Effect of particle size and strain conditions on the strength of crushed basalt

MOSAID
AL-HUSSAINI
Department of Civil Engineering, Kuwait University, P. 0 . Box 5969, Kuwait
Received March 7, 1983
Accepted June 24, 1983

This paper describes the results of an investigation carried out to study the influence of particle size, stress level, density,
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method of consolidation, and strain conditions on the strength and compressibility of crushed basalt. All specimens were
prepared at medium or high density, consolidated isotropically or under KOconsolidation, and sheared under effective confining
pressure ranging from 443 to 2297 kPa. The material used in the test program had a straight line grain size distribution with
maximum particle size ranges from 0.63 to 76.2 mm and minimum particle size equivalent to No. 30 U.S. standard sieve size:
The tests indicated that an increase in the particle size (i.e., gradation) increases the strength and decreases the axial and the
volumetric strain at failure. The study indicated further that the crushed basalt under triaxial compression has a lower shear
strength than when sheared under plane strain conditions. Particles crushed were significantly influenced by the stress level and
gradation and to a lesser degree by density of material.
Keywords: cohesionless soils, density (mass/volume), shear tests, stress-strain diagram, compression tests, rockfill dams.

Cet article prCsente les rCsultats d'une Ctude de l'influence de la dimension des particules, du niveau de contrainte, de la
densitC, de la mCthode de consolidation et des conditions de dkformation sur la rksistance et la compressibilitCdu basalt concassi.
Tous les Cchantillons ont CtC prCparCs B une densite moyenne B forte, consolidts sous condition isotrope ou KO,et cisaillts sous
des contraintes effectives comprises entre 443 et 2297 kPa. Le matkriau utilisC dans le programme d'essais avait une courbe
granulomCtrique rectiligne entre une dimension maximum variant de 0,63 i 76,2 mm et une dimension minimum correspondant
For personal use only.

au tamis standard U.S. no 30.

Les essais indiquent qu'une augmentation de la dimension des particules produit une augmentation de la rCsistance et une
diminution des dCformations axiales et volumiques B la rupture. L'Ctude a montrC Cgalement que le basalt concassC prksente
une risistance au cisaillement plus faible en compression triaxiale qu'en condition de dCformation plane. Le broyage des
particules est fortement influencC par le niveau de contrainte et la granulomCtrie, et a un degrC moindre par la densite du
matCriau.
Mots-clh: sols pulvCrulents, densitt, essais de cisaillement, diagrammes contrainte-dCformation, essais de compression,
barrages en enrochement.
Can. Geotech. J. 20, 706-717 (1983)

