Mech Time-Depend Mater

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11043-018-9380-5

Effect of water on the triaxial response under monotonic

loading of asphalt concrete used in dams

Alberto Gaxiola Hernández1 · Alexandra Ossa López1

Received: 11 May 2017 / Accepted: 17 January 2018

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature 2018

Abstract Embankment dams with asphalt concrete cores have been constructed on practi-
cally all continents with satisfactory results. Nowadays many advantages, such as the me-
chanical strength, are known that makes asphalt concrete a competitive alternative for the
construction of the impervious elements of dams. However, the current available informa-
tion does not describe the effect of prolonged contact between asphalt concrete and water on
the structure of an embankment dam. In this research cylindrical asphalt concrete specimens
with a void content similar to that used in impervious barriers of dams were fabricated and
submerged in water for a prolonged period to simulate the conditions experienced by as-
phalt concrete placed inside an embankment dam as its core material. Subsequently, triaxial
compression tests were conducted on the specimens. The results indicated that the asphalt
concrete exhibited a reduction in strength because of the saturation process to which the
material was subjected. However, no changes were observed in the mechanical response to
prolonged contact with water for periods of up to 12 months.

Keywords Asphalt concrete dams · Triaxial strength · Monotonic load · Moisture damage

1 Introduction

Dams with asphalt concrete cores (DACC) have proven to be a competitive alternative
among the options available to build dams. Wang and Höeg (2009) summarize the advan-
tages of these dams compared with other alternatives, and the advantages are confirmed by
Aktarpour and Khodaii (2013). These authors state that the advantages of using asphalt con-
crete include the feasibility of creating a virtually impervious dam core that is resistant to
erosion and has the capability to self-seal cracks that may eventually develop in the material.
In addition, dams with asphalt concrete cores can support the loads imposed even by high
magnitude earthquakes without exhibiting cracking or significant infiltration.

B A. Gaxiola Hernández
alberto.gaxiola@uas.edu.mx
1 Instituto de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida universidad número
3000, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
 Mech Time-Depend Mater

Although different types of asphalt concrete mixtures have been used to build impervious
barriers for dams, the most widely used is a dense graded asphalt concrete (DGAC). This
statistic is from the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), which presents in
its Bulletin 84 (ICOLD 1992) a detailed report regarding this type of dam, which is current
up to the publication date. This document mentions that through 1992, there were 42 dams
worldwide with a DGAC core and a height of more than 15 m, most of them in Europe and
mainly in Germany. However, there were already some such dams in Hong Kong, Japan,
Ecuador, Chile and Ethiopia. Since then, the number of this type of dam has increased
significantly. For example, there are a considerable number DACC in China, where, in fact,
the tallest dam built with this technology can be found, the Quxue dam, with a height of
170 m. In addition, hydrological projects have been developed in the Americas, including
several of these dams in Canada and Brazil.
There are several analytical studies that demonstrate that dams with asphalt concrete
cores have a stable behavior when faced with the demands imposed by static loads both
during construction and while the reservoir is filled, as well as when strong earthquakes
occur (Höeg 2005; ICOLD 2001, 2004; Wieland 2003; Wang et al. 2010a, 2010b).
Wang et al. (2010a, 2010b) studied the performance of the Yele dam, which was built in
China with a maximum height of 124.5 m. These authors carried out numerical modeling
of the behavior of the asphalt concrete core, and the results were compared to settlement
measurements in the foundation recorded two years after construction. The static analysis
yielded a maximum shear stress value in the core of 376 kPa, while the asphalt concrete
cylinders obtained from the core of the dam during different construction stages experienced
a maximum deviatoric stress between 1600 and 3500 kPa for different cell pressures. This
result demonstrates that, from the static point of view, the core has a significantly higher
resistance to stresses than the ones imposed by the structure.
Baziar et al. (2004) present an analysis with two alternatives studied before the construc-
tion of the Alborz dam in Iran, with a height of 74 m. The results of the static analysis of
the alternative corresponding to the asphalt concrete core show a maximum vertical stress
of 1.5 MPa and a maximum shear stress of 0.3 MPa in the body of the dam. Although the
shear stresses that occur at the base of the asphalt concrete dam are higher than those in
the second alternative (dam with a clay core), the displacements and strains in the body are
smaller.
In spite of the fact that there are studies that report the mechanical behavior of asphalt
concrete when used in dam cores, there is no information in the literature available to the
authors that evaluates the effect of water on the mechanical response of the material. There-
fore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of water on asphalt concrete used
in impervious elements of dams when subjected to monotonic triaxial compressive loads.

