degree Of Saturation ◽  
State Variables ◽  
Retention Behaviour ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Water Retention Behaviour

Mechanical and water retention behaviour of unsaturated soils is investigated in the context of two well established coupled constitutive models, each of which is formulated in terms of a different set of stress state variables or constitutive variables. Incremental relationships describing the volume change and variation of the degree of saturation are derived for each model. These incremental relationships are used to simulate a set of experimental tests on compacted Speswhite kaolin previously reported in the literature. Six individual tests, involving isotropic compression and various forms of shearing, are analyzed in the context of the incremental forms developed, and the model predictions are then compared against experimental results. The results show that, although each constitutive model uses a different set of constitutive variables and a different scheme for coupling mechanical and water retention behaviour, the two sets of model predictions are similar and both sets provide a reasonable match to the experimental results, suggesting that both models are able to capture the relevant features of unsaturated soil behaviour, despite expressing the constitutive laws in different ways.

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.

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