Introduction program was conducted by the California Department of

The effects associated with the particle shape, size,
and confining pressure on the deformation characteris-
tics of cohesionless and rockfill materials have been the
subject of investigation in the past and will be for many
years to come. The reason for this interest stems from
the experimental evidence which indicates that the
strength and compressibility of granular and rockfill
materials are influenced greatly by the geometrical
characteristics of particles, the density, and the confin-
ing pressure. As early as 1956 (Holts and Gibbs 1956),
numerous drained triaxial compression tests were con-
ducted on a mixture of sand and gravel from river
deposits. Those tests indicate that the strength of the
mixture increases with the increasing gravel content
until an optimum strength is reached. Beyond the
optimum value, the shear strength either remains con-
stant or decreases with the increase of gravel content.
The influence of particle size on the strength of granular
materials was studied using vacuum triaxial compres-
sion (Vallerga et al. 1957); it was found that the particle
size has no effect on the angle of internal friction. A test
Water Resources (Marachi et al. 1972) to study the
strength and deformation of three types of rockfill
materials using drained compression tests. The study
showed that, for material with parallel gradation, the
angle of internal friction decreases and the axial strain at
failure increases with increasing particle size.
A comprehensive account of the mechanical beha-
viour of rockfill materials was published (Marsal 1972).
Special emphasis was placed on particle breakage in an
effort to provide a rational means for estimating it. It was
concluded the the ideal material for compacted rockfill
zone is one with not more than 10% of its particle size
less than 0.2 mm, maximum particle size of 20-30 cm,
and a uniformity coefficient of 15 or more, provided that
rock grains are sound. The study also showed that dry
rockfill materials have significantly more strength than
saturated ones.
The effect of particle size on the compressibility of
granular and rockfill materials also received a significant
amount of attention. An early study reported in 1949
concerning the influence of particle size on the compres-
 AL-HUSSAINI
sibility of granular material (Terzaghi and Peck 1948)
showed that the compressibility increased with increas-
ing particle size. This finding was confirmed by a much
later study (Kolbuszewski and Fredrick 1963; Lee and
Farhoomand 1967) where test results indicated further
that coarse materials compressed more than fine mater-
ials, and uniformly graded materials compressed and
crushed more than well-graded materials of similar
maximum particle size.
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The study of the effect of particle size on the
compressibility of rockfill materials (Famagilli 1969)
showed that the axial strain and compressibility increase
with the increasing particle size of rockfill materials.
More recent published work on rockfill material (Mara-
chi et al. 1972) showed that particle size has no
significant effect on the compressibility; however,
volumetric strain at failure becomes more compres-
sional with increasing particle size.
Strength of crushed rock at low stresses
Most of the strength data available in the literature on
rockfill materials are those obtained from triaxial com-
pression tests at relatively high stress levels to simulate
For personal use only.
stress which may occur within a high rockfill dam.
However, it has been pointed out (Leps 1970; Sowers
1971) that the critical failure surface in a rockfill
embankment on competent foundations is very shallow,
which makes the determination of shear strength at low
stress level justifiable. It was suggested (Leps 1970) that
the friction angle for rockfill at low confining pressure
varies from 45" for loose material to 60" for dense
material. A case is presented (Leps 1970) that the long
term stability of steep low rockfill dams is due to the high
friction angle at low stress level.
The inflience of repeated load on the strength and
deformation of crushed material at low confining pres-
sure was studied (Raymond and Diyaljee 1979). Tests
were conducted on materials with different gradation,
top particle size, and hardness of the mineral aggregate.
All tests were performed drained at low confining
pressure of 35 kPa to simulate the lateral pressure in a
ballast material below loaded track. Results of the
investigation showed that well-graded aggregates ex-
perienced higher strength than uniform aggregates, and
uniform materials with large particles are stronger than
uniform materials with smaller particles. Results of the
investigation showed that the plastic axial strain in-
creased with increasing particle size, and it is higher for
uniformly graded material in comparison to well-graded
material.
From the previous studies, it appears that while there
is a general consensus that an increase in particle size
increases the compressibility, there is some disagree-
ment among investigators regarding the effect of particle
size on the strength of granular and rockfill materials.
707
The purpose of this study is to provide experimental
test data on the effect of particle size, density, confining
pressure, and strain conditions on the strength and
compressibility of crushed basalt.
Materials
The crushed basalt used in the test program was
obtained from the basalt company at Napa, California.
The mineral composition of the crushed basalt as
determined by X-ray diffraction consists of plagioclase,
diopside, augite, and traces of montmorillonite clay
minerals.
Different size fractions of the crushed basalt were
combined to obtain straight line grain size distribution
curves with the maximum sizes ranging from 76.2 to
6.4mm and minimum size of No. 30 U.S. standard
sieve. Other physical properties as obtained by the
ASTM standard procedures are presented in Table 1.
The specific gravity of the material was 2.89, and the
unconfined compressive strength of the intact rock was
172.2 MPa.
Testing equipment
Two types of testing devices were used in this study.
The first type consists of three sizes of conventional
triaxial compression cells, while the second type is a
plane strain device. The smallest triaxial cell was used to
test 71 mm diameter specimens under KO conditions
with particle size not more than 6.3 mm. The intermedi-
ate triaxial cell can accommodate a 154 mm diameter
specimen and was used to test the crushed basalt with
maximum particle size up to 12.7 mm. The largest cell
can accommodate 305 mm diameter specimens and was
used to test crushed basalt with a maximum particle size
up to 76 mm. All triaxial compression specimens tested
had a height to diameter ratio of a slightly more than 2.
The plane strain device employed in the test program
can accommodate prismatic specimens 51 mm wide,
127 mm high, and 406 mm long, and used test crushed
basalt with maximum particle size of 6.3 mm. The
specimen can be subjected to three mutually indepen-
dent principal stresses. A detailed description of the
plane strain apparatus and the testing procedure are
presented elsewhere (Al-Hussaini 1971).
TABLE1. Physical properties of crushed basalt
Limits of Void ratio
particle Coefficient of
gradation (rnm) uniformity emax 'min
 708 CAN. GEOTECH. J. VOL. 20. 1983