1.1 Mechanical response of asphalt concrete to monotonic loading tests

Monotonic triaxial compression tests under stress-controlled or strain-controlled conditions

have been traditionally used to assess the mechanical behavior and design parameters of
asphalt concrete for dam cores. The following studies provide information on the mechanical
characteristics of asphalt concrete specimens subjected to different stress and temperature
conditions.
Feizi-Khankandi et al. (2008) conducted strain-controlled triaxial tests at a strain rate
of 2%/hour and a constant temperature of 5° C, while applying cell pressures of 250, 500
and 1000 kPa. The results of these tests allowed the author to determine that the deviatoric
stresses at failure were between 2197 and 3879 kPa, while the secant modulus ranged from
135 to 160 MPa.
Mech Time-Depend Mater

Salemi et al. (2008) conducted a series of strain-controlled triaxial tests on specimens

with an asphalt content of 6% at a temperature of 19 ◦ C and the strain was applied at a con-
stant rate of 0.1%/min, while using different cell pressures ranging from 100 to 500 kPa.
Test results indicated that the deviatoric stress at failure were in the range of 1100 to
3300 kPa, and the secant modulus was between 90 and 150 MPa.
On the other hand, Aktarpour and Khodaii (2013) conducted triaxial compression tests
on asphalt concrete specimens fabricated with asphalt contents of 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 and 7.0%,
which were subjected to cell pressures of 250, 500 and 750 kPa and constant temperature
of 22 ◦ C. Test results show a clear increase in the strength of the asphalt concrete as the
asphalt content decreased, while the strength increased when the cell pressure increased.
The maximum deviatoric stress at failure obtained from these tests was 4090 kPa for 5.5%
asphalt content, while the maximum deviatoric stress at failure for 7% asphalt content was
1926 kPa with a cell pressure of 250 kPa. For these tests, the secant modulus at 1% unit
strain was in the range of 28 to 151 MPa.

1.2 Moisture damage and aging

As part of an impervious barrier, the asphalt concrete will be in contact with water
for a prolonged period, which may lead to its deterioration mainly because of two fac-
tors: moisture damage and asphalt aging. Moisture damage refers to the loss of strength
and durability in asphalt concrete as a result of the presence of water (Behiry 2013;
Abuawad et al. 2015). Moisture can damage asphalt concrete in two ways: (1) loss of adhe-
sion between the asphalt and aggregate and (2) mastic weakening.
Asphalt aging is a complex process that involves changes in its chemical structure, which
lead into a modification of the mechanical properties that is finally reflected as hardening
and brittleness. This aging process develops over various stages of the asphalt mixture life,
starting during mixing at the plant, then during transportation and placement and finally
developing slowly while the material is in service. Aging in this last stage is mainly due to
oxidation, which is caused by contact with oxygen in the air and water and is accelerated by
other factors such as temperature and UV rays (Wang et al. 2015; Mastrofini and Scarcella
2000; Li et al. 2015).

2 Materials and methods

To determine the mechanical properties of asphalt concrete and the effect that water has on
the triaxial strength of the material under a monotonic load, cylindrical specimens of asphalt
concrete were fabricated. Asphalt and basalt aggregate, which are characterized next, were
used to produce the mixture.

2.1 Material

The asphalt used in this study corresponds to PG 64-22 in accordance with the ASTM D6373
classification and the aggregate used has a nominal maximum aggregate size of 19.0 mm.
The asphalt properties in its original state, after aging and the characterization test results
for aggregate are shown in Table 1.
 Mech Time-Depend Mater

Table 1 Asphalt and mineral aggregate characterization

ASTM method Result

Asphalt
Rotational viscosity at 135 ◦ C (cP) D4402 488
Flash point (◦ C) D92 318
Dynamic shear modulus of the original asphalt (kPa) D7175 1.44
Mass loss by heating (%) D2872 0.536
Dynamic shear modulus after RTFO (kPa) D7175 5.91
Dynamic shear modulus after PAV (kPa) D7175 3307
Slope of the stiffness curve m D6648 0.3
Creep Stiffness S (MPa) D6648 135

