Discrete element modeling was used to investigate the effect of particle size distribution on the small strain shear stiffness of granular soils and explore the fundamental mechanism controlling this small strain shea...Discrete element modeling was used to investigate the effect of particle size distribution on the small strain shear stiffness of granular soils and explore the fundamental mechanism controlling this small strain shear stiffness at the particle level. The results indicate that the mean particle size has a negligible effect on the small strain shear modulus. The observed increase of the shear modulus with increasing particle size is caused by a scale effect. It is suggested that the ratio of sample size to the mean particle size should be larger than 11.5 to avoid this possible scale effect. At the same confining pressure and void ratio, the small strain shear modulus decreases as the coefficient of uniformity of the soil increases. The Poisson＇s ratio decreases with decreasing void ratio and increasing confining pressure instead of being constant as is commonly assumed. Microscopic analyses indicate that the small strain shear stiffness and Poisson＇s ratio depend uniquely on the soil＇s coordination number.展开更多
Particle size fraction(clay, silt, and sand) is an important characteristic that influences several soil functions. The laser-diffraction method(LDM) provides a fast and cost-effective measurement of particle size dis...Particle size fraction(clay, silt, and sand) is an important characteristic that influences several soil functions. The laser-diffraction method(LDM) provides a fast and cost-effective measurement of particle size distribution, but the results usually differ from those obtained by the traditional sieve-pipette method(SPM). This difference can persist even when calibration is applied between the two methods. This partly relates to the different size ranges of particles measured by the two methods as a result of different operational principles, i.e., particle sedimentation according to Stokes’ Law vs. Mie theory for laser beam scattering. The objective of this study was to identify particle size ranges of LDM equivalent to those measured by SPM and evaluate whether new calibration models based on size range correction can be used to improve LDM-estimated particle size fractions, using 51 soil samples with various texture collected from five soil orders in New Zealand. Particle size distribution was determined using both LDM and SPM. Compared with SPM, original data from LDM underestimated the clay fraction(< 2 μm), overestimated the silt fraction(2–53 μm), but provided a good estimation of the sand fraction(53–2 000 μm).Results from three statistical indices, including Pearson’s correlation coefficient, slope, and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient, showed that the size ranges of < 2 and 2–53 μm defined by SPM corresponded with the < 5 and 5–53 μm size ranges by LDM, respectively. Compared with the traditional calibration(based on the same particle size ranges), new calibration models(based on the corrected size ranges of these two methods) improved the estimation of clay and silt contents by LDM. Compared with soil-specific models(i.e., different models were developed for different soils), a universal model may be more parsimonious for estimating particle size fractions if the samples to be assessed represent multiple soil orders.展开更多
Dispersive soils which occur in many parts of the world are easily erodible and segregate in water pose serious problems of stability of earth and earth retaining structures. The mechanism of dispersivity of soils is ...Dispersive soils which occur in many parts of the world are easily erodible and segregate in water pose serious problems of stability of earth and earth retaining structures. The mechanism of dispersivity of soils is reasonably well understood. However there is simple method to identify the dispersivity of the soils and even more difficult to quantify the dispersivity. Visual classification, Atterberg’s limits and particle size analysis do not provide sufficient basis to differentiate between dispersive clays and ordinary erosion resistant clays. Pinhole test and double hydrometer test are the only two tests that are in vogue to identify the dispersive soils. This paper explores the possibility of using other standard tests such as shrinkage limit and unconfined compressive strength tests to quantify the dispersivity of the soils. The rationale of using the methods and correlation between the dispersivity determined by various methods has been explained. It has been concluded that dispersivity ascertained from strength tests is more reliable.展开更多
基金The work presented in this paper was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant Nos. 51308408, 41272291,51238009） and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the Open Foundation of State Key Labo- ratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering （Grant No. 2014492311 ）.
文摘Discrete element modeling was used to investigate the effect of particle size distribution on the small strain shear stiffness of granular soils and explore the fundamental mechanism controlling this small strain shear stiffness at the particle level. The results indicate that the mean particle size has a negligible effect on the small strain shear modulus. The observed increase of the shear modulus with increasing particle size is caused by a scale effect. It is suggested that the ratio of sample size to the mean particle size should be larger than 11.5 to avoid this possible scale effect. At the same confining pressure and void ratio, the small strain shear modulus decreases as the coefficient of uniformity of the soil increases. The Poisson＇s ratio decreases with decreasing void ratio and increasing confining pressure instead of being constant as is commonly assumed. Microscopic analyses indicate that the small strain shear stiffness and Poisson＇s ratio depend uniquely on the soil＇s coordination number.
基金completed as part of the Manaaki Whenua–Landcare Research-led MBIE Program,Soil Health and Resilience—A Pathway to Prosperity and Wellbeing(No.P/442062/01)Next Generation S-Map—Smarter Decisions(No.P/443063/01)+1 种基金the Plant&Food Research-led Strategic Science Investment Fund Program,Sustainable Agro-Ecosystemsfunded by the New Zealand Ministry of Business,Innovation and Employment。
文摘Particle size fraction(clay, silt, and sand) is an important characteristic that influences several soil functions. The laser-diffraction method(LDM) provides a fast and cost-effective measurement of particle size distribution, but the results usually differ from those obtained by the traditional sieve-pipette method(SPM). This difference can persist even when calibration is applied between the two methods. This partly relates to the different size ranges of particles measured by the two methods as a result of different operational principles, i.e., particle sedimentation according to Stokes’ Law vs. Mie theory for laser beam scattering. The objective of this study was to identify particle size ranges of LDM equivalent to those measured by SPM and evaluate whether new calibration models based on size range correction can be used to improve LDM-estimated particle size fractions, using 51 soil samples with various texture collected from five soil orders in New Zealand. Particle size distribution was determined using both LDM and SPM. Compared with SPM, original data from LDM underestimated the clay fraction(< 2 μm), overestimated the silt fraction(2–53 μm), but provided a good estimation of the sand fraction(53–2 000 μm).Results from three statistical indices, including Pearson’s correlation coefficient, slope, and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient, showed that the size ranges of < 2 and 2–53 μm defined by SPM corresponded with the < 5 and 5–53 μm size ranges by LDM, respectively. Compared with the traditional calibration(based on the same particle size ranges), new calibration models(based on the corrected size ranges of these two methods) improved the estimation of clay and silt contents by LDM. Compared with soil-specific models(i.e., different models were developed for different soils), a universal model may be more parsimonious for estimating particle size fractions if the samples to be assessed represent multiple soil orders.
文摘Dispersive soils which occur in many parts of the world are easily erodible and segregate in water pose serious problems of stability of earth and earth retaining structures. The mechanism of dispersivity of soils is reasonably well understood. However there is simple method to identify the dispersivity of the soils and even more difficult to quantify the dispersivity. Visual classification, Atterberg’s limits and particle size analysis do not provide sufficient basis to differentiate between dispersive clays and ordinary erosion resistant clays. Pinhole test and double hydrometer test are the only two tests that are in vogue to identify the dispersive soils. This paper explores the possibility of using other standard tests such as shrinkage limit and unconfined compressive strength tests to quantify the dispersivity of the soils. The rationale of using the methods and correlation between the dispersivity determined by various methods has been explained. It has been concluded that dispersivity ascertained from strength tests is more reliable.