The KOconsolidation device used in the test consisted

of a conventional tnaxial apparatus with enlarged
low-friction cap and base that can test a specimen with
71 mm diameter. The KO condition was maintained
during consolidation by a lateral strain sensor. The
lateral strain sensor (called a KO belt) is described in a
previous study (Al-Hussaini 1981) and consists of a thin
brass alloy band welded to a short piece of hose clamp
with an adjustable thumbscrew. The two ends of the belt
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and a small pin form a hinge, which can be disengaged

very easily from outside the triaxial cell. Four strain
gages were mounted on the brass foil band, with two
active gages placed along the circumference of the
specimen and two dummy gages placed along the
vertical axis on the portion of the band which is
projected above and below the main portion of the belt as
shown in Fig. 1. At the beginning of the KO consolida-
tion stage, the thumb screw was-loosened and the pin
was placed in position to fasten the two ends of the belt.
The thumbscrew was then tightened a sufficient amount
around the specimen and the pin was hooked to a wire
decending from the pressure chamber cap. At the end of
KO consolidation, the wire was pulled up from outside
For personal use only.

the chamber, which removed the from the hinge and

freed the specimen from the KO belt.
Preparation of specimens
A total weight of dry material is first calculated
according to the relative density desired for the given
test. The weight of different fractions of the crushed
basalt, as dictated by the desired gradation, is measured
and the material mixed thoroughly before saturation. FIG.1. Triaxial specimen with the lateral strain sensor.
The saturation procedure for the small, intermediate,
and plane strain specimens consists of flooding the water or silicon oil. The chamber pressure is raised
crushed basalt in a pan with water, boiling it for about slowly to replace the vacuum in the specimen. For some
10 min, and then cooling it to room temperature. Water tests a back pressure of about 140 kPa is used to maintain
is allowed to flow into the specimen forming mold from a high degree of saturation.
the base of the testing device in order to free any air
bubbles which might be trapped in the hydraulic system. Consolidation test procedure and data
The material is then transferred to the specimen mold in The isotropically consolidated specimens were pre-
small quantities, and spread evenly under water in layers pared at either a medium-dense or dense state; they were
to ensure uniform density. High relative density of about consolidated to the maximum consolidation pressure of
100% is achieved by vigorously vibrating each layer 413, 861, 2067, and 3100kPa and sheared under
with a vibrator, while medium density of about 75 -t 2% drained conditions. The consolidation procedure used in
is obtained by vibrating the specimen when all the the test program was performed by raising the confining
material is in the mold. After the crushed basalt is placed pressure incrementally by a convenient increment de-
in the specimen mold, the upper platen is placed on the pending on the maximum confining pressure desired.
top of the material and the rubber membrane is rolled The second pressure increment was resumed when the
around the platen and sealed. A vacuum of about 30 kPa water from the specimen under the previous increment
is applied to the specimen to make it self-supporting. For stopped. After each increment the volume change and
the large size specimens, saturation is performed by the confining pressure were recorded. Relationships
seepage where water is circulated in the compacted between the effective confining pressure u3 and the
material from the base of the triaxial cell. volumetric strains, after correction for membrane pene-
After all components of the triaxial cell are placed tration, are presented in Fig. 2. The method suggested in
around the specimen, the pressure chamber is filled with evaluating membrane penetration (Al-Hussaini 1970)
 AL-HUSSAINI 709

CONFINING PRESSURE , MPo axial load, and also the longitudinal load, such that no
0 05 10 15 20 25
change in the length of the specimen occurred during
shear. The test was terminated when the axial load
0 , = ( 97; 2 ).I. remained constant or started to decline with increasing
-
axial deformation. A summary of the isotropically
- consolidated tnaxial test results for the crushed basalt is
presented in Figs. 4-8, with medium-dense specimens
- SYMBOL
shown as dotted lines and dense specimens shown as
MAX. P D a l l C ~ t512t
solid lines. Stress-strain relationships for dense crushed
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-
0
12.6mm
25.L mrn
basalt sheared under drained plane strain shear are
- 0 5C.5nh m shown in Fig. 9. The stress-strain relationship for
n 7fi.7mm
crushed basalt during drained shear for the KO consoli-
dated specimens are presented in Fig. 10.
Test results
Numerable isotropically consolidated and KOconsoli-
dated drained tnaxial compression tests in addition to
several isotropically consolidated drained plane shear
tests were performed on the crushed basalt for this study.
Important aspects of the test results are presented in
graphical and tabulated form and discussed in the
following paragraphs.
For personal use only.

