饱和粉砂不稳定性的试验研究

通过对净砂和级配良好粉砂(含10 %粉土)进行一系列三轴固结不排水试验（CU）,研究了粉土、孔隙比和围压对饱和粉砂不稳定性的影响。试验结果表明,净砂与粉砂在不排水剪切条件下均会出现应变软化现象（即不稳定性）。同一围压下脆性指数(IB)随孔隙比增加,但不稳定线的应力比随孔隙比增加而减小。引用等效粒间孔隙比(ege)后,净砂和粉砂在ege-ln p?平面上拥有基本相同的临界状态线。在临界状态理论及等效粒间孔隙比的基础上,提出在同一修正状态参数(?ge)下净砂和级配良好粉砂有相似的不稳定性。     

Experimental Study on Mechanical Behavior of Unsaturated Silty Sand in Constant Equivalent Granular Void Ratio

In this paper effect of fine mineralogy on mechanical behavior of unsaturated silty sand in different fine contents and divers confining pressure has been studied. All samples were molded with constant equivalent granular void ratio well-known parameter already proposed for characterizing silty sand behavior in saturated state. This manner of study allow to investigate also the validity of equivalent granular void ratio concept in unsaturated state. For this purpose, a series of triaxial tests were performed on the sand specimens with different percentages of silt in the undrained saturated (CU) and unsaturated (CW) conditions. The results showed that the material types and aggregate distribution of the fines have enormous effects on the silty sand behavior. In addition, the shear strength in the unsaturated specimens changed as a function of the initial applied matric suction. A fewer performance of equivalent intergranular void ratio in the case of unsaturated state in comparison of saturated states was observed.

     

Undrained shear strength response under monotonic loading of Chlef (Algeria) sandy soil

During the last mid-century, the Chlef area was strongly affected by two earthquakes. From the geological context, there were numerous ejections onto the ground level of great masses of sandy soils and large displacements of various forms of some building foundations. These damages are due to soil liquefaction problem. This loss of shear strength can be attributed to many factors. History of recent cases indicates that sand deposited with silt content is much more liquefiable than clean sand. Therefore, a deep understanding of silty sand behavior is needed for the liquefaction assessment of silty sandy soils. Moreover, during seismic shaking, the post-liquefaction behavior of silty sand and, consequently, the stability of structures founded on liquefied soil depend on the steady-state shear strength of soil. The objective of this laboratory investigation is to show the effect of silt contents and the relative density on the mechanical behavior of such soils in monotonic loading. In this context, a series of undrained triaxial tests were performed on reconstituted saturated silty sand samples with different fines content ranging from 0% to 40%. In all tests, the confining pressure was held constant to 100 kPa. The fines content and the global void ratio are expressed by means of the equivalent void ratio. Linear correlations relating the undrained residual shear strength of loose, medium dense, and dense (D _r?=?12%, 50%, and 90% before consolidation) sand–silt mixtures to the equivalent void ratio are obtained. The concept of the equivalent void ratio will then be used as a key parameter to express the dilatancy behavior of both clean and silty sand soils. Moreover, from the experimental results obtained, it is clear that the global void ratio cannot be used as a state parameter and may not represent the actual behavior of the soil as well.     

Laboratory Investigation into the Effects of Silty Fines on Liquefaction Susceptibility of Chlef (Algeria) Sandy Soils

