Undrained Shear Strength of Granular Soils with Different Particle Gradations
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 130, Issue 6
Abstract
A series of undrained tests were performed on granular soils consisting of sand and gravel with different particle gradations and different relative densities reconstituted in laboratory. Despite large differences in grading, only a small difference was observed in undrained cyclic shear strength or liquefaction strength defined as the cyclic stress causing 5% double amplitude axial strain for specimens having the same relative density. In a good contrast, undrained monotonic shear strength defined at larger strains after undrained cyclic loading was at least eight times larger for well-graded soils than poorly graded sand despite the same relative density. This indicates that devastating failures with large postliquefaction soil strain are less likely to develop in well-graded granular soils compared to poorly graded sands with the same relative density, although they are almost equally liquefiable. However, if gravelly particles of well-graded materials are crushable such as decomposed granite soils, undrained monotonic strengths are considerably small and almost identical to or lower than that of poorly graded sands.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 130 • Issue 6 • June 2004
Pages: 621 - 629
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 27, 2002
Accepted: Sep 17, 2003
Published online: May 14, 2004
Published in print: Jun 2004
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