Consolidation and compressibility

The crushed basalt tested showed a considerable
amount of compression under the confining pressure.
Relationships between the volumetric strain and the
effective confining pressure are shown in Fig. 2. Results
of the tests indicated that the volumetric strain increased
at a decreasing rate with increasing confining pressure,
and it is higher for the medium-dense specimens in
FIG. 2. Variation of volumetric strain with confining comparison to dense specimens. The results also showed
pressure during isotropic compression. that as the maximum particle size increases, the com-
pressibility decreases, the influence of the maximum
was adopted in this study to correct for membrane particle size on the compressibility becoming more
penetration. The same consolidation procedure was significant for medium-dense specimens in comparison
used for plane strain tests. with dense specimens. This also implied, since all
The KO consolidation test was accomplished by specimens have the same minimum particle size, that as
establishing a null reading on the readout system which the coefficient of uniformity of the crushed basalt
was connected to the lateral strain sensor. Both axial increased the compressibility decreased. A previous
load and confining pressure were increased simultan- study (Marachi et al. 1972) on crushed basalt with
eously so that the null condition was maintained during different particle size but similar coefficient of unifor-
the entire test. Relationships between u3 and a,,for the mity, C,, and initial void ratio showed that the maxi-
crushed basalt with maximum particle size of 6.3 mm, mum particle size had no influence on the compres-
are shown in Fig. 3 for the medium-dense and dense sibility. Although in the tests shown in Fig. 2 it is the
specimens. initial relative density and not the void ratio that was
kept constant, nevertheless one might assume that the
Shearing test procedure and data increase in the coefficient of uniformity is mainly
The loading procedure during shear for all triaxial responsible for the reduction in the compressibility of
specimens was to increase the axial load at a constant the crushed basalt. A similar conclusion was made
axial strain rate of about 0.25% per minute while previously (Lee and Farhoomand 1967; Fumagalli
keeping the confining pressure constant. The stress- 1969) on other types of granular materials.
strain and volume change relationships during shear are The relationships between u3 and a, under KO
plotted for each specimen. The loading procedure consolidation for the crushed basalt with maximum
during the plane strain test consisted of increasing the particle size of 6.3 rnm is presented in Fig. 3. The figure
 CAN. GEOTECH. J. VOL. 20, 1983

4 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ~

INITIAL RELATIVE DENSITY Dr :70%

INITIAL RELATIVE DENSITY Dr = 10O0/o
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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
AXIAL STRESS 6, MPa

FIG. 3. Relationships between cr3 and a,during KO consolidation.

For personal use only.

AXIAL S T R A I N €, , %

-DENSE MATERIAL

- -MEDIUM-DENSE MATERIAL

FIG. 4. Stress-strain relationships for crushed basalt with

maximum particle size of 6.3 mm. FIG. 5. Stress-strain relationships for crushed basalt with
shows that the relationships between u3 and u l are not maximum particle size of 12.7 rnrn.
linear; the slope of the curve, which represents the these values did not significantly change with gradation.
coefficient of earth pressure at rest, KO, increases with One might assume, from the limited tests, that the value
increasing confining pressure. It appears that the value of KO is significantly influenced by the degree of
of KOincreased from 0.28 to 0.43 for the dense crushed compaction but to a lesser degree by maximum particle
basalt and from 0.39 to 0.46 for the medium dense size or gradation.
crushed basalt when the confining pressures increased
from 413 to 3400 Wa. Previous tests on similar material Drained compressive strength
but with maximum particle size of 76.2 mm (Marsal The stress-strain curves during shear, presented in
1972) gave the average value of KO equal to 0.37 for Figs. 4-8, are used for determining the drained strength
dense material and 0.43 for medium-dense material and ofthe crushed basalt.
 AL-HUSSAINI 71 1
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For personal use only.

