Effect of crushability on the drained shear behavior of carbonate sand
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Soil crushability reflects the susceptibility of granular materials to particle breakage and significantly affects their shear response. To quantify crushability arising from different initial gradations, this paper proposes a dimensionless crushability index IC. Carbonate sand specimens were prepared with four initial gradations: uniform, gap, fractal A, and fractal B, covering a range of crushability. A total of 66 drained shear tests were conducted over three relative densities and a wide range of confining pressures to investigate the shear behavior and breakage evolution of carbonate sand. The results show that with increasing confining pressure, the degree of strain softening, dilatancy, and peak strength all decrease at rates that depend on soil crushability. As crushability approaches zero, this decrease tends to stabilize. The relation between secant modulus E50 and confining pressure also differs for carbonate sands with varying crushability. For confining pressures beyond about 200 kPa, E50 decreases in the most crushable specimens (uniform gradation), remains approximately unchanged in the intermediate-crushability sands (gap and fractal A gradations), and continues to increase in the least crushable sands (fractal B gradation). By correlating the peak strength with the degree of particle breakage, the difference in crushability has been proved to play a vital role in the shear responses of carbonate sand. These findings provide a useful reference for the safe design of island and reef infrastructure foundations in the South China Sea.
Source: Results in Engineering
Authors: Feng Gao, Zong-lei Dong, Jin Chang, Sheng Zhang
Language: English
Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,940
OpenAlex ID: W7155187415