Review of fundamental principles in modelling unsaturated soil behaviour

This paper proposes a new water retention model for unsaturated soils, which takes into account capillary condensation of adsorbed water. In this model, the degree of saturation of a soil is separated into that based on capillary water and that based on adsorbed water. Through analysis of a partially saturated two-cylinder system, a new shear strength criterion for unsaturated soils is proposed, in which only the degree of saturation based on capillary water contributes to the variation of shear strength with suction. The proposed shear strength criterion is justified against thermodynamic principles and is compared against existing criteria in the literature, which shows that it provides a much improved prediction of the experimental data for a wide range of suction values.

Capillary water retention curve and shear strength of unsaturated soils

Shear strength is one of the fundamental properties of unsaturated soils. It has been found to change with matric suction. Various shear strength equations have been proposed for predicting the shear strength versus suction relationship for unsaturated soils. Some of these equations are based on regression analysis of experimental data, while some are embodied in more complex stress–strain constitutive models. In this paper, a variety of shear strength equations are examined and compared with respect to their fit of experimental data. Data for specimens prepared from initially slurry conditions as well as data for initially compacted soil specimens are analysed. The advantages and limitations associated with various proposed shear strength equations are discussed in this paper.

Shear Strength Criteria for Unsaturated Soils

Investigation of localized deformation in partially saturated sand under triaxial compression using microfocus X-ray CT with digital image correlation

This paper introduces a methodology to predict the non-linear stiffness–suction and shear strength–suction relationships for unsaturated soils within the lower suction range from the non-linearity of the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC), using a normalised function formulated with ‘suction times exponential degree of saturation’. The information required in this methodology includes (a) measurements of the shear strength or stiffness properties at saturation condition and one unsaturated condition and (b) the SWCC. Published experimental data on the stiffness and shear strength properties and the SWCC obtained from 25 different soils varying from coarse-grained sands to expansive clays are used to validate the proposed normalised function and to calibrate the exponent value. It is found that the normalised function, using exponent values of 1·0 and 2·0, respectively, for cohesionless and cohesive soils, provides reasonable predictions of the stiffness–suction and shear strength–suction relationships...

Stiffness and shear strength of unsaturated soils in relation to soil-water characteristic curve

This paper describes a novel method of controlling suction by means of air circulation in combination with independent suction measurement. The technique has been incorporated in a standard triaxial stress path cell, and could easily be incorporated in other standard apparatus such as the direct shear box and oedometer. The application of the technique is demonstrated by means of an exploratory testing programme in which samples of a reconstituted saturated clayey silt were progressively dried to various predetermined suctions, which were then maintained constant during isotropic compression followed by shearing to failure. In this way the drying and stress history of the soil was carefully controlled in a way that could be made representative of the genesis of natural unsaturated soils. Though exploratory, the experimental investigation described in this paper has provided some interesting and thought-provoking results. Prior to desaturation the clayey silt behaves in accordance with the classical critic...

The mechanical behaviour of a reconstituted unsaturated silty clay

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The mechanical behaviour of a reconstituted unsaturated silty clay