In a number of recent case studies, the liquefaction of silty sands has been reported. To investigate the undrained shear and deformation behaviour of Chlef sand–silt mixtures, a series of monotonic and stress-controlled cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on sand encountered at the site. The aim of this laboratory investigation is to study the influence of silt contents, expressed by means of the equivalent void ratio on undrained residual shear strength of loose, medium dense and dense sand–silt mixtures under monotonic loading and liquefaction potential under cyclic loading. After an earthquake event, the prediction of the post-liquefaction strength is becoming a challenging task in order to ensure the stability of different types of earth structures. Thus, the choice of the appropriate undrained residual shear strength of silty sandy soils that are prone to liquefaction to be used in engineering practice design should be established. To achieve this, a series of undrained triaxial tests were conducted on reconstituted saturated silty sand samples with different fines contents ranging from 0 to 40 %. In all tests, the confining pressure was held constant at 100 kPa. From the experimental results obtained, it is clear that the global void ratio cannot be used as a state parameter and may not characterize the actual behaviour of the soil as well. The equivalent void ratio expressing the fine particles participation in soil strength is then introduced. A linear relationship between the undrained shear residual shear strength and the equivalent void ratio has been obtained for the studied range of the fines contents. Cyclic test results confirm that the increase in the equivalent void ratio and the fines content accelerates the liquefaction phenomenon for the studied stress ratio and the liquefaction resistance decreases with the increase in either the equivalent void ratio or the loading amplitude level. These cyclic tests results confirm the obtained monotonic tests results.     

Effect of fines content and void ratio on the saturated hydraulic conductivity and undrained shear strength of sand–silt mixtures

The hydraulic conductivity represents an important indicator parameter in the generation and redistribution of excess pore pressure of sand–silt mixture soil deposits during earthquakes. This paper aims to determine the relationship between the undrained shear strength (liquefaction resistance) and the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the sand–silt mixtures and how much they are affected by the percentage of low plastic fines (finer than 0.074 mm) and void ratio of the soil. The results of flexible wall permeameter and undrained monotonic triaxial tests carried out on samples reconstituted from Chlef river sand with 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 % non-plastic silt at an effective confining pressure of 100 kPa and two initial relative densities (D _r = 20, 91 %) are presented and discussed. It was found that the undrained shear strength (liquefaction resistance) can be correlated to the fines content, intergranular void ratio and saturated hydraulic conductivity. The results obtained from this study reveal that the saturated hydraulic conductivity (k _sat) of the sand mixed with 50 % low plastic fines can be, in average, four orders of magnitude smaller than that of the clean sand. The results show also that the global void ratio could not be used as a pertinent parameter to explain the undrained shear strength and saturated hydraulic conductivity response of the sand–silt mixtures.     

Dominant grains network and behavior of sand–silt mixtures: stress–strain modeling

Stress–strain modeling of sand–silt mixtures is important in the analysis and design of earth structures. In this paper, we develop a stress–strain model that can predict the behavior of sand–silt mixtures with any amount of fines content. This model is based on a micromechanics approach, which involves mean‐field assumptions. For the mixtures with low amount of fines, the mechanical behavior is dominated by sand grains network. On the other hand, for the mixtures with high amount of fines, the mechanical behavior is dominated by silt grains network. Using this concept of dominant grains network, the behavior of mixtures with any amount of fines can be predicted from knowing the behavior of sand and silt, alone. We also modeled the critical state friction angle, critical state void ratio, and elastic stiffness for the mixtures as a function of fines content. The applicability of this developed stress–strain model is shown by comparing the simulated and measured results for two different types of sand–silt mixtures with full range of fines content. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comprehensive laboratory study on stress–strain of granular soils at constant global void ratio: combined effects of fabrics and silt content

The published literature has revealed conflicting results regarding the effect of low plastic fines fraction (I_p?≤?5.0%) on the mechanical behavior of sandy soils. For this reason, the use of different sample initial structures as (initial relative density approach, global void ratio index approach, etc.) could explain these different mechanical responses of granular materials. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate the quantitative aspect of the low plastic fines effects on the undrained monotonic response of sand-silt mixtures using the global void ratio approach. To achieve this goal, an experimental testing program through controlled monotonic triaxial tests was carried out on reconstituted saturated Chlef sand containing from 0 to 50% silt with an interval of 10% at three global void ratios (e?=?0.64, 0.66 and 0.68) and subjected to constant confining pressure (σ'₃?=?100 kPa). The different samples were reconstituted using two different preparation techniques: DFP and MT. The obtained results show that the low plastic fines content appears as a very relevant parameter in the characterization of the mechanical response of sand-silt mixture samples reconstituted at constant global void ratios, where the steady state shear strength and instability shear strength decreased with the increase in low plastic fines content up to the limiting fines contents (F_c?=?40% and F_c?=?10%) considering both studied initial structures (Dry funnel pluviation and Moist tamping), respectively. Beyond these thresholds fines contents, a reverse trend was observed for all parameters under study. Moreover, the test results indicate that the brittleness index, flow potential (V_f), friction index, equivalent void ratio (e*) and equivalent relative density (Dr*) could be considered as reliable parameters in the prediction of the mechanical behavior of the silty sand soils under study.

