CE 5320 Soil Dynamics (2014)

Dynamic
D
i S
Soil
il PropertiesP
i
Lab Tests
Prof. A. Boominathan
Department of Civil Engineering
IIT Madras
M d
boomi@iitm.ac.in
Prof. Boominathan, IIT Madras

 Laboratory

measurement of dynamic soil properties

can be used to supplement or confirm the results of
field measurements.
Lab tests are necessary
to establish values of damping and modulus of
strains at larger
g than these that can be attained in
the field
to measure the p
properties
p
of materials that do not
exist in the field, such as soils to be compacted.
Two types of loading:
Dynamic loads.
Cyclic
y
but slow enough
g that inertial effects do not
occur.

Laboratory Tests

Low strain element tests

Resonant column test
Bender element test

High strain element tests

C li triaxial
Cyclic
i i l test
Cyclic direct simple shear test
Cyclic torsion shear test

Prof. Boominathan, IIT Madras

Resonant Column Test

This testing technique applies cyclic
force to a soil specimen at various
frequencies.
A cylindrical test specimen (solid or
hallow) is excited harmonically in
torsional or axial loading .
Fig. shows the soil specimen is fixed
at the bottom and and is subjected to
torsition at the top
top.
The resonant (natural) frequency of
the soil element can be obtained

For example, when there is no top mass, the natural period of soil
column, Tn, in torsional shear is given by

Tn = 4H/Vs
When the resonance or the maximum response occurs at the
l di period
loading
i d off

n ((or the
h ffrequency off 1 / n ) iin the
h test

this experimental value and the theoretical value are equated.

Hence,

n 4H / Vs , Vs G / 4H / Tn , and G (4H / Tn )2
By equating the theoretical and experimental resonant frequencies, the
shear modulus
modulus, G
G, is obtained
obtained.

Interpretation of resonant column test

The dynamic response of a
specimen to this force is
measured in terms of velocity
and /or acceleration.
While a precise
measurement of small
displacement (deformation) is
difficult, velocity and
acceleration at a high
g
frequency are large enough to
be measured.

Damping from Free or

Forced vibration test data.

By varying the loading

frequency, the variation of
amplification in amplitude of
response is plotted against the
frequency.

fr L
G 4 (
)
F
2

Prof. Boominathan, IIT Madras

Typical results of R.C tests on Clay

Prof. Boominathan, IIT Madras

Limitations of Resonant Column Test

The number of loading cycles that a soil
p
experiences
p
duringg tests is
specimen
significantly greater than that in real
q
earthquakes.
The obtained modulus and damping
corresponds to those of many cycles.
R.C. tests on water saturated specimens
under large strain amplitudes cause
liquefaction (high frequency shaking makes
free drainage of pore water impossible)

BENDER ELEMENT TEST

Bender elements are

constructed by bonding two
piezoelectrical materials
together in such a way that a
voltage applied to their faces
causes to expand while the
other contracts causing the
entire element to bend .

Similarly
Si
il l , a llateral
t l di
disturbance
t b
of the bender element will
produce a voltage , so that the
bender
be
de elements
e e e ts ca
can be used
as both s-wave transmitters
and receivers

Positive voltage causes element to bend one

way.
way
Negative voltage causes it to bend the other.

Shearwavepropagationthroughalaboratorysoilsample
p p g
g
y
p

Measurement of wave propagation velocity by bender

elements
By

measuring

the

time

required for the wave to travel

from the source to the receiver,
and

knowing

the

distance

between each, the shear wave

velocity
y of the specimen
p
can be
measured nondestructively.
the maximum shear modulus
Gmax (with < 10-6)

Gmax = Vs2

Prof. Boominathan, IIT Madras

Measurement of Vs in the lab Bender Element Test

Depth
(m)

Location

Soil
description
(
(soilclassificati
on)

Gs

NM
C (%)

Atterberg
limits (%)
LL

PL

PI

Tondiarpet

10.00

Soft clay

2.7

60

77

28

49

Siruseri

2 25
2.25

Stiff clay

27
2.7

34

85

26

59

Size of specimen: 50 x 100 mm2

Waveform: sinusoidal
Frequency: 5000 Hz
Input voltage amplitude: 20 Vpp
S/N ratio: 4 db
Estimation of travel time: peak
to peak

14

Comparison of Field and Lab

Test Results (Tondiarpet)

Vs = 120 m/s

Wave trace
Vs profiling
fili from
f
bender
b d element
l
test
Measured Vs is about 20 % and 14 % lower than the field MASW for soft
and stiff clay respectively.

