Abstract
In laboratory testing, the liquefaction resistance of sands is typically evaluated using cyclic triaxial and simple shear tests. These tests cannot be used in a rigorous manner to systematically assess the effects of principal stress rotation and intermediate principal stress changes on the undrained cyclic response of sands. In this study, the effect of these two factors on the liquefaction resistance of Ottawa sand was investigated using a cyclic hollow cylinder apparatus. At similar initial states of fabric and mean effective stress following consolidation, the liquefaction resistance of Ottawa sand deposited underwater can (1) decrease by 50%–80% as the major principal stress direction moves away from the vertical with , or (2) increase by 200% to 380% as increases while remains vertical depending on the liquefaction criterion (strain levels). When the stress state defined by the imposed boundary condition deviated from axisymmetric compression, the combined effect on the liquefaction resistance was governed by principal stress rotation.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The experimental work summarized in this study was carried out at the Geotechnical Research Laboratory at Colorado State University (CSU). The support provided to the authors by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at CSU is truly appreciated.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 5 • May 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jan 19, 2021
Accepted: Dec 20, 2021
Published online: Feb 22, 2022
Published in print: May 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jul 22, 2022
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