Work

Dynamic stiffness and damping of four compacted clays at different consistencies from resonant column tests

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Compacted clays are used in the construction of embankments, dam cores, and landfill sealings. Dynamic stiffness and damping, dependent on the confining stress and shearing strain amplitude, are required in the seismic analysis of such geotechnical structures. A series of multi-stage tests were conducted in a conventional fixed-free resonant column device to determine these material properties for four clays. A compaction state corresponding to optimum water content at Proctor density was used as a reference. The water content was subsequently modified to reproduce a 3 % drop in density. Soil-water characteristic curves were obtained using different techniques depending on the suction level. The clays were tested to assess the effect of the consistency state on the dynamic soil properties over wide strain ranges at different confining stresses. Besides the shear modulus, the small-strain Young's modulus was measured in the flexural vibration mode. The effects of suction on the small-strain shear modulus are discussed. Design equations in terms of total stresses are provided for use in practice.

Source: Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.soildyn.2025.109436

Authors: Maximilian Hardenberg, Christos Vrettos

Institution: Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau

Language: English

Topic: Geotechnical Engineering and Soil Mechanics

Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,900

Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft