Experimental Study on the Aging of Sands
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 130, Issue 10
Abstract
Aging effects in sand, such as increases in cone penetration resistance with time after deposition and/or densification, are known to occur in the field, but the causes of these effects are not fully understood. A laboratory testing program was designed to study mechanisms responsible for aging effects under controlled conditions. The testing program included measurements of the small strain shear modulus, electrical conductivity, pore fluid chemistry, and minicone penetration resistance after different periods of aging. Two different sands were tested, and aging effects were evaluated for different combinations of relative density, temperature, and pore fluid composition. Increases in the small strain shear modulus were observed throughout most of the tests, and chemical analyses suggest that precipitation of carbonate and silica occurred in two tests. Despite these changes, there was no corresponding increase in the minicone penetration resistance with time in any of the tests. It is unlikely that precipitation of carbonate or silica is responsible for aging effects in sands; other possible mechanisms include arching due to dissipation of blast gases and redistribution of stresses through the soil skeleton. An additional possibility is that the boundary conditions imposed by the laboratory tests obscure changes in penetration resistance that would be measured had the volume of sand tested been much larger. The implications of these findings in terms of other published field and laboratory studies are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Acar, Y. B., and El-Tahir, E. A. (1986). “Low strain dynamic properties of artificially cemented sand.” J. Geotech. Eng., 112(11), 1001–1015.
2.
Afifi, S. S., and Woods, R. D. (1971). “Long-term pressure effects on shear modulus of soils” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div., 97(10), 1445–1460.
3.
AGRA Earth & Environmental, Ltd. (1995). “Draft report on results of blast densification SM-3 site, Quebec.” Internal Rep., Quebec.
4.
Anderson, D.G., and Stokoe, K.H. ( 1978). “Shear modulus, a time-dependent soil property” Dynamic Geotechnical Testing, ASTM STP 654, 66–90.
5.
Arulnathan, R., Boulanger, R. W., and Riemer, M. F. (1998). “Analysis of bender element tests.” Geotech. Test. J., 21(2), 120–131.
6.
Baxter, C.D. P. ( 1999). “An experimental study on the aging of sands.” Ph.D. dissertation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
7.
Brandon, T. L., and Mitchell, J. K. (1989). “Factors influencing thermal resistivity of sands.” J. Geotech. Eng., 115(12), 1683–1698.
8.
Brignoli, E. G. M., Gotti, M., and Stokoe, K. H. (1996). “Measurement of shear waves in laboratory specimens by means of piezoelectric transducers.” Geotech. Test. J., 19(4), 384–397.
9.
Cascante, G., and Santamarina, J. C. (1996). “Interparticle contact behavior and wave propagation.” J. Geotech. Eng., 122(10), 831–839.
10.
Charlie, W. A., Rwebyogo, M. F. J., and Doehring, D. O. (1992). “Time-dependent cone penetration resistance due to blasting.” J. Geotech. Eng., 118(8), 1200–1215.
11.
Daramola, O. (1980). “Effect of consolidation age on stiffness of sand.” Geotechnique, 30(2), 213–216.
12.
Dove, P.M., and Rimstidt, J.D. ( 1994). “Silica-water interactions.” Silica: Physical behavior, geochemistry, and materials applications, reviews in mineralogy. P. J. Heaney, C. T. Prewitt, and G. V. Gibbs, eds., Vol. 29.
13.
Dowding, C. H., and Hryciw, R. D. (1986). “A laboratory study of blast densification of saturated sand.” J. Geotech. Eng., 112(2), 187–199.
14.
Drescher, A., and De Josselin De Jong, G. (1972). “Photoelastic verification of a mechanical model for the flow of a granular material.” J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 20, 337–351.
15.
Dumas, J. C., and Beaton, N. F. (1988). “Discussion of ‘Practical problems from surprising soil behavior,’ by J. K. Mitchell.” J. Geotech. Eng., 114(3), 367–368.
16.
Gohl, W.B., Howie, J.A., Hawson, H.H., and Diggle, D. ( 1994). “Field experience with blast densification in an urban setting.” Proc., 5th U.S. National Conf. on Earthquake Engineering, Chicago, 221–230.
17.
Hardin, B. O., and Richart, F. E. (1963). “Elastic wave velocities in granular soils.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div., 89(1), 33–65.
18.
Huang, W., Sheng, D., Sloan, S.W., and Yu, H.S. ( 2003). “Finite element analysis of cone penetration in cohesionless soil.” Research Rep. No. 222.01.2002, The Univ. of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.
19.
Human, C.A. ( 1992). “Time dependent property changes of freshly deposited or densified sands.” PhD dissertation, Univ. of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, Calif.
20.
Ishihara, K. ( 1985). “Stability of natural deposits during earthquakes.” Proc., 11th Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, San Francisco, 321–376.
21.