Mineral aggregate
Water absorption of coarse aggregate (%) C 127 1.61
Water absorption of fine aggregate C 128 1.63
Resistance to degradation, Los Angeles machine (%) C 131 16
Soundness by sodium sulfate (%) C 88 1
Fractured particles (%) D 5821 100
Uncompacted void content of fine aggregate (%) C 1252 42
Sand equivalent value (%) D 2419 64

2.2 Specimen fabrication and mix design

The asphalt concrete specimens were fabricated using a gyratory compactor that applies a
pressure of 600 kPa to the mixture after it is placed hot in a 15 cm (6 in) interior diameter
mold. This mold was positioned at an angle of 1.25 degrees with respect to the rotating base,
which rotates at 30 rev/min while applying the load. If these parameters remain constant, the
level of compaction depends on the number of gyrations applied. In this case, 50 gyrations
were used because that corresponds to a level of compaction that is easy to achieve in the
field and is typically applied on local and urban roads with light traffic where heavy vehicle
traffic is prohibited. The decision to use a gyratory compactor to fabricate the specimens
was based on the fact that this equipment simulates the process of densification by kneading
produced using roller compactors during construction of asphalt layers (Harman et al. 2001).
Initially, the specimens were fabricated at 15 cm in diameter and 20 cm in height. All of
the samples had a 6.0% asphalt content (Pb ) with respect to the total mass of the mixture.
A core drill was used to extract a 10 cm diameter cylinder. Then triaxial compression tests
were conducted on specimens measuring 10 cm in diameter and 20 cm in height.
Asphalt concrete mix design consists of determining the proportions of the materials that
make up the mixture to achieve the desired performance. For the case of asphalt concrete
cores in embankment dams, the characteristic that drives the mix design is the required
low permeability. ICOLD (1982) indicates that the impervious barriers of this material must
comply with a maximum permeability of 10−7 cm/s; however, it mentions that in these types
of structures, it is common to find permeability values in the range of 10−8 to 10−9 cm/s.
It is worth mentioned that the results of the permeability tests could be susceptible to the
values of hydraulic heads used during the procedure, and there is no consensus regarding the
procedure to determine permeability of asphalt concrete for impervious barriers. The values
of permeability reported in the literature come from test developed under different hydraulic
Mech Time-Depend Mater

Fig. 1 Particle size curves used to fabricate asphalt concrete specimens

conditions which should be taken into account for their interpretations (Zhang et al. 2013;
Seo et al. 2017).
According to Höeg (1993) asphalt concrete with an air void content (Va ) less than 3%
produced using the Fuller curve and an asphalt content between 5.5 and 6.0% with respect
to the total mass of the mixture will lead to compliance with the required permeability for
impervious cores for dams. Fuller’s curve is defined by Eq. (1), where pi is the percent by
weight smaller than the equivalent grain size dimension Di ; Dmax the maximum aggregate
size and n is a parameter associated to the shape of the curve.
In this research, an asphalt content of 6.0% was used; therefore, the only unknown of
the mix is the gradation to be used. To determine the particle size distribution, eight differ-
ent gradations were evaluated, varying from open to dense, with their corresponding curves
shown in Fig. 1, including the Fuller curve with n = 0.45 (P-F), which, according to The
Asphalt Institute (2001), results in a mixture with the maximum density possible and there-
fore a lower void content. Similarly, the P-4 curve was included, which complies with the
requirements established by the SUPERPAVE methodology for designing asphalt mixture
for pavements (The Asphalt Institute 2001). Additionally, in Fig. 1 are presented the volume
of air voids (Va ) for all asphalt concrete specimens, which were determined according to
ASTM D2726 procedure.
 