F ~ 6.~~ . ~ for crushed

~ relationships ~ basalt ~ FIG.- 8. Stress-strain
~ relationships
~ for crushed
~ basalt
i with ~
maximum particle size of 25.4 mm. maximum particle size of 76.2 rnrn.

-
I
-MEDIUM-DENSE

I I I
MATERIAL

I I I I I
2
"3

9
,
-10

14
2 ~ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 , 1 1 1 4
FIG. 9. Stress-strain relationships for dense crushed basalt
FIG. 7. Stress-strain relationships for crushed basalt with under plane strain conditions with maximum particle size of
maximum particle size of 50.8 mm. 6.3 mm.
 712 CAN. GEOTECH. I . VOL. 20, 1983

curves presented previously in Fig. 10. Analysis of

results indicated that, for crushed basalt with maximum
+
particle size of 6.3 mm, the variation of with respect to
confining pressure for KO consolidated specimens is
similar to that for isotropically consolidated specimens
of similar gradation. The value of 4, however, for the
KO consolidated specimens was about l o higher than
isotropically consolidated specimens. The reason might
be attributed to the low-friction platens used in the KO
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tests, which cause the specimens to deform more

uniformly, in comparison with regular platens used for
the isotropically consolidated specimens.
Injuence of strain conditions
Comparison between the plane strain test results
presented previously in Fig. 9 and those for triaxial tests
with similar gradation presented in Fig. 5 indicated that
dense crushed basalt under plane strain conditions
experiences higher strength and less axial strain at
failure than that under triaxial compression. This is
significant since it implies that a design based on the
triaxial compression test data for plane strain problem
will always have an inherent margin of safety. The ratio
of a l / u 3 at failure for plane strain tests varies from 6.4
For personal use only.

to 4.1 in the interval 413 < u3 < 2067 P a , while for

triaxial compression tests the ratio varies from 5.3 to 3.1
FIG. 10. Stress-strain relationships for KO consolidated for the same pressure interval. A previous study on
crushed basalt during drained shear. well-graded crushed basalt with maximum particle size
of 178 mm (Marsal 1972) showed that ul/u3 at failure
The conventional Mohr-Coulomb criteria is used to varies from 8.9 to 6.5 for plane strain tests and from 6.1
calculate the angle of internal friction, for the crushed to 4.3 for triaxial compression tests in the interval 490 <
+,
basalt tested. The calculated values of 6 were lotted u3 < 2452 kPa. From the previous experimental data it
against the confining pressure as shown'in Fig.'ll for is clear that plane strain tests yield higher strength than
medium-dense specimens and in Fig. 12 for dense comparable triaxial compression tests and the difference
specimens. It is clear from these figures that a dense in shear strength between the two types of tests becomes
crushed basalt has higher strength than a medium-dense more significant with decreasing stress level. Data on
+
one, and the influence of density on decreases with plane strain shear testing of rockfill material are very
increasing confining pressure for all particle sizes. Both limited and more study is needed to provide explicit
Figs. 11 and 12 the appearance that the angle of conclusions.
internal friction increases with increasing maximum Triaxial extension tests conducted on dense well-
particle size. Careful tests on crushed basalt specimens graded crushed basalt with maximum particle size of
(Marachi 1972) having parallel grain size distribution 178 mm (Marsal1972) at confining pressures of 98 1 and
curves and maximum particle sizes ranging from 12.7 to 2158 kPa showed that the angle of internal friction is
+
152.4 mrn showed that at any given confining pressure only slightly
compression
smaller than that of comparable triaxial
tests. However, the failure strain in the
decreases with increasing particle size. A similar con-
clusion was obtained by another independent study extension test is very small in comparison with the
(Marsal 1972). Based on results of previous investiga- failure strain of comparable triaxial compression test.
+,
tors, one might conclude that the increase in as shown Axial strain at failure
in Figs. 11 and 12. is related to the increase in the Failure strain is defined as the axial strain at the point
coeffkent of uniformity rather than the particle size. of maximum stress difference ( a l - u3). The axial
The trend of the results indicated that the angle of strains at failure for the crushed basalt tested are
internal friction,+, increased at a decreasing rate with presented in Table 2. From this table it is clear that the
increasing coefficient or uniformity. strain is influenced by many factors such as density,
The drained strength of crushed basalt consolidated stress level, gradation of particle, and strain condition.
under KO condition was obtained from the stress-strain Data collected in this study show that the failure strain
 AL-HUSSAINI

