Influence of the Grain-Size Distribution Curve of Quartz Sand on the Small Strain Shear Modulus
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 10
Abstract
The paper presents a study of the influence of grain-size distribution curve on the small strain shear modulus of quartz sand with subangular grain shape. The results of 163 resonant column tests on 25 different grain-size distribution curves are presented. It is demonstrated for a constant void ratio that while is not influenced by variations in the mean grain-size in the investigated range, it significantly decreases with increasing coefficient of uniformity of the grain-size distribution curve. Well-known empirical formulas (e.g., Hardin’s equation with its commonly used constants) may strongly overestimate the stiffness of well-graded soils. Based on the RC test results, correlations of the constants of Hardin’s equation with have been developed. The predictions using Hardin’s equation and these correlations are in good accordance with the test data. Correlations of the frequently used shear modulus coefficient with and empirical equations formulated in terms of relative density, are also given in the paper. A comparison of the predictions by the proposed empirical formulas with -data from the literature and a micromechanical explanation of the experimental results are provided. Correction factors for an application of the laboratory data to in situ conditions are also discussed.
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Acknowledgments
The presented study has been performed within the framework of the project “Influence of the coefficient of uniformity of the grain-size distribution curve and of the fines content on the dynamic properties of noncohesive soils” funded by the German Research Council (DFG) (Project No. UNSPECIFIEDTR218/11-1). The writers are grateful to the DFG for the financial support. The RC tests have been performed at Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. The writers gratefully acknowledge the help of the diploma thesis students R. Martinez, F. Durán-Graeff, E. Giolo, and M. Navarrete Hernández.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 10 • October 2009
Pages: 1404 - 1418
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 2, 2008
Accepted: Feb 5, 2009
Published online: Mar 3, 2009
Published in print: Oct 2009
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