Characterization of Cemented Sand by Experimental and Numerical Investigations
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 7
Abstract
In this study, the effects of cementation on the stress–dilatancy and strength of cemented sand are investigated through experimental characterizations using triaxial tests and numerical simulations using the discrete element method. At small strains, dilatancy is hindered by the intact bonding network that produces a web-patterned force chain. After yielding, the increase in the dilatancy accelerates. Two competing but intimately related processes determine the peak strength: Bond breakages cause a strength reduction but the associated dilatancy leads to a strength increase. This finding and the experimental observation that the dilatancy at the peak state increases with increasing cement content explain why the measured peak-state strength parameters, and , are relevant to the cement content. With increasing strain, the force-chain distribution gradually changes to a thick columnar shape, which mostly appears inside the shear band. At the ultimate state, the cementing bonds remain to form clusters, even within the shear band. The existence of clusters not only helps maintain the overall volumetric dilation but also prevents force-chain buckling, which in turn increases the associated strength.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HIA04/05.EG02). The writers are grateful to the reviewers for their valuable comments.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134 • Issue 7 • July 2008
Pages: 992 - 1004
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 18, 2007
Accepted: Oct 19, 2007
Published online: Jul 1, 2008
Published in print: Jul 2008
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