Relation between the Friction Angle of Sand at Triaxial Compression and Triaxial Extension and Plane Strain Conditions

The strength of sand is usually characterized by the maximum value of the secant friction angle. The friction angle is a function of deformation mode, density, and stress level and is strongly correlated with dilatancy at failure. Most often, the friction angle is evaluated from results of conventional compression tests, and correlation between the friction angle of sand at triaxial compression and triaxial extension and plane strain conditions is a vital problem of soil mechanics. These correlations can be obtained from laboratory test results. The failure criteria for sand presented in literature also give the possibility of finding correlations between friction angles for different deformation modes. The general stress-dilatancy relationship obtained from the frictional state concept, with some additional assumptions, gives the possibility of finding theoretical relationships between the friction angle of sand at triaxial compression and triaxial extension and plane strain conditions. The theoretically obtained relationships presented in the paper are fully consistent with theoretical and experimental findings of soil mechanics.

Simulation of Stress Paths Derived from FEM Analysis in Triaxial Tests

Reliable estimation of geotechnical parameters is often based on reconstruction of a complete loading process of subsoil on a specimen in laboratory tests. Unfortunately laboratory equipment available in many laboratories is sometimes limited to just a triaxial apparatus - the use of which generates difficulties whenever a non-axisymmetric problem is analysed.The author suggests two simple operations that may be done to improve the quality of simulation in triaxial tests. The first one is based on the use of triaxial extension along the segments of the stress path p’-q-θ for which the Lode’s angle values are positive. The second one consists in a modification of the equivalent stress value in such a way that the current stress level in the specimen complies with results of FEM analysis.