Variation of Resilient Modulus of Subgrade Soils over a Wide Range of Suction States
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 9
Abstract
Design of flexible pavements over fine-grained soils requires determination of subgrade resilient modulus over a wide range of degree of saturation and suction for different soils. A novel experimental setup was developed by integrating a cyclic triaxial apparatus with capability to control suction using axis-translation and automated vapor pressure control to the specimen gas phase. System performance was evaluated through repeated load triaxial (RLT) tests for suction ranging from 0 kPa at saturation to 600 MPa at drier conditions. Replicate tests performed on a silty soil and a high-plasticity clayey soil indicated excellent repeatability. Resilient modulus of the materials is essentially unaffected with drying at low-suction range near the air-entry value and the optimum moisture content condition. This property then increases rapidly with subsequent drying until reaching a residual state after which the rate of increase in resilient modulus with respect to suction decreases to a low value. Limitations of a recent prediction model in capturing this trend demonstrated the need to determine resilient moduli over a wider range of suction for developing robust resilient moduli prediction model.
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Data Availability Statement
All the relevant data and models used in the study have been provided in the form of figures and tables in the published article. Additional data generated from analysis and models is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The experimental work described in this paper was part of a research project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation Program (NSF Program Manager: Dr. Joanne D. Culbertson; Award No. 1039956) and NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) program funded “Center for the Integration of Composites into Infrastructure (CICI)” site (NSF Program Director: Andre Marshall; Award No. 1464489) and their support is gratefully acknowledged. Any findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 9 • September 2020
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© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jun 1, 2019
Accepted: Apr 10, 2020
Published online: Jul 13, 2020
Published in print: Sep 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Dec 13, 2020
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