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Dynamic Properties of Soil

This document discusses laboratory and field tests for measuring dynamic soil properties. It describes various tests including bender element tests, resonant column tests, cyclic triaxial tests, and seismic field tests. Laboratory tests measure properties at small strains (<0.001%) using techniques like bender elements or resonant columns, or at large strains (>0.001%) with cyclic direct simple shear or triaxial tests. Field tests include cross-hole tests, downhole tests, seismic CPT, and standard penetration tests. Dynamic properties are used to model soil behavior under cyclic or dynamic loading conditions.

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128 views26 pages

Dynamic Properties of Soil

This document discusses laboratory and field tests for measuring dynamic soil properties. It describes various tests including bender element tests, resonant column tests, cyclic triaxial tests, and seismic field tests. Laboratory tests measure properties at small strains (<0.001%) using techniques like bender elements or resonant columns, or at large strains (>0.001%) with cyclic direct simple shear or triaxial tests. Field tests include cross-hole tests, downhole tests, seismic CPT, and standard penetration tests. Dynamic properties are used to model soil behavior under cyclic or dynamic loading conditions.

Uploaded by

Binod
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Laboratory and field tests for dynamic soil

properties

Keshab Sharma, PhD


Geotechnical Engineer
BGC Engineering Inc., Fredericton, NB
Introduction
What are dynamic properties?

➢Wave velocities (s- and p-wave)


➢Damping characteristics
➢Shear and Constrained Moduli
Factors affecting the dynamic properties of soil
➢ Shear strain amplitude
➢ Soil type (PI, Cu, D50 etc.)
➢ Over consolidated ratio, OCR
➢ Mean effective confining stress
➢ Number of cycles
➢ Loading frequency

Dhammala et al. 2019


Application of soil dynamic properties

Dynamic properties at different stain level are used to simulate the


behavior of soil under dynamic or cyclic loading in different analysis such
as:
➢ Linear modeling
➢ Equivalent linear modelling
➢ Cyclic non-linear modeling
➢ Advanced constitutive modelling

Modeling of soil-structure interaction, rocking foundation, ground


application, liquefaction, seismic slope stability etc.
Tests For Dynamic Soil Properties
Field tests
Laboratory tests
Low strain tests (<0.001 %)
Low strain tests (<0.001 %) ➢ Seismic cross hole test
➢ Bender element tests ➢ Seismic down-hole/up-hole
➢ Resonant column test ➢ Seismic CPT test
High strain tests (>0.001 %) ➢ Seismic refraction/reflection test
➢ Cyclic direct simple shear test ➢ SASW/MASW test
➢ Cyclic triaxial test High strain tests ((>0.001 %)
➢ Cyclic torsional shear test ➢ Standard Penetration Test (SPT)
➢ Cone penetration test (CPT)
Laboratory tests: Bender element

Receiver

Source
Laboratory tests: Bender element
Laboratory tests: Resonant column test
Shear modulus (G)

Youngs modulus (E)

Typical results from Resonant column test

Madhusudan and Senetakis, 2016


Laboratory tests: Resonant column test

2 2. 𝜋. 𝑓𝑟 . 𝐿 𝑓2 − 𝑓1
𝐺 = 𝜌𝑉𝑠 𝑉𝑠 = ξ=
𝐹 2. 𝑓𝑟
High strain tests: Laboratory test
High-strain laboratory tests can provide very useful dynamic properties of soils after large
strains have been applied.
Laboratory tests: Cyclic Triaxial Test
Load a soil sample into a triaxial cell and apply cyclic
compressional loading to it. Several parameters i.e. density, 1= 3±q
confining stress, loading rate etc. can be systematically
varied.

3
Laboratory tests: Cyclic Triaxial Test Liquefaction?

Load an undisturbed soil sample into a triaxial


cell and apply cyclic compressional loading to
it.

Nie et al. 2016


Laboratory tests: Cyclic Triaxial Test

Naik et al. 2019


Laboratory tests: Cyclic Triaxial Test
Laboratory tests: Hollow Cylinder Torsional (HCT)
shear apparatus

➢ Applies cyclic torsional load to a pressurized soil column

➢ Can model both isotropic and anisotropic conditions

➢ Can achieve “unlimited’ strain

➢ Sample preparation can be very difficult

➢ Very expensive to perform


Laboratory tests: Cyclic Direct Shear Test
Laboratory tests: Cyclic Direct Shear Test
Field tests: Bore hole method
➢ Seismic cross hole test
➢ Seismic down-hole/up-hole
Data logger Data logger Data logger
Source
Transmitter

Geophones
Receiver

𝐺 = 𝜌𝑉𝑠 2
Vs =x/t 𝑉𝑝 2 − 2𝑉𝑠 2
𝑥
𝑦 =
x 2(𝑉𝑝 2 − 𝑉𝑠 2 )

Geophone Geophone
Source Source
Vs =R/t
Cross-hole Uphole Down hole
PVC cased Cross-holes

Source: Prof. Bhuminathan


Field tests: Seismic Standard Penetration Tests
➢ Combine down hole and CPT
➢ A small velocity seismometer is incorporated inside the
penetrometer

shear waves propagation to a depth measure at 0.5m interval


Field tests: Seismic reflection test
This is the simplest of the geophysical field methods. Measures Wave Velocity and
thickness of the surficial layers. Receiver
Source

Receiver
Field tests: Seismic refraction test
➢ Complex than the reflection test and requires a line of receivers (geophones)
➢ Applicable only where the seismic velocities of layers increase with depth
➢ This technique is commonly limited to mapping layers that occur at depths less
than 100 feet.
➢ Use to measure wave velocity, and profile of the soil layer.
SASW/MASW test
➢ In-situ seismic method to determine
➢ Performed on the ground surface, economical than borehole methods.
➢ Based on dispersive characteristic of Rayleigh waves when traveling through a layered
medium
➢ A dynamic source is used to generate
surface waves of different wavelengths
which are monitored by two or more
receivers at known offsets.

Source: Geovision
Field tests: Standard Penetration Tests
➢ High strain test
➢ Several relationships between SPT-N value and Vs have been developed for soils at
different locations
e.g.
Vs (m/s) = 91 N0.337 (Imai, 1977)
Vs (m/s) = 100 (N1)601/3 for clay ( Japanese Road Association 1980)
Vs (m/s) = 80 (N1)601/3 for sand ( Japanese Road Association 1980)
➢ A typical relationship between shear modulus and SPT-N value of soil in Delta, BC
(Golder Associates, 2017)
Gmax = 21.7 x Pa x 15 [(N1)60cs]0.333[ ’m/Pa]0.5
Field tests: Cone Penetration Test (CPT)
This method usually correlate shear modulus with CPT values. Several empirical
relationships have been developed for different soil types and locations.

𝐸𝑠 = 𝛼𝑞𝑡
For sand
1
𝐺0 = ′
𝑆𝐺 (𝑞𝑡 𝜎𝑣0 𝑃𝑎 )3 Typical value for SG is 180 for SBTn 5, 6, 7
For clay
𝐺0 = 𝐶𝐺 𝑞𝑡 Typical value for CG is 50 for SBTn 1, 2, 3, and 4

qt = Total cone resistance

Lunne et al. 1997


Thank you!!!
Any questions??
[email protected]

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