Technical Paper
Jan 11, 2016

State-of-the-Art: Prediction of Resilient Modulus of Unsaturated Subgrade Soils

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Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 16, Issue 4

Abstract

In this paper, equations that were proposed in the literature over the past four decades to estimate or predict the variation of the resilient modulus with respect to soil suction for pavement base-course materials and subgrade soils are summarized into three groups: (1) empirical relationships, (2) constitutive models incorporating the soil suction into applied shearing or confining stresses, and (3) constitutive models extending the independent stress state variable approach. Two equations selected from each of the groups (a total of six equations) are used to predict the resilient modulus–soil suction correlations for three compacted subgrade soils. Strengths and limitations of these widely used equations are discussed based on the comparisons between the measurements and predictions. The key objective of the state-of-the-art research summarized in this paper is for assisting practicing engineers to choose suitable equations for the rational prediction of the resilient modulus taking into account the influence of the soil suction.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the research funding and financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada and China Scholarship Council–University of Ottawa Joint Scholarship.

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International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 16Issue 4August 2016

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Received: Apr 18, 2014
Accepted: Oct 30, 2015
Published online: Jan 11, 2016
Discussion open until: Jun 11, 2016
Published in print: Aug 1, 2016

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Zhong Han, S.M.ASCE [email protected]
Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]
Sai K. Vanapalli, Ph.D., M.ASCE [email protected]
Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]

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