Characterizing the Effect of Water Content on Small-Strain Shear Modulus of Qiantang Silt

Due to the impact of natural and artificial influence, such as waves, tides, and artificial dewatering, the small-strain shear modulus of soils may vary with the water content of soil, causing deformation of excavations and other earth structures. The present study used a resonant column device to investigate the effects of water content, void ratio, and confining pressure on the small-strain shear modulus of a silt extracted from an excavation site near Qiantang River in Hangzhou, China. The test results revealed that the effects of the three factors are not coupled and can be characterized by three individual equations. In particular, the small-strain shear modulus decreases with increasing water content under otherwise similar conditions, which can be characterized by a power function. The classical Hardin’s equation is modified to consider the effect of water content by introducing an additional function of water content.

Small-Strain Shear Modulus of Calcareous Sand under Anisotropic Consolidation

In this study, the small strain shear modulus of a calcareous sand was investigated by conducting bender element tests on both horizontal and vertical planes. The effects of sample preparation method, stress path and stress history on the developing of void ratio, the parameters in the modified Hardin equation and the stiffness anisotropy were examined. The test results show that the moist tamping samples have the least void ratio variation among the five samples. The void ratio recovery in σ'h = 100 kPa tests is higher than that in the σ'v = 100 kPa tests. The samples prepared in dry state have lower stiffness than those prepared in moisture state, which is not influenced by the anisotropic stress state. The stiffness anisotropy induced by the sample preparation method is significant under anisotropic consolidation. In σ'h = 100 kPa tests, the stiffness ratios at the end of the unloading stage are lower than the initial values at the loading stage, which is not found in the σ'v = 100 kPa tests, meaning that the stress history and stress path could affect the stiffness anisotropy and cover the impact of fabric anisotropy.

Evaluation of small-strain shear modulus of Fontainebleau sand based on innovative pressuremeter probe testing in a calibration chamber

This paper presents an experimental study aimed at evaluating the measuring capabilities of an innovative monocellular pressuremeter probe, the Monocell Francis Cour® probe, based on calibration testing in the laboratory. The originality of the tested equipment is to allow to evaluate soil properties in both small and large strain domains, without the need of sophisticated punctual displacement measuring arms. This paper focuses on the evaluation of small strain shear modulus G of Fontainebleau sand, NE34, based on tests carried out with this specific pressuremeter probe. Shear modulus values obtained with this probe are then compared with values resulting from more classical elementary tests, showing a fairly good consistency. It is shown, with satisfactory agreement, that it is possible to quantify the influence of the density index of the sand as well as the influence of the mean effective stress around the probe on the shear modulus, based on the analysis of specific unload-reload loops performed during the test. The experimental programme carried out under well-controlled laboratory conditions allows to propose a validation of a method of identification of the shear modulus of sand at small strain levels using this prototype pressuremeter

Characterization on the correlation between SPT-N and small strain shear modulus Gmax of Jiangsu silts of China

Small strain shear modulus plays a fundamental role in the evaluation of site response parameters. Only few authors used measured density and shear wave velocity (Vs) to estimate small strain shear modulus. In this study, an attempt has been made to develop the regression relationship between standard penetration test (SPT) N values and the small strain shear modulus (Gmax). For this purpose, field investigations SPT and seismic piezocone penetration test (SCPTU) data from locations in Su-Xin Expressway of China, have been used, which were also used for ground improvement project. The in situ density of soil layer was estimated using undisturbed soil samples from the boreholes. The Vs profiles with depth were obtained for the locations close to the boreholes. The values for small strain shear modulus have been calculated by measured Vs and in situ soil density. About 50 pairs of SPT-N and Gmax values were used for regression analysis. The differences between measured and corrected values which were used in fitted regression relations were analyzed. Most of the existing correlations were developed based on the studies carried out in Japan and in India, where N values are measured with hammer energy of 78%, which may not be directly applicable for other regions because of the variation in SPT hammer energy which in China is about 55%. A new correlation has been generated using the measured values in silts of China. From this study, it is found that uncorrected values of N and modulus gives the best fit regression relations when compared to corrected N and corrected modulus values. With most equation was used for sand and clay, the regression relations between corrected values of N and modulus gives the equation of silts in China.

Cyclic Loading Test for the Small-Strain Shear Modulus of Saturated Soft Clay and Its Failure Mechanism

Small-strain shear modulus, G max , is a key evaluation index to study the dynamic characteristics of soil in geotechnical engineering. It is widely adopted to evaluate the stiffness of soft soil in soil dynamic engineering. In this paper, the cyclic triaxial tests and resonance column tests were carried out to explore the variation of G max of soft clay with respect to various confining stresses, cyclic shear stress ratios, pore pressures, and effective stress paths. Test results indicated that the effective stress decreased gradually with the increase of the cycle shear stress ratio. The failure points were mainly concentrated in a rectangular area, defined by the normalized effective stress from 0.56 to 0.64 and the normalized shear modulus from 0.72 to 0.78. Additionally, a short pause caused a small increase of 1-2% in G max as well as pore pressure. This study demonstrates that G max can be effectively used to characterize the failure of saturated soft clay in a more intuitive and convenient way, compared to the commonly used strain failure standards.