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Soil Testing Methods for Earthquake Engineering

This document discusses different types of laboratory tests used to study soil behavior under cyclic or earthquake loading conditions. It summarizes the cyclic triaxial test, its limitations, and introduces other alternative tests like direct simple shear and cyclic hollow cylinder torsional shear tests. The cyclic triaxial test is commonly used but has limitations as it only controls two stress components and cannot account for stress rotations. The direct simple shear test simulates shear behavior more realistically but has fixed boundary conditions. The cyclic hollow cylinder torsional shear test addresses issues like membrane penetration and non-uniform stresses, more closely simulating field conditions.

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29 views5 pages

Soil Testing Methods for Earthquake Engineering

This document discusses different types of laboratory tests used to study soil behavior under cyclic or earthquake loading conditions. It summarizes the cyclic triaxial test, its limitations, and introduces other alternative tests like direct simple shear and cyclic hollow cylinder torsional shear tests. The cyclic triaxial test is commonly used but has limitations as it only controls two stress components and cannot account for stress rotations. The direct simple shear test simulates shear behavior more realistically but has fixed boundary conditions. The cyclic hollow cylinder torsional shear test addresses issues like membrane penetration and non-uniform stresses, more closely simulating field conditions.

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jobayda
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© All Rights Reserved
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CE71.61.

Soil Dynamics and Earthquake


engineering
Assignment 02

Submitted To
[Link] Soralump

Submitted By
Nann Shu Kyi
St121024
Cyclic Triaxial Test
The cyclic triaxial test has been used extensively in the study of soil
subjected to simulated earthquake loading for the determination of shear
modulus and damping ratio of soils in either undisturbed or remolded state by
using load or displacement controlled cyclic triaxial system.

Limitation
1. The device only controls only two independent stress components, the
radial stress (horizontal stress) and σr’ and the vertical stress (the axial
stress) σa’. But in reality, For two dimensional situation, it has three
stress components and for three dimensional situation, it has six
dimensional conditions.
2. Membrane compliance (also called membrane penetration problem) is
a critical issue for the undrained shear tests on coarse granular
materials. When the triaxial specimens of stiff granular geomaterials is
subjected cyclic loading, it generates negative pore water pressure and
cause the membrane moves inward. Consequently, it makes specimen
changes in the void volume which is not related with the volume
contraction of granular structure of soil.

Likewise, in liquefaction tests on coarse grained soil, the development of the


excess pore water pressure lead to the outward displacement of the
membrane. The resistance of the liquefaction might be overestimated in this
case because of the underestimation of excess pore water pressure as a result
of the outwards migration of the pore water pressure from a tested
specimen.

3. Under real loading conditions, vertical and horizontal directions axes


rotate. However, in the test ,the orientations of principal stress axes (σV’
& σh’) are fixed in those two directions and do not subjected to rotation.
Direct Simple Shear (DSS)
This test is modification of the direct shear test. This test
simulates the real behavior of the shear. In direct shear test, the failure plane
is always horizontal and predetermined. However, in this test, shear plane is
not pre-determined and occurs naturally. Shearing occurs along the weakest
plane. Unlike direct shear test, the applied shear is uniform to the whole
specimen and the strain can be qualified and can be calculated the shear
strength of the soil.

Limitation
In this test, boundary conditions of the soil sample are fixed in this test. It does
not reflect the real field conditions.
Cyclic Hollow Cylinder Torsional Shear Test
This test is quite similar to the conventional triaxial machine, this torsion
shear device shears a specimen that is covered by rubber membranes and
consolidated under cell water pressure. Unlike triaxial test, this test have
three direction of freedom (σv & σh and τvh). And there will be no membrane
penetration problem because the internal hollow space is used to assess the
extent of membrane penetration as a function effective stress.
Advantages
This test detects the problem of nonuniform stress that is caused by end
effects because there is no end in the peripheral direction. Hence, boundary
conditions only present in the top and bottom of the sample but tested area is
in the middle of the sample.

References
[Ikuo_Towhata] Geotechnical_Earthquake_Engineering
(Day R.W)_Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Handbook

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