     

循环荷载下砂土的剪切硬化边界面本构模型

基于临界状态土力学框架,建立了一个适用于往返循环荷载作用的砂土边界面本构模型。采用无纯弹性域假设,认为受到反向荷载的瞬时土体就产生塑性变形,砂土的弹性区域退化为一个点。屈服面为倒子弹头型,由于砂土孔隙比与压力之间不存在惟一对应的关系,使得屈服面大小无法与体积应变直接耦合,故采用塑性偏应变而不是剑桥模型那种塑性体应变作为硬化参数。流动法则采用加入状态参数的修正的Rowe应力剪胀关系,体现了依赖状态的剪胀思想。屈服面大小的比值 反映了塑性模量的演化,并推导了 的表达式。只用1套参数,该模型就能合理地模拟砂土在不同密度和固结压力下循环荷载的应力-应变关系曲线。     

A compression model for sand–silt mixtures based on the concept of active and inactive voids

A compression model for sand–silt mixtures is needed in geotechnical engineering, for example in the analysis and prediction of deformation of levees and embankments due to internal erosion. In this paper, we introduce a novel concept of dividing the voids of a granular material into two hypothetical fractions: active and inactive voids. The active voids are kinematically available to the compression process. The inactive voids are kinematically unavailable to the compression process. The volume of active voids is dependent on the initial density and effective stress level. The volume of inactive voids is dependent on the amount of fines in the mixture. The current paper considers 1-D and isotropic compression behavior of sand–silt mixtures at stress levels lower than 2 MPa, so no substantial particle breakage is expected to occur. To successfully predict the void ratio for a sand–silt mixture during compression loading, we need (1) a mathematical expression for the evolution of the active void ratio during compression and (2) a relationship between the inactive void ratio and fines content of the mixture. For sand–silt mixtures with any amount of fines, the proposed model requires five material parameters, which are determined from two compression tests, and four minimum void ratio tests on sand–silt mixtures with different fines content. The performance of the proposed model is verified for six different types of sand–silt mixture with various fines contents, by comparing the predicted void ratios with the measured data from the experiments. The comparisons show a good agreement between the predictions and the measured data and prove the suitability of the proposed model for the prediction of compressibility of sand–silt mixtures with any amount of fines.     

Liquefaction characteristics of silts

Summary The paper presents a summary of the results of cyclical triaxial load testing of samples of silt and silty sands. The paper emphasizes differences in behaviour observed between reconstituted triaxial samples of clean sand, of sand containing 10, 20, 30 and 60% silt, pure silt, and undisturbed samples of silt and silty sand. An important observation is that the mechanisms of deformation for sit are different for reconstituted and undisturbed samples, the undisturbed sample having a specific geological structure which seems to slow down the excess pore water pressure accumulation, but which still results in cyclic deformations regularly increasing from the very beginning of the test and rapidly reaching high levels. The other important observation is that fine-grained noncohesive soils such as silts and silty sands can be as, or even more, susceptible to liquefaction as clean sands. Test results on samples of sand containing 10, 20 or 30% of silt indicate lesser resistance to liquefaction than pure sand samples. The paper shows the difficulty in identifying a representative parameter to compare the behaviour of silts and silty sands with pure sand, and it seems that more research will be needed in this area.     

