Simplified Model for Interpretation of Undrained Shear-Strength from Field-Vane Tests in Transient Soils
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 6
Abstract
Interpretation of field vane tests in transient soils requires assessing partial drainage effects within the soil surrounding the vane. This subject is investigated in this paper using a nonlinear poroelastic model to simulate the rotation of a rigid cylinder in a nonlinear poroelastic medium. This simplified approach of a vane test yields analytical expressions that help to explore rate effects in silty materials. Analytical expressions were validated against experimental results in low permeability soils under undrained conditions as well as field vane tests performed on silty tailings. The dimensionless velocity is proposed for normalization of testing data allowing to assess the effects of normalized strength, stiffness, and extent of the influence zone. It is concluded that the ratio of the drained to undrained resistance is generally lower than 3. As further considerations of practical importance, the standard velocity of is not suitable to reach undrained conditions in silts. A solution is then established to account for possible errors induced by pore pressure dissipation, yielding a practical criterion for determining the undrained shear strength.
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Data Availability Statement
No data, models, or code were generated or used during the study.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully appreciate the support provided by the Brazilian Research Council (CNPq) and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 6 • June 2020
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©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 10, 2019
Accepted: Jan 24, 2020
Published online: Apr 9, 2020
Published in print: Jun 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Sep 9, 2020
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