Influence of Specimen Preparation on the Liquefaction Behaviors of Sand and Its Mesoscopic Explanation
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 2
Abstract
Specimen preparation methods and the resulting fabric can significantly influence the mechanical behavior of sand. To clarify the influence of specimen preparation methods on liquefaction behavior, a series of undrained cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on sand specimens prepared by different methods with a wide range of relative densities. Then, mesoscopic tests, including scanning electronic microscopy and digital image processing methods, were systematically conducted to observe the initial fabrics produced by different preparation methods. The triaxial test results demonstrated that different specimen preparation methods produce distinctly different responses, including the stress–strain relationship, failure mode, liquefaction resistance, and critical state line. Analysis of the mesoscopic testing results indicated that the initial fabrics of the specimens were affected not only by the preparation methods but also by the relative densities. A reasonable explanation for the linkage between the macromechanical behavior of the sand and the fabric formed in the specimen preparation process is given in this study.
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Data Availability Statement
All data generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41977225), and the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities. Financial support from Grant-in-Aid Scientific Research (B), No. 17H03304, JSPS, is also greatly appreciated.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 2 • February 2021
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© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Mar 16, 2020
Accepted: Sep 16, 2020
Published online: Nov 24, 2020
Published in print: Feb 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Apr 24, 2021
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