Validation of Centrifuge Model Scaling for Soil Systems via Trapdoor Tests
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 11
Abstract
The validity of centrifuge modeling of soil systems is investigated by means of a “yielding trapdoor” setup similar to the one used by previous researchers for examining soil arching. A modeling-of-models exercise is thus carried out in accordance with centrifuge scaling requirements. This parametric study also includes the effects of -level, grain-size, trapdoor width, and overburden depth. Particle-size scaling may be necessary to achieve full model-prototype similitude, depending on the structure-to-grain-size ratio. However, it appears that reasonable results can be achieved with centrifuge models, using the same soil as the prototype, where the structural dimensions are at least 20 times the grain size.
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Acknowledgments
Funding for this research was provided by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific ResearchUSAFOSR (AFOSR). The work was performed while the principal writer was pursuing his doctorate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The support of the AFOSR and the MIT Department of Civil Engineering is very much appreciated. The writers are especially grateful to Dr. John T. Germaine, Director of MIT’s Geotechnical Laboratory, for his valuable contributions to the conduct of the centrifuge experiments.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 11 • November 2011
Pages: 1075 - 1089
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 21, 2009
Accepted: Feb 2, 2011
Published online: Feb 3, 2011
Published in print: Nov 1, 2011
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