MAX.
SYMBOL PAaTICLE SIZE

. - , 4.6e 1 2 . 7 rnrn
- 6.67 75.4 mrrl
- t - 9 5G.8 rnm
-
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11.60 76.7 mnl

I I I I I

0 5 10 20 15 25 30 35
CONFINING PRESSURE ,% x loZ, kPa

FIG. 11. Variation cf $ with respect to a3for medium-dense crushed basalt (D, = 75%).
For personal use only.

SYMBOL -
Cu _PARTICLE S17E

-
--A- 3-3 1 6.3 mm

\\"\ 9.44 50.8 mm

11.60 76.2 mrn

0 5 10 15 25 30 20 35
CONFINING PRESSURE, 6 x102, kPo
FIG. 12. Variation of 4 with respect to 43for dense crushed basalt (D, = 100%).
increases steadily with increasing confining pressure, showed that the axial strain at failure is significantly
and medium-dense crushed basalt has a much higher reduced with increasing maximum particle size. How-
failure strain than dense crushed basalt. However, the ever, a previous study (Marachi et al. 1972) on crushed
difference gets smaller as maximum particle size in- basalt specimens with parallel gradation showed that the
creases. Gradation of particles plays a major role in the increase in particle size slightly increases the axial strain
shear deformation of rockfill materials. The study at failure. Thus the reduction in the axial strain at failure
Can. Geotech. J. Downloaded from www.nrcresearchpress.com by University of Otago on 01/03/15

TABLE
2. Axial strain at failure (%) for crushed basalt

Maximum u3 = 413kPa u3 = 861 kPa u3 = 2067 kPa u3 = 3100 kPa

particle size,
Type of test rnm D, = 75% D, = 100% D, = 75% D, = 100% D, = 75% D, = 100% D, = 75% D, = 100%

Isotropic compression 6.3 12.6 9.0 16.3 11.8 21. I 18.4 24.3 20.3
12.7 11.7 8.2 15.0 11.4 19.4 15.8 22.0 17.8
25.4 9.3 7.3 12.6 10.01 16.7 13.7 18.2 15.1
50.8 7.5 6.0 10.8 8.2 15.3 12.4 16.9 13.6
76.2 7.0 5.2 10.2 7.1 14.2 12.0 16.3 14.0
For personal use only.

KOconsoIidation 6.3 11.2 6.2 14.0 10.3 22.4 17.7 23.8 19.3
Plane strain 6.3 8.2 12.1 15.7
0
>
z
0

3::
5,
"-
e
0
!-
0
N

TABLE
3. Volumetric strain at failure Or (%) for crushed basalt -
\O
W
a,

u3 = 413 kPa 03 = 861 kPa u3 = 2067 kPa u3 = 3 100 kPa

Particle
Type of test size, rnrn D, = 75% D,= 100% D, = 75% D, = 100% D, = 75% D, = 100% D,= 75% D, = 100%