Di n
pi = . (1)
Dmax
To determine the permeability coefficient (k) of the asphalt concrete specimens, a flexible
wall constant head permeameter was used. When running the permeability tests, hydraulic
heads ranging from 0.1 kg/cm2 to 7.0 kg/cm2 representing the hydraulic pressure on a
typical dam, were applied to specimens with 5 cm in height, which were cut from the center
 Mech Time-Depend Mater

Table 2 Permeability coefficients (k) registered in the constant head permeameter

ID Head (cm) Va (%) k (cm/s) ID Head (cm) Va (%) k (cm/s)

P-1 100 20.4 3.70 × 10−4 P-8 1000 1.2 No flow

300 3.07 × 10−4 2000 No flow
500 2.90 × 10−4 5000 No flow
1000 2.28 × 10−4 7000 No flow
P-2 100 15.2 3.43 × 10−4 P-7 1000 0.8 No flow
300 2.53 × 10−4 2000 No flow
500 2.41 × 10−4 5000 No flow
1000 2.11 × 10−4 7000 No flow
P-3 100 7.0 9.75 × 10−5 P-F 1000 0.8 No flow
300 1.01 × 10−4 2000 No flow
500 8.38 × 10−5 5000 No flow
1000 7.20 × 10−5 7000 No flow
P-4 500 4.8 2.56 × 10−5 P-5 1000 0.5 No flow
1000 2.35 × 10−5 2000 No flow
1500 2.21 × 10−5 5000 No flow
2000 2.13 × 10−5 7000 No flow
P-6 500 1.7 3.85 × 10−6
1000 3.64 × 10−6
1500 3.79 × 10−6
2000 3.98 × 10−6

portion of the 20 cm tall and 10 cm diameter cylinders and these results are presented in
Table 2.
In addition, to evaluate the cracking susceptibility of each of the mixtures fabricated with
the different gradations, indirect tensile strength (ITS) tests were performed on the asphalt
concrete specimens because the results are quickly acquired, not vulnerable to significant
modification because of surface conditions on the specimens and exhibit low coefficients
of variation (Kennedy and Anagos 1983); in addition, ITS tests have been widely corre-
lated to other types of mechanical responses in asphalt concrete, including shear strength
(Piratheepan et al. 2012), creep (Wen 2010), fatigue (Kim and Koh 2011) and continuous
damage, as well as the affinity between the asphalt and aggregate (Wang et al. 2010a, 2010b).
Figure 2 shows the results of the ITS tests for the specimens fabricated with the different
gradations.
Taking into account that the asphalt concrete specimens fabricated with the P-6 gradation
have high tensile strengths similar to the impermeable mixtures (P-7, P-8, P-5 and P-F), this
gradation was adopted for the mix design. Although the permeability coefficient of the spec-
imens fabricated with this gradation is higher than those recommended for the construction
of impervious elements in dams, it is expected that this condition allow the introduction of a
moderate amount of water into the material and the contact with the aggregates and asphalt.
It is important to note that the selection of the P-6 mixture was made to achieve the stated
objectives of this research. The use of a mixture similar to P-F, P-7, P-8 and P-5 and with
Va less than 3% to the construction of an impermeable barrier is recommended.
Mech Time-Depend Mater

Fig. 2 Indirect tensile strength

in asphalt concrete

Fig. 3 Mass increase as a function of conditioning time of asphalt concrete specimens subjected to a cell
pressure of 5 kg/cm2

2.3 Saturation and conditioning of the asphalt concrete specimens

Once the asphalt mix design was selected, asphalt concrete specimens measuring approxi-
mately 10 cm in diameter and 20 cm in height were fabricated, following the same procedure
described previously. Subsequently, these specimens were saturated by inserting them into
water filled pressure cells and subjected to a pressure of 5 kg/cm2 .
To monitor the saturation process of the asphalt concrete, the specimens were frequently
extracted from the pressure cells, immediately weighed and then returned to the cells. Fig-
ure 3 shows the progression of the saturation process for some of the asphalt concrete spec-
imens, which indicates that after the 30th day of immersion, the increase in mass resulting
from water absorption was very small. Therefore, the remaining specimens used for the tri-
axial compression tests were subjected to a saturation process lasting 30 days and were then
considered saturated.
After subjecting the asphalt concrete specimens to the saturation process, they were re-
moved from the cells and kept submerged in water at atmospheric pressure to allow for the
scheduled time to pass before conducting the corresponding triaxial compression tests.
To determine whether any water reached the center of the specimen during the saturation
process or if it was only absorbed peripherally, one of the saturated asphalt concrete spec-
imens was subjected to an ITS test. After failure, a visual inspection was conducted. The
specimen clearly exhibited a water layer along the entire exposed surface, which indicated
that the liquid reached the central portion of the specimen during the saturation process.
 Mech Time-Depend Mater

Fig. 4 Asphalt concrete specimen after conducting the ITS test

Figure 4 shows the moist appearance of a segment of the specimen immediately after
failure and the same segment after the water evaporated from the surface at room tempera-
ture.

