Percolation Threshold of Sand-Clay Binary Mixtures
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 136, Issue 2
Abstract
Many poorly graded granular materials of engineering importance can be characterized as gap-graded binary mixtures. Such mixtures display a volume-change response at a threshold value of the coarse fraction that is reminiscent of systems described by percolation theory. An experimental investigation on a sand-clay mixture is presented that clearly displays threshold behavior and sheds light on the role that each soil fraction plays in transferring loads through the medium. There are two key effects. First, an analysis of void ratio of the interpore clay fraction for varying compaction energies reveals an abrupt reduction in clay density at the threshold fraction of sand, whereby it is virtually impossible to impart compaction on the clay fraction at sand contents exceeding this threshold. Second, although force chains cannot be observed directly, analysis of the sand in terms of its component void ratio, computed based on treating the clay as part of the void space, shows that the sand carries a majority of the load at component void ratios that are too high to form stable force chains. The traditional interrelationship between mean stress and void ratio based on critical state theory breaks down when the sand content nears its threshold fraction. When the sand content is near the threshold limit, increasing mean stress results in a greater dilative tendency. Results are compared with findings on consolidation of sand-bentonite mixtures, and so-called reverse behavior of sand-silt mixtures.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This paper is based on research conducted under the AT22 Research Project Stress Transfer in Granular Media conducted at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. Permission to publish this work is given by the Director, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, ERDC.
References
Blumenfeld, R. (2004). “Stresses in isostatic granular systems and emergence of force chains.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 93(10), 108301.
Consiglio, R., Baker, D. R., Paul, G., and Stanley, H. E. (2003). “Continuum percolation thresholds for mixtures of spheres of different sizes.” Physica A, 319, 49–55.
de Magistris, F. S., Ssivestri, F., and Vinale, F. (1998). “Physical and mechanical properties of a compacted silty sand with low bentonite fraction.” Can. Geotech. J., 35(6), 909–925.
Dixon, D. A., Gray, M. N., and Thomas, A. W. (1985). “A study of the compaction properties of potential clay-sand buffer mixtures for use in nuclear fuel waste disposal.” Eng. Geol., 21(3–4), 247–255.
Efros, A. L. (1986). Physics and geometry of disorder: Percolation theory, Mir, Moscow.
Feda, J. (1994). “Stress path dependent shear strength of sand.” J. Geotech. Eng., 120(6), 958–974.
Feda, J. (1996). “Effect of structure on the shearing resistance of sand.” Proc., 7th Int. Conf. of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Vol. 1, Sociedad Mexicana de Mecanica de Suelos, Mexico City, 121–126.
Fukue, M., Okusa, S., and Nakamura, T. (1986). “Consolidation of sand-clay mixtures.” Consolidation of Soils: Testing and Evaluation, ASTM STP892, R. N. Yong and F. C. Townsend, eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 627–641.
Ghazavi, M. (2004). “Shear strength characteristics of sand mixed with rubber.” Geotech. Geologic. Eng., 22, 401–416.
Jia, X. (2004). “Codalike multiple scattering of elastic waves in dense granular media.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 93(15), 154303.
Kenney, T. C. (1977) “Residual strengths of mineral mixtures.” Proc., 9th Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics, Vol. 1, Japanese Geotechnical Society, Tokyo, 155–160.
King, P. R., et al. (2002). “Percolation theory.” DIALOG: The London Petrophysical Society Newsletter, Vol. 10(3), London Petrophysical Society, London.
Lee, J., Dodds, J., and Santamarina, J. C. (2007). “Behavior of rigid-soft particle mixtures.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 19(2), 179–184.
Lee, J. H., Salgado, R., Bernal, A., and Lovell, C. W. (1999). “Shredded tires and rubber-sand as lightweight backfill.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 125(2), 132–141.
Mollins, L. H., Stewart, D. I., and Cousens, T. W. (1999). “Drained strength of bentonite-enhanced sand.” Geotechnique, 49(4), 523–528.
Monkul, M. M., and Ozden, G. (2007). “Compressional behavior of clayey sand and transition fines content.” Eng. Geol., 89(3–4), 195–205.
Oda, M. (1993). “Inherent and induced anisotropy in plasticity theory of granular soils.” Mech. Mater., 16, 35–45.
Oda, M., and Iwashita, K. (1999). Mechanics of granular materials: An introduction, Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Oda, M., and Iwashita, K. (2000). “Study on couple stress and shear band development in granular media based on numerical simulation analyses.” Int. J. Eng. Sci., 38, 1713–1740.
Oda, M., and Kazama, H. (1998). “Microstructure of shear bands and its relation to the mechanisms of dilatancy and failure of dense granular soils.” Geotechnique, 48(4), 465–481.
Oda, M., and Yoshida, T. (1999). “Recent laboratory study. 1: Shear band development.” Mechanics of granular materials, M. Oda and K. Iwashita, eds., Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 299–308.
Peters, J. F., Muthuswamy, M., Wibowo, J., and Tordesillas, A. (2005). “Characterization of force chains in granular material.” Phys. Rev. E, 72(4), 041307.
Skempton, A. W. (1964). “Long-term stability of clay slopes.” Geotechnique, 14(2), 77–101.
Thornton, C. (2000). “Numerical simulations of deviatoric shear deformation of granular media.” Geotechnique, 50(1), 43–53.
Torrey, V. H., and Donaghe, R. T. (1991). “Compaction characteristics of earth-rock mixtures.” Miscellaneous paper GL-91-16, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss.
Umedera, M., Fujiwara, A., Yasufuku, N., Hyodo, M., and Murata, H. (1995). “Mechanical properties of bentonite-sand mixtures under triaxial stress condition.” Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc., 353(1), 307–311.
Yamamuro, J. A., Covert, K. M., and Lade, P. V. (1999). “Static and cyclic liquefaction of silty sands.” Physics and mechanics of soil liquefaction, P. V. Lade and J. A. Yamamuro, eds., Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Yamamuro, J. A., and Lade, P. V. (1997). “Static liquefaction of very loose sands.” Can. Geotech. J., 34, 905–917.
Yamamuro, J. A., and Lade, P. V. (1998). “Steady-state concepts and static liquefaction of silty sands.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 124(9), 868–877.
Zhang, H. P. and Makse, H. A. (2005). “Jamming transition in emulsions and granular materials.” Phys. Rev. E, 72(1), 011301.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Sep 30, 2008
Accepted: Aug 3, 2009
Published online: Aug 6, 2009
Published in print: Feb 2010
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.