Modeling sand response using two-surface plasticity

This paper presents a two-surface plasticity constitutive model based on critical-state soil mechanics and describes a practical process for the determination of its parameters. Determination of the constitutive model parameters can be done in a hierarchical manner, starting with the model parameters that have the most bearing on sand behavior and that can be determined using routine experimental procedures. Most parameters can be determined through simple curve fitting through experimental data points. The constitutive model is calibrated against experimental data for Toyoura sand, clean Ottawa sand and mixtures of Ottawa sand with non-plastic silt. The model simulates closely the mechanical response of sands under various loading conditions and predicts both drained and undrained behavior of sands at small and large strains using the actual small-strain shear modulus, as measured in resonant column or bender elements tests, along with realistic values of Poisson’s ratio. Performance of the model in simulating sand response is demonstrated for a variety of initial states and loading conditions.     

The effects of surcharge on liquefaction resistance of silty sand

In the recent earthquakes, numerous cases of liquefaction occurred in sands containing both plastic and nonplastic fines that resulted in significant damage. Most previous research efforts have focused on clean sands regardless whether the sand contain fines or not made evident by widespread shallow foundation failures, numerous cases of settlement, and lateral displacement. Still, despite the amount of related research, results seem somewhat contradictory. This study directly demonstrates the beneficial or detrimental effect of uncertainty surcharges on seismic responses. Models were subjected to two destructive realistic events with similar PGA with various frequency contents and duration. In this paper, the dynamic analyses were conducted as fully non-linear elasto-plastic coupled stress-flow analyses with coupled liquefaction triggering which reasonably captured the actual behavior. The silty sand deposits underlying the surcharge are capable of liquefying and developing large shear deformations that can cause serious damage. Therefore, excess pore water pressure ratio cannot be enough by itself to evaluate liquefaction potential, so the deformations should be examined. Numerical results provide an estimate of the seismic performance liquefiable deposits underlying the surcharge; these results can be useful for a realistic practical engineering.     

A critical state model for sands dependent on stress and density

An elastoplastic model for sands is presented in this paper, which can describe stress–strain behaviour dependent on mean effective stress level and void ratio. The main features of the proposed model are: (a) a new state parameter, which is dependent on the initial void ratio and initial mean stress, is proposed and applied to the yield function in order to predict the plastic deformation for very loose sands; and (b) another new state parameter, which is used to determine the peak strength and describe the critical state behaviour of sands during shearing, is proposed in order to predict simply negative/positive dilatancy and the hardening/softening behaviour of medium or dense sands. In addition, the proposed model can also predict the stress–strain behaviour of sands under three-dimensional stress conditions by using a transformed stress tensor instead of ordinary stress tensor. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

剪胀性砂土本构模型的研究

对于中密砂和密砂,剪胀现象是一个比较显著的特征,相变线是描述剪胀现象的一条特征线,它比较容易确定。因此,以相变线作为状态参考线,提出并定义了一种状态参量,在已有弹塑性模型基础上,将状态参量引入剪胀方程和塑性硬化模量表达式中,建立了一个新的考虑砂土剪胀性的本构模型。该模型尤其适合于中密砂和密砂,对于松砂则退化为原弹塑性模型。模型形式较简单,包含9个材料参数,且比较容易确定。数值模拟结果与试验数据吻合较好。     

考虑组构变化效应的饱和密砂循环本构模型

为了真实地描述饱和密砂在循环加载过程中的变形行为,需要引入考虑剪胀阶段组构变化的宏观参量。在已有的基于状态参量的本构模型基础上,引入反映组构变化的剪胀内变量,简称组构-剪胀内变量z。以相变线PTL作为参考线,采用基于相变的状态参量判断砂土在初始时刻和任意时刻体积变形的变化趋势,并通过z对剪胀比d的影响,考虑反向加载过程中塑性变形的累积,建立了一个针对饱和密砂的循环加载的弹塑性本构模型。该模型根据试验现象将已有模型中的塑性剪切模量区分为首次加载模量与再加载模量,能较好地模拟排水情况下砂土循环加载的胀-缩变化过程。最后,针对密砂的三轴排水情况,利用文中模型进行预测,并把预测结果与试验结果进行比较,结果表明该模型能够总体反映砂土循环加载的变形行为。     