Jamiolkowski, M., and Manassero, M. ( 1995). “The role of in-situ testing in geotechnical engineering — thoughts about the future.” Proc., Int. Conf. on Advances in Site Investigation Practice, Thomas Telford Ltd., London, 929–951.
22.
Jefferies, M. G., and Rogers, B. T. (1993). “Discussion of ‘Time-dependent cone penetration resistance due to blasting’, by W. A. Charlie, M. F. J. Rwebyogo, and D. O. Doehring.” J. Geotech. Eng., 119(12), 2008–2012.
23.
Jefferies, M.G., Rogers, B.T., Stewart, H.R., Shinde, S., Williams-Fitzpatrick, D.J., and Williams-Fitzpatrick, S. ( 1988). “Island construction in the Canadian Beaufort Sea.” Hydraulic Fill Structures, GSP No. 21, D. J. A. VanZyl and S. G. Vick, eds., ASCE, New York, 816–883.
24.
Joshi, R. C., Achari, G., Kaniraj, S. R., and Wijiweera, H. (1995). “Effect of aging on the penetration resistance of sands.” Can. Geotech. J., 32(5), 767–782.
25.
Kuhn, M.R. ( 1987). “Micromechanical aspects of soil creep.” PhD dissertation, Univ. of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, Calif.
26.
Langmuir, D. ( 1997). Aqueous environmental geochemistry, Prentice- Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
27.
Lunne, T., Robertson, P.K., and Powell, J.J. M. ( 1997). Cone penetration testing in geotechnical practice, Blackie Academic & Professional, London.
28.
Martin, G.R., Yen, T.F., and Karimi, S. ( 1996). “Application of biopolymer technology in silty soil matrices to form impervious barriers.” Proc., 7th Austrailian–New Zealand Conf. on Geomechanics, Adelaide, Austrailia.
29.
Massarsch, K.R., and Heppel, G. ( 1991). “Deep vibratory compaction using the muller resonance compaction (MRC) system.” Rep. No. 91:2, Muller Geosystems.
30.
Mesri, G., Feng, T. W., and Benak, J. M. (1990). “Postdensification penetration resistance of clean sands.” J. Geotech. Eng., 116(7), 1095–1115.
31.
Miller, H.J. ( 1994). “Development of instrumentation to study the effects of aging on the small strain behavior of sands.” PhD dissertation, Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H.
32.
Mitchell, J.K. ( 1993). Fundamentals of soil behavior, Wiley, New York.
33.
Mitchell, J. K., and Solymar, Z. V. (1984). “Time-dependent strength gain in freshly deposited or densified sand.” J. Geotech. Eng., 110(11), 1559–1576.
34.
Ng, N., Berner, P., and Covil, C. ( 1996). “The aging effects of sands.” Ground engineering, Geotechnical aspects of Hong Kong’s new airport, December, 21.
35.
Pender, M.J., Peploe, R.J., and Duske, G.C. ( 1992). “Simple shear compaction of basecourse aggregates.” Geotechnical Risk-Identification, Evaluation, and Solutions, Proc., 6th Australia–New Zealand Conf. on Geomechanics, Christchurch, New Zealand, 370–374.
36.
Richart, F.E., Hall, J.R., and Woods, R.D. ( 1970). Vibrations of soils and foundations, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
37.
Rimstidt, J. D. (1997). “Quartz solubility at low temperatures.” Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 61(13), 2553–2558.
38.
Sadek, M.S. ( 1993). “A comparitive study of the electrical and hydraulic conductivities of compacted clay.” PhD dissertation, Univ. of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, Calif.
39.
Salgado, R., Mitchell, J. K., and Jamiolkowski, M. (1997). “Cavity expansion and penetration resistance in sand.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 123(4), pp. 344–354.
40.
Salgado, R., Mitchell, J. K., and Jamiolkowski, M. (1998). “Calibration chamber size effects on penetration resistance in sand.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 124(9), 878–888.
41.
Santamarina, J.C. ( 2003). “Soil behavior at the microscale: Particle forces.” Proc., Soil Behavior and Soft Ground Construction, GSP No. 119, ASCE, Reston, Va., 25–56.
42.
Schmertmann, J. H. (1991). “The mechanical aging of soils.” J. Geotech. Eng., 117(9), 1288–1330.
43.
Schmertmann, J.H., Baker, W., Gupta, R., and Kessler, K. ( 1986). “CPT/DMT QC of ground modification at a power plant.” Use of in situ tests in geotechnical engineering, ASTM STP No. 6, 985–1001.
44.
Seed, H. B. (1979). “Soil liquefaction and cyclic mobility evaluation for level ground during earthquakes.” J. Geotech. Eng. Div., Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 105(2), 201–255.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 ASCE.
History
Published online: Oct 1, 2004
Published in print: Oct 2004
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.