Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The coefficient of earth pressure at rest ( K 0 ) is a basic soil parameter for characterising the initial stress conditions of soils. Direct measurement of K 0 through laboratory or field testing is often challenging, time-consuming, and prone to errors due to soil disturbance. A more reliable alternative is to use shear-wave velocity ([Formula: see text]), which is measured at near-zero strain, to determine K 0 . Existing wave-based model is largely empirical and lacks a consistent theoretical basis. This study proposed a theoretical model to predict K 0 based on soil fabric and [Formula: see text] measurements in different propagation and polarisation directions. The model incorporates the influence of soil fabric—a microstructural representation of morphology, ageing, and packing—by using of an anisotropic fabric variable, which are expressed as joint invariants of the fabric and loading direction tensors. The model was validated against existing field and laboratory datasets. The model showed reasonably good performance across a range of soil types and geological histories, including different ages and isotropic over-consolidation ratios ( R 0 ). The model accuracy declines with increasing R 0 , when the K 0 measurements are highly sensitive to small strain movements that violate the K 0 condition.
Source: Canadian Geotechnical Journal
Language: English
Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204794938