2.4 Triaxial compression tests under monotonic loading

To evaluate the influence of water on the triaxial behavior under a monotonic loading of the
asphalt concrete used in dam cores, triaxial compression tests were conducted on the asphalt
concrete specimens conditioned for 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after being saturated. Similarly,
a series of triaxial tests were conducted on dry samples, which were fabricated using the
same method and tested with the same cell pressure and temperature.
Regarding temperature, it is well known that asphalt concrete cores, given their position
within the dam, are protected by an embankment and that environmental temperature vari-
ations have practically no effect on the core itself, i.e., the temperature remains constant at
5 ◦ C for a dam located in a sub-arctic climate and 20 ◦ C in a sub-tropical climate (Wang and
Höeg 2016). As a result, the testing temperatures were 5, 15 and 25 ◦ C to encompass the
temperatures present in the asphalt concrete cores of the majority of this type of dam built
around the world.
In addition, the cell pressures used encompass the wide range of normal static stresses
present in these types of dams (Fang and Liu 2011) and correspond to 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 MPa,
while the strain rate applied was fixed at 0.2%/min. The maximum strain was restricted to
20% because of the limitations of the laboratory equipment.
With the testing conditions established, specimens were placed in the triaxial testing
machine, as seen in Fig. 5. A latex membrane was placed to prevent liquid from entering the
specimens.
The steel cell was immediately closed and filled with oil, which was used to apply the cell
pressure. Once the cell was full, the temperature control equipment was turned on to tem-
Mech Time-Depend Mater

Fig. 5 Placement of the asphalt concrete specimens in the triaxial cell

perature condition the specimens for 10 hours. Subsequently, deviatoric stress was applied
to the specimens up to reach the failure or the maximum strain allowed.

3 Results

A detailed description of the triaxial compression tests results under monotonic loading
corresponding to dry and saturated specimens is shown below. The first presented results
correspond to the initial saturated state (after the saturation process and zero months of
conditioning in water); later a comparison between dry and initial saturated state and finally
the results for different conditioning times are shown.
The stress–strain curves resulting from these laboratory tests on the specimens in the
initial saturated state are shown in Fig. 6. These graphs indicates that the material, for the
cell pressures and temperatures evaluated, exhibited ductile behavior, i.e., the stress–strain
curves did not have peaks. It can also be seen that the maximum deviatoric stress for each
specimen increased as the cell pressure increased, as was expected.
The results shown in Fig. 6 indicate that the maximum deviatoric stresses range from
2635 kPa, which corresponds to the lowest cell pressure and highest temperature used, to
6241 kPa, which corresponds to the highest cell pressure and lowest temperature. In general,
the maximum deviatoric stress tends to decrease with temperature because of the thermo-
sensitive behavior of asphalt and tends to increase with cell pressure.

3.1 Influence of water on the shear strength

By comparing the results obtained for the deviatoric stress at failure between the initial
saturated state and dry specimens, a 17% reduction of strength on average was measured for
the saturated specimens. As seen in Fig. 7, all the dry specimens tested under the different
 Mech Time-Depend Mater

Fig. 6 Stress–strain curves and maximum deviatoric stress in the initial saturated state

Fig. 7 Comparison between the maximum deviatoric stress of asphalt concrete in dry and initial saturated
state

conditions exhibited higher strength than the corresponding specimens in the initial saturated
state, which is evidence that the saturation process causes moisture damage to the asphalt
concrete.
As seen in Fig. 8, the contact between the water and asphalt concrete after being sub-
merged for a prolonged period of up to 12 months did not cause significant changes in the
shear strength of the asphalt concrete.

3.2 Secant modulus

Figure 9 shows the secant modulus calculated at 1% strain for the saturated specimens.
The results vary from 116 MPa to 307 MPa for 25 ◦ C and 5 ◦ C, respectively. These curves
show that the deformability of asphalt concrete is highly sensitive to temperature and it is
particularly evident that, as the testing temperature increases, the secant modulus decreases.
Saturation of the asphalt concrete caused a clear change in the secant modulus. As seen
in Fig. 10, the secant modulus results at 1% unit strain for the saturated specimens were,
in all cases, lower than those obtained for the dry specimens, which demonstrates that the
stiffness (secant modulus) of saturated asphalt concrete is lower than that in a dry condition
by an average of 31%.
Mech Time-Depend Mater

Fig. 8 Maximum deviatoric stress

Fig. 9 Secant moduli of asphalt

concrete in initial saturated state

The prolonged contact between asphalt concrete and water, as with the maximum devia-
toric stress, did not significantly affect the secant modulus throughout the immersion period,
which can be seen in Fig. 11.

