Assessment of Conventional Interpretation Methods of RC Results Based on 3D Numerical Simulations
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18, Issue 12
Abstract
Resonant column (RC) testing is a widely used laboratory technique to determine the stiffness characteristics of soils under small- to medium-strain perturbations. Solid or hollow cylindrical soil specimens are set into motion in either torsional or longitudinal modes of vibration by an electromagnetic loading system whose frequency is changing until the first-mode resonant condition is reached, and then the shear modulus of soil is back-calculated from the fundamental frequency, the geometry of the specimen, and the end-restraint conditions. However, the outcomes of this test are largely affected by both the driving apparatus used for the specimen vibration and the motion-monitoring instruments lumped into a mass that oscillates with the specimen. This study presents the results pertaining to three-dimensional (3D) finite-differences (FD) simulations of RC tests on soil samples undergoing both torsional and longitudinal modes of vibration. The prime objective of the study was to examine the influence of the driving mass, the geometry of the specimen, the mode of vibration, and the boundary conditions on the RC test results. The numerical results show that the attachment of the instrumentation on the sample is the driving factor contributing to the error in the estimation of the soil dynamic characteristics, and typical equations for the calculation of the shear modulus from the resonant frequency in the longitudinal mode of vibration cannot be directly applied to their torsional-mode counterparts.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
ASTM. 2007. Standard test methods for modulus and damping of soils by resonant-column method. ASTM D4015-07. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Avramidis, A. S., and S. K. Saxena. 1990. “The modified ‘stiffened’ Drnevich resonant column apparatus.” Soils Found. 30 (3): 53–68. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf1972.30.3_53.
Bjerrum, L., and A. Landva. 1966. “Direct simple shear tests on a Norwegian quick clay.” Géotechnique 16 (1): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.1966.16.1.1.
Boulanger, R. W., C. K. Chan, H. B. Seed, R. B. Seed, and J. Sousa. 1993. “A low-compliance bi-directional cyclic simple shear apparatus.” Geotech. Test. J. 16 (1): 36–45. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ10265J.
Brignoli, E. G. M., M. Gotti, and K. H. Stokoe. 1996. “Measurement of shear waves in laboratory specimens by means of piezoelectric transducers.” Geotech. Test. J. 19 (4): 384–397. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ10716J.
Bui, M. T. 2009. “Influence of some particle characteristics on the small strain response of granular materials.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Southampton.
Campanella, R. G., P. K. Robertson, and D. Gillespie. 1986. “Seismic cone penetration test.” In Use of in situ tests in geotechnical engineering, 116–130. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Cascante, G., C. Santamarina, and N. Yassir. 1998. “Flexural excitation in a standard torsional-resonant column device.” Can. Geotech. J. 35 (3): 478–490. https://doi.org/10.1139/t98-012.
Chen, A. T. F., and K. H. Stokoe. 1979. Interpretation of strain-dependent modulus and damping from torsional soil tests. US Geological Survey Rep. No. USGS-GD-79-002. Warrendale, PA: SAE International.
Drnevich, V. P. 1978. Resonant column testing: Problems and solutions. STP564. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Dyvik, R., T. Berre, S. Lacasse, and B. Raadim. 1987. “Comparison of truly undrained and constant volume direct simple shear tests.” Géotechnique 37 (1): 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.1987.37.1.3.
Geremew, A. M., and E. K. Yanful. 2013. “Dynamic properties and influence of clay mineralogy types on the cyclic strength of mine tailings.” Int. J. Geomech. 13 (4): 441–453. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000227.
Ghayoomi, M., G. Suprunenko, and M. Mirshekari. 2017. “Cyclic triaxial test to measure strain-dependent shear modulus of unsaturated sand.” Int. J. Geomech. 17 (9): 04017043. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000917.
Hall, J. R., and F. E. Richart, Jr. 1963. “Effect of vibration amplitude on wave velocities in granular materials.” In Proc., 2nd Pan-American Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. Sao Paulo, Brazil: Brazilian Association of Soil Mechanics.
Hardin, B. O., and F. E. Richart, Jr. 1963. “Elastic wave velocities in granular soils.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div. 89 (1): 33–63.
Hryciw, R. D. 1990. “Small-strain-shear modulus of soil by dilatometer.” J. Geotech. Eng. 116 (11): 1700–1716. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9410(1990)116:11(1700).
Ishibashi, I., and X. Zhang. 1993. “Unified dynamic shear moduli and damping ratios of sand and clay.” Soils Found. 33 (1): 182–191. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf1972.33.182.
Ishihara, K. 1996. Soil behaviour in earthquake geotechnics. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Karray, M., M. Ben Romdhan, M. N. Hussien, and Y. Éthier. 2015. “Measuring shear wave velocity of granular material using the piezoelectric ring-actuator technique (P-RAT).” Can. Geotech. J. 52 (9): 1302–1317. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2014-0306.
Koseki, J., S. Kawakami, H. Nagayama, and T. Sato. 2000. “Change of small strain quasi-elastic deformation properties during undrained cyclic torsional shear and triaxial tests of Toyoura sand.” Soils Found. 40 (3): 101–110. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf.40.3_101.
Kramer, S. L. 1996. Geotechnical earthquake engineering. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Kuhlemeyer, R. L., and J. Lysmer. 1973. “Finite element method accuracy for wave propagation problems.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div. 99 (5): 421–427.
Nie, Z., S. Chi, and S. Gong. 2017. “Numerical modeling of cyclic triaxial experiments for granular soil.” Int. J. Geomech. 17 (6): 04016147. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000832.
Perino, A., and G. Barla. 2015. “Resonant column apparatus tests on intact and jointed rock specimens with numerical modelling validation.” Rock Mech. Rock Eng. 48 (1): 197–211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-014-0564-2.
Richart, F. E., Jr., J. R. Hall, and R. D. Woods. 1970. Vibrations of soils and foundations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Schaeffer, K., R. Bearce, and J. Wang. 2013. “Dynamic modulus and damping ratio measurements from free-free resonance and fixed-free resonant column procedures.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 139 (12): 2145–2155. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000945.
Seed, H. B., and I. M. Idriss. 1970. Soil moduli and damping factors for dynamic response analyses. Rep. No. EERC 70-10. Berkeley, CA: Earthquake Engineering Resource Center, Univ. of California, Berkeley.
Tatsuoka, F., M. Muramatsu, and T. Sasaki. 1982. “Cyclic undrained stress–strain behavior of dense sand by torsional simple shear test.” Soils Found. 22 (2): 55–70. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf1972.22.2_55.
Wang, Y. H., G. Cascante, and J. C. Santamarina. 2003. “Resonant column testing: The inherent counter EMF effect.” Geotech. Test. J. 26 (3): 342–352. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ11305J.
Zhang, J., R. D. Andrus, and C. H. Juang. 2005. “Normalized shear modulus and material damping ratio relationships.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 131 (4): 453–464. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2005)131:4(453).
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18 • Issue 12 • December 2018
Copyright
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 8, 2017
Accepted: May 25, 2018
Published online: Sep 21, 2018
Published in print: Dec 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Feb 21, 2019
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.