The influence of apparatus stiffness on the results of cyclic direct simple shear tests on dense sand

Konstadinou, M.; Bezuijen, A.; Greeuw, G.; Zwanenburg, C.; van Essen, H. M.; Voogt, L.

doi:10.1520/GTJ20190471

The influence of apparatus stiffness on the results of cyclic direct simple shear tests on dense sand

Title

The influence of apparatus stiffness on the results of cyclic direct simple shear tests on dense sand

Author

Konstadinou, M. (Deltares)
Bezuijen, A. (Universiteit Gent; Deltares)
Greeuw, G. (Deltares)
Zwanenburg, C. (TU Delft Geo-engineering; Deltares)
van Essen, H. M. (Deltares)
Voogt, L. (Deltares)

Date

2020

Abstract

A series of undrained cyclic direct simple shear (CDSS) tests on dense Toyoura sand has been performed with the aim to investigate the influence of the stiffness of the DSS device on test results. To this end, springs were installed to reduce deliberately the stiffness of the apparatus. It is shown that the cyclic resistance of the sand depends strongly on the rigidity of the apparatus frame. In particular, as the stiffness of the DSS device increases, the number of loading cycles required to reach liquefaction decreases. This pronounced apparatus-stiffness dependence is of great practical concern in geotechnical engineering because it directly implies that the CDSS response of a soil sample can be predominantly controlled by the stiffness of the apparatus and not by the soil behavior alone. In addition, the test results indicate that the effect of equipment compliance in cyclic undrained DSS testing can be minimized when the ratio of the stiffness of the tested sand sample to the stiffness of the apparatus has a significantly low value.

Subject

Apparatus stiffness
Cyclic testing
Dense sands
Direct simple shear tests

To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:afebacbb-c91c-42e9-beb0-d1a066cad884

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ20190471

Embargo date

2021-10-08

ISSN

0149-6115

Source

Geotechnical Testing Journal, 44 (5), 1501-1525