3.3 Mohr Coulomb analysis

As shown in Fig. 12, the results of the triaxial tests under a monotonic load for the saturated
samples were graphed on a Mohr’s circle diagram, which is a graph in which the shear stress
is a function of normal stress, in this case, the stresses when the maximum deviator stress
occurs. The failure lines were adjusted to a straight line to obtain the apparent cohesion
and internal friction angle for the different temperature conditions evaluated. The values of
cohesion (shear strength when the normal stress is zero) varied from 450 kPa to 760 kPa,
 Mech Time-Depend Mater

Fig. 10 Comparison between secant moduli of asphalt concrete in dry and initial saturated state at 1% strain

Fig. 11 Secant moduli at 1% axial strain

Fig. 12 Mohr circles, apparent internal friction angle and apparent cohesion for initial saturated state
Mech Time-Depend Mater

Fig. 13 Comparison between the apparent cohesion and the apparent internal friction angle of asphalt con-
crete

and they generally decreased as the temperature increased, which can be attributed to the
thermo-sensitive nature of asphalt. It can also be seen that the apparent internal friction
angle (inclination of the failure line with respect to horizontal axis) is practically constant
(30.5◦ to 33.4◦ ) for the temperature conditions evaluated, which was expected given that the
shear resistance of the aggregate is not sensitive to thermal changes.
When comparing the results of the cohesion parameter between the asphalt concrete
specimens in the dry and saturated conditions, it can be seen in Fig. 13 that, in general, this
parameter is higher in the specimens in the dry state than in the saturated state. In turn, the
apparent internal friction angle does not have a defined trend that depends on the saturation
state.
After analyzing the changes in shear strength of the asphalt concrete caused by the sat-
uration process, it can be seen that such a change depends on the apparent cohesion and
not on the apparent internal friction angle, which can be attributed to a loss of adhesion
between the asphalt and aggregate because of the introduction of a water layer at the inter-
face between the two materials. The asphalt concrete’s apparent internal friction angle and
apparent cohesion values did not exhibit significant changes as a result of prolonged con-
tact with water for an immersion period of up to 12 months, which suggests that there were
no significant changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of the asphalt mixture
during that period.

4 Conclusions

This study evaluates the influence of water on the mechanical behavior of asphalt concrete
with hydraulic properties similar to materials used in the construction of impervious dam
cores. Triaxial compression tests were conducted using cell pressures that reproduce the
 Mech Time-Depend Mater

stress conditions to which medium and large height dam cores are subjected. Similarly,
testing temperatures were used that represent climates ranging from sub-arctic to tropical.
The results led to the following conclusions.
The saturation condition of the asphalt concrete specimens induced moisture damage
in the material, which was demonstrated by a 17% loss of shear strength that can be at-
tributed to the loss of adhesion between the asphalt and the aggregate and a 31% increase
in deformability with respect to the dry condition. The results also indicate that this dam-
age remains almost unchanged for the different conditioning times after saturation, which
ranged from 3 to 12 months, suggesting that asphalt does not exhibit significant physical or
chemical changes during the conditioning period used. Additional research should focus on
determining changes in the mechanical behavior of the material at longer immersion times.
Temperature significantly influences the shear strength and deformability of asphalt con-
crete, which can be attributed to the thermo-sensitive characteristics of asphalt. It is impor-
tant to highlight that the shear strength is affected by temperature, as shown by a reduction
in the value of apparent cohesion, while no reduction in the apparent internal friction an-
gle was observed. In addition, cell pressure has a significant influence on the results of
the triaxial compression tests because increasing the pressure leads to a clear increase in the
shear strength and a reduction in deformability. These results are of fundamental importance
since, when designing an asphalt concrete core dam, the properties must be considered that
describe the mechanical response of the material after being affected by water and we must
not only assume these mechanical parameters as with the material in dry condition.

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