Effect of Inter-granular Void Ratio on Volume Compressibility and Undrained Shear Response of Base-sand and Natural Silty-sand of Kutch

Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Civil Engineering, India

^* Corresponding author: majid.hussain@iitgn.ac.in

Abstract

In this article, effect of inter-granular void ratio (eg) on the volume compressibility and undrained shear strength behaviour of a natural silty-sand and base-sand is explored. Natural silty-sand sample was collected from Fatehgarh dam in Kutch region of India and the specimens prepared were subjected to isotropically consolidated undrained compression (CIUC) triaxial tests under two scenarios. In scenario one, silty-sand collected from Fatehgarh dam was used to perform CIUC triaxial tests at in-situ density. However, scenario two was based on CIUC triaxial tests on base-sand, which was extracted from Fatehgarh dam silty-sand soil by removing fines. It was ensured that the two specimens (silty-sand, base-sand) had the same void ratio (e = 0.704) but different inter-granular void ratios (eg-silty-sand = 1.156 and e_g-base-sand = 0.704). Volume compressibility during isotropic consolidation phase of specimens was strongly reduced in the base-sand as compared to silty-sand. The undrained shear response of base-sand showed an increase in peak deviatoric stress by a factor of 1.8, 1.6 and 1.7 as compared to silty-sand at an initial effective confining pressure of 100 kPa, 200 kPa and 300 kPa respectively. The angle of friction mobilized at peak deviatoric stress and the work done per unit volume increased with the decrease in the inter-granular void ratio (eg), although the void ratio (e) was same.