Abstract
The direct simple shear (DSS) test is commonly used to assess the shear strength of soil, estimate liquefaction resistance, or calibrate constitutive models under the assumption of idealized simple shear conditions even though this may not be necessarily achieved in the test. Near-frictionless vertical boundaries cannot develop the complementary shear stresses necessary for equilibrium. Difficulties in maintaining constant height during equivalent-undrained tests may violate the constant volume assumption. The cap holding the top of the specimen may tilt during shear, violating the assumed perfect simple shear strain conditions. These boundary effects on constant-volume monotonic and cyclic DSS test results were parametrically studied by simulating a DSS device using an advanced plasticity model. For practical purposes, near-frictionless vertical boundaries can be used to approximate simple shear conditions, and the effect of top-cap tilting is negligible in well-designed devices. However, vertical compliance can greatly affect the stress-strain response.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request (i.e., simulation and experimental data).
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Rocscience Inc. and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) (Grant Nos. 529193/2018 and 401267058) for supporting this study. We would also like to thank fellow research group members Sartaj Gill and Wei Liu for contributing to the experimental data that is used in this study. Feedback and comments provided by Dr. Alex Sy and Professor Jason DeJong have immensely improved this work. We also appreciate the cooperation of Dr. Kaveh Zehtab of GeoComp.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 1 • January 2022
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 1, 2020
Accepted: Jul 23, 2021
Published online: Oct 19, 2021
Published in print: Jan 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Mar 19, 2022
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