15

Gmax for Kalpakkam sand from

Bender element test
(Jaya et al., 2008)

140
130

Dr =
Dr =
Dr =
Dr =

120
110

Gmax (MP
Pa)

100

20
50
65
85

%
%
%
%

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Prof. Boominathan, IIT Madras

140

160

180

Effective Confining Stress (kPa)

200

220

The
Th cyclic
li triaxial
t i i l test
t t procedures
d
is
i wellll described
d
ib d in
i
ASTM D 3999:
In the triaxial test, a cylindrical specimen is placed between
top and bottom loading platens and surrounded by a thin
rubber membrane.
Th specimen
The
i
is
i subjected
bj
d to a radial
di l stress usually
ll
applied pneumatically and an axial stress.
The difference between the axial stress is called the
deviator stress.
The deviator stress is applied cyclically either under stress
controlled conditions or under strain controlled conditions.
Frequency range of modern cyclic triaxial apparatus - 0.1
to 10 Hz.
Hz

Simulation of earthquake loading in cyclic triaxial

apparatus

Shear deformations are

resulting from propagated
waves
Seed and Lee (1966)

Ishihara (1996)

Prof. Boominathan, IIT Madras

CYCLIC TRIAXIAL TEST SETUP

Test Procedure

Sample Preparation
Size: Diameter 50/70/100 mm
Air pluviation, water pluviation and moist tamping
techniques
Saturation
Degree
g of saturation (B
( > 0.96))
Consolidation
Saturated sand specimens are consolidated to the required
effective
ff ti isotropic
i t i stresses.
t
Cyclic deformation
Sine wave with a frequency of 0.1-10
0 1-10 Hz
Hz.
During cyclic loading the cell pressure is kept constant.
The cell p
pressure,, axial load,, axial deformation and pore
p
water pressure are monitored using a built-in data
acquisition system. Prof. Boominathan, IIT Madras

A typical
t i l hysteresis
h t
i loop
l
in
i the
th stressstrain
t
t i plot
l t obtained
bt i d from
f
the
th cyclic
li
triaxial test.

Modulus is determined from the slope of the line joining the end points of
th loop.
the
l

Damping characteristics can be calculated from the area of the hysterisis

curve which represents the energy dissipated during the strain cycle. The
damping ratio,
ratio is proportional to the ratio of the loop to the area of the
triangle OAB

1 area of hysteresis loop

4 area of triangle OAB

Typical Stress- Strain Loops from Cyclic Triaxial Tests

1 cycle

d1

E (d1 d 2 ) /(1 2 )

10

2
d2

Deviator Stress Axial Strain

At 1.5% ((200 kPa))

Wd
4Ws

G = E/2(1+)

Shear modulus and Damping

curves for
f Kalpakkam
l kk
sand
d
Shear m
modulus ((M Pa)

60
50
40
'0 200kPa

30

'0 100kPa

20
10
0
0.01

0.1

10

Shear strain (%)

Jaya et.al, (2008)
Prof. Boominathan, IIT Madras

Anumberoffieldtestsmeasurelowstrainproperties,
particularly wave propagation velocities Among these
particularlywavepropagationvelocities.Amongthese
testsSeismiccrosshole,MASW,andSeismicrefractionare
widelyused.

OtherfieldtestssuchasSPT,BVT,andCPLTmeasurethe
propertiesatrelativelyhigherstrainlevels.

Shear modulus G is commonly obtained from laboratory

ShearmodulusGiscommonlyobtainedfromlaboratory
testssuchasresonantcolumn,benderelementandcyclic
triaxialtests.
i i l
Prof. Boominathan, IIT Madras

Prof. Boominathan, IIT Madras