Isotropic consolidation 6.3 -1.8 -0.2 -5.8 -3.2 -11.4 -8.1 -13.2 - 10.4
-2.7 -1.4 -0.8 -4.3 -2.4 -9.3 -6.0 -11.2 -8.0
25.4 -1.0 -0.2 -4.0 -2.0 -7.4 -5.8 -9.0 -7.2
50.8 - 1.6 -0.3 -3.4 - 1.8 -6.8 -4.7 -8.0 -6.3
76.2 - 1.3 -0.3 -3.2 - 1.5 -6.0 -4.2 -7.6 -5.4
KOconsolidation 6.3 -1.5 +0.2 -4.3 -2.0 -8.1 -5.2 -9.8 -7.1
Plane strain - 1.9 -4.8 -7.8
 AL-HUSSAINI
U.S. SIEVE OPENING IN INCHES
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GRAIN S I Z E ,
FIG. 13. Grain size distribution curves for crushed basalt before testing and after drained shear.
For personal use only.
(see Table 2) for specimens with similar confining
pressure and relative density is mainly due to the
increase in the coefficient of uniformity.
Results presented in Table 2 show that the axial
strain at failure for KO consolidated specimens is
generally lower than that for comparable specimens
consolidated isotropically, even though the low friction
cap and base were utilized in the KOconsolidation tests.
The results also show that the failure strain of crushed
basalt sheared under plane strain condition is much
lower than comparable specimens tested under triaxial
compression.
Volumetric strain at failure
Curves representing the volumetric strain versus axial
strain, presented previously in Figs. 4-8, indicate that
the shape of the curve varies with repect to the density,
stress level, strain conditions, and particle gradation. In
general, the volumetric strains are more compressional
with increasing confining pressure and decreasing den-
sity. The volumetric strains at failure, which are defined
as the volumetric strain at maximum stress difference,
are presented in Table 3. This table clearly shows that
the volumetric strain at failure becomes less compres-
sional with increasing particle gradation, increasing
density, and decreasing stress level. A similar trend was
also reported (Marsal 1967) on crushed granite-gneiss.
With respect to the procedure of consolidation, results in
Table 3 indicate that isotropically consolidated crushed
basalt undergoes more compressional volumetric strain
at failure than a comparable KOconsolidated one. This is
U . S . STANDARD SIEVE NUMBERS
MM
expected since an appreciable amount of shearing strain
occurred during the KOconsolidation phase. The trend
of the data presented in Table 3 indicates that the
volumetric strain of the crushed basalt sheared under
plane strain condition has a tendency to be more
compressional than a comparable one sheared under
triaxial compression condition. A similar trend was also
observed (Marsal 1972) on a well-graded crushed basalt
with maximum particle size of 178 mm.
Crushing of particles
A comprehensive study on particle crushing (Marsal
1972) indicated that grain breakage of crushed rocks is
mainly influenced by material gradation, crushing strength
of the particles, and the stress level. In that study the
amount of grain breakage was designated by Bg where
Bg is equal to the sum of the positive difference between
percentage of the sample contained in each grain size
fraction before and after testing. Tests on 10 different
types of crushed rocks (Marsal 1972) showed that Bg is
linearly related to the difference between the initial and
final effective diameter (Dlo, - Dlol) of the material
tested. Such relationship suggest that particle breakage
can be evaluated in terms of the grain size distribution
curve before and after testing.
Particle crushing in this study is measured by the
change in effective diameter, Dlo, of the specimen
before and after testing. The experimental results show
that crushing of basalt grains occurs during both
consolidation phase and during shear. However, the test
data indicated that the crushing of particles during
 716 CAN. GEOTECH. J. VOL. 20. 1983

showed that a specimen sheared under plane strain

conditions exhibits a significantly higher strength and
less axial strain at failure than a comparable specimen
---- MAX. PARTICLE 7 6 . 7 rnm tested under triaxial compression. The differences be-
MAX. P A R T I C L E 6.1 mm tween the two types of tests are less significant with
increasing confining pressure and decreasing density.
W
r: At similar density and confining pressure a well-
d
graded crushed basalt has much lower axial strain at
failure than a uniform one. Plane strain specimens
Can. Geotech. J. Downloaded from www.nrcresearchpress.com by University of Otago on 01/03/15

showed lower axial strain at failure than comparable

triaxial compression specimens. Plane strain specimens
have much higher axial strain at failure than specimens
sheared in triaxial extension. The volumetric strain at
failure is less compressional with increasing particle
gradation, increasing density, and decreasing confining
pressure. Crushed basalt, sheared under plane strain
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 conditions, has a tendency to be more compressional
C O N F I N I N G PRESSURE, G x lo2, MPo than comparable triaxial compression specimens.
FIG. 14. Change in the effective diameter during drained The study further showed that particle crushing
shear for crushed basalt. occurred mainly during shear; the rate of the particle
breaking decreased with increasing gradation and de-
consolidation was very small compared with that which creasing confining pressure. However, the initial den-
occurred during shear. The comparison between grain sity of the crushed basalt played no significant role on
For personal use only.

