Undrained Behaviour of Silt under Static and Cyclic Loading

In this study, the undrained behaviour of silt under low stress level is studied. An effective preparation method for built-in silt samples in the triaxial test was firstly developed. By triaxial testing of samples at low confining pressures it was found that silt easily loses stability and liquefies. Loose silt may show temporary liquefaction under static loading, and develop full liquefaction under cyclic loading. The most important factors influencing the silt behaviour are porosity, confining pressure, consolidation state, cyclic loading level and number of cycles. The maximum obtainable shear stress is primarily a function of the confining pressure and the internal frictional angle. The actual structure of the silt material is the key factor in controlling its behaviour.

Liquefaction of Sand under Low Confining Pressure

Undrained behaviour of sand under low cell pressure was studied in static and cyclic triaxial tests. It was found that very loose sand liquefies under static loading with the relative density being a key parameter for the undrained behaviour of sand. In cyclic triaxial tests, pore water pressures built up during the cyclic loading and exceeded the confining cell pressure. This process was accompanied by a large sudden increase in axial deformation. The necessary number of cycles to obtain liquefaction was related to the confining cell pressure, the amplitude of cyclic loading and the relative density of sand.In addition, the patterns of pore water pressure response are different from those of sand samples with different relative densities. The test results are very useful for expounding scour mechanism around coastal structures since they relate to the low stress behaviour of the sand.