The prediction of equivalent granular steady state line of loose sand with fines

Void ratio has been used as a state variable for predicting the liquefaction behaviour of soils under the critical state, sometimes also referred to as the steady state, framework. Recent publications show that void ratio may not be a good parameter for characterising sand with fines because the steady state line (or curve) in the e-log(p′) space moves downward with increase in fines content until it reaches a threshold value referred to as the threshold fines content (TFC). Recently, an alternative state variable, referred to as the equivalent granular void ratio, has been proposed to resolve this problem. To calculate this alternative state variable, an additional parameter ‘b’ is needed. This parameter ‘b’ represents the fraction of fines that actively participate in the force structure of the solid skeleton. However, predicting the ‘b’ value is problematic. This paper examines the factors affecting the ‘b’ value based on published work on binary packing. This leads to a simple semi-empirical equation for predicting the ‘b’ value based on fines size and fines content. The proposed equations were evaluated with published data sets. Then, the concept of an equivalent granular steady state line is proposed. This concept was used to predict the location of SSLs for sand with different fines content from either the SSL of clean sand or the SSL of sand with a given fines content. The predictions agree well with experimental results.     

适用于砂土循环加载分析的边界面塑性模型

基于临界状态土力学框架,建立了一个适用于砂土排水循环加载的边界面塑性模型。采用了考虑虚拟峰值应力比的偏应变硬化准则,初始加载阶段应力点位于边界面上,反向加载阶段以历史最大屈服面作为边界面,同时实现了对密砂软化现象的模拟和对历史所受最大应力的记忆。边界面采用修正的椭圆形,引入考虑密度与应力水平的状态相关剪胀函数,采用非相关联流动法则和以应力反向点作为映射中心的径向映射准则。模型仅有10个参数,通过常规三轴试验即可确定,并且使用一套参数可以模拟不同围压、密度的单调和循环加载情况。分别对饱和砂土的单调、循环排水三轴试验进行模拟,结果表明,该模型能够合理地反映饱和砂土排水条件下的应力-应变特性。     

高低压下不同力学特性的砂土统一模型

为构建能够反映砂土高低压下不同力学特性的统一模型,分析了砂土在较大的压力范围内的力学试验结果并获取其强度、等向压缩以及临界状态特性参数。通过引入应力路径相关因子来修正塑性应变增量中与应力路径相关的部分,从而使得模型硬化参量能够反映密实砂土在常压下的剪胀特性。同时,基于砂土的临界状态特性提出能够与砂土内部状态相对应的潜在状态面概念,由屈服面与潜在状态面间的动态关系确定加载过程中的动态密实参数及潜在强度,进而使得硬化参量也能够反映密实砂土在常压下的软化特性及高压下的剪缩、硬化特性。分析模型屈服面及潜在状态面间的演化规律并对不同压力等级下的砂土受荷力学行为进行模拟预测,证实了该模型能够反映密实砂土常压下剪胀软化及高压下剪缩硬化的特性。     

Constitutive model for cyclic behaviour of cohesionless sands

This paper presents a constitutive model for describing the stress-strain response of sands under cyclic loading. The model, formulated using the critical state theory within the bounding surface plasticity framework, is an upgraded version of an existing model developed for monotonic behaviour of cohesionless sands. With modification of the hardening law, plastic volumetric strain increment and unloading plastic modulus, the original model was modified to simulate cyclic loading. The proposed model was validated against triaxial cyclic loading tests for Fuji River sand, Toyoura sand and Nigata sand. Comparison between the measured and predicted results suggests that the proposed modified model can capture the main features of cohesionless sands under drained and undrained cyclic loading.     

剪胀性砂土边界面模型的研究

剪胀性对于砂土,尤其是中密以及密实砂土,是一个非常显著的特性。相变线是剪胀性砂土的特征曲线,能够反映砂土的围压以及初时孔隙比对变形特性的影响。本文在边界面塑性理论的框架内,把相变状态参量引入到剪胀方程以及塑性硬化模量中,建立了一个能够描述砂土剪胀性以及循环特性的本构模型。本模型采用一套参量可以模拟不同初时孔隙比、不同围压、排水(或不排水)条件下单调(或循环)加载的应力-应变特性。验证表明本模型数值计算与试验结果相吻合。