TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE BEHAVIOUR OF UNSATURATED BONDED SOILS

摘要

The effect of suction on shear strength has been investigated for an artificial weakly-bonded soil.A series of constant water content triaxial tests has been performed using the axis translation technique to obtain measurements of suction during shearing. The results of the unsaturated tests are compared to tests on saturated samples of the same soil. It is seen that the increase in strength due to suction is greater than would be expected. This is particularly noticeable in the transition from the saturated to the unsaturated state.Apparent values of the friction angle due to suction, φb, are observed that are greater than the friction angle in saturated conditions, φ'.