Dynamic Properties of Saturated Compacted Soils

Dynamic properties of saturated compacted soils are very important parameters used for analyzing seismic responses of compacted earth dams. The complete test results of them are rare since that saturating the compacted soil specimens is time-consuming and laborious by using traditional saturation methods. In this study, two vacuum-saturation methods were proposed to improve saturating the compacted SM, ML and CL specimens. Both methods can reliably make their Skempton coefficient B greater than 0.95. Their complete dynamic properties were then measured by resonant column test (RCT). The test results showed that their G/G_max versus strain relationships and damping ratio curves are much different from those of ordinary soils. The empirical equations correlating the maximum shear modulus, void ratio and effective confining pressure were also suggested for different compacted soils.