size distribution curves before testing and after shear, particle crushing.
shown in Figs. 13 and 14, indicates that particle
crushing increases with decreasing particle size and Acknowledgement
increasing confining pressure. The results also show that
the initial density has no significant effect on particle The test data presented herein were obtained from
crushing although a medium-dense specimen tends to research conducted at the USAE Waterways Experiment
undergo more particle crushing than a dense specimen. Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi, and other US Corps of
The relationships between the change in the effective Engineering Laboratories.
diameter, D l o , with respect to u3,for specimens with a
maximum particle size of 76.2 and 6.3 mm are shown in AL-HUSSAINI, M. 1970. Influence of end restraint and method
Fig. 13. The figure shows that specimens with small of consolidation on the drained triaxial compressive strength
particles (i.e., uniform gradation) exhibit more particle of crushed Napa basalt. S-70-18, Waterways Experiment
crushing than those with larger particle sizes (i.e., with Station, Vicksburg, MS.
well-graded gradation) when tested under similar condi- 1971. Plane strain and triaxial compression tests on
tions. crushed napa basalt. TR S-71-2, Waterways Experiment
Station, Vicksburg, MS.
Conclusions 1981. Comparison of various methods for determining
KO. American Society for Testing and Materials, Special
Based on the results of consolidated drained triaxial Technical Publication STP 740, pp. 78-93.
compression and plane strain tests conducted on crushed FUMAGALLI, E. 1969. Tests on cohesionless material for
basalt, it is found that the compressibility decreases as rockfill dams. ASCE Journal of Soil Mechanics and
the uniformity coefficient increases. The value of KO Foundations Division, 95(SMl), pp. 313-329.
increased with increasing confining pressure and de- HOLTS, W. G., and GIBBS,H. J. 1956. Triaxial shear test on
creasing density, and it is not sensitive to particle previous gravelly soils. ASCE Journal of Soil Mechanics
gradation. and Foundations Division, 82(SM I), pp. 1-22.
The test results showed that dense crushed basalt has a KOLBUS~EWSKI, J., and FREDRICK, M. R. 1963. The signifi-
higher strength than the medium-dense one, and the cance of particle shape and size on the mechanical behaviour
+
value of increases at a decreasing rate with increasing of granular materials. European Conference on Soil Mecha-
nics and Foundation Engineering, Vol. 1, Wiesbaden, pp.
confining pressure and gradation. The method of con- 253-263.
solidation has no appreciable influence on the strength of LEE, K. L., and FARHOOMAND, I. 1967. Compressibility and
the crushed basalt; also the strength of crushed basalt is crushing of granular soil in anisotropic triaxial compression.
about the same whether sheared under drained triaxial Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 4(1), pp. 68-86.
compression or triaxial extension. The results also LEPS,T. M. 1970. Review of shearing strength of rockfill.
 AL-HUSSAINI 7 17

ASCE Journal of Soil Mechanics and Foundations Divi- sizing and grading. ASCE Journal of the Geotechnical
sion, 96(SM4), pp. 1159-1 170. Engineering Division, 105(GT5), pp. 676-681.
MARACHI,N. D., CHAN,C. K., and SEED,H. B. 1972. SOWERS,G. F. 1971. Discussion on review of shearing
Evaluation of properties of rockfill materials. ASCE Journal strength of Rockfill. ASCE Journal of Soil Mechanics and
of Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division, 98(SM1), pp. Foundations Division, 97(SM5), pp. 794-801.
95-1 12. TERZAGHI,K., and PECK, R. 1948. Soil mechanics in
MARSAL,R. 1967. Large scale testing of rockfill materials. engineering practice. John Wiley, New York, pp. 56-60.
ASCE Journal of Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division, VALLERGA, B. A., SEED, H. B., MONITHMITH, C., and
98(SM1), pp. 27-43. COOPER,R. S. 1957. Effects of shape, size and surface
1972. Mechanical properties of rockfill, embankment- roughness of aggregate particles on the strength of granular
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dam engineering. Edited by R. C. Hirschfield and S. J. material. American Society for Testing and Materials
Polos. John Wiley, New York, pp. 109- 199. Special Technical Publication STP 212, pp. 63-74.
RAYMOND, G. P., and DIYALJEE, V. A. 1979. Railroad ballast
For personal use only.