The behaviour of artificial archaeological remains during a one-dimensional compression test

Abstract

The Dutch subsoil contains a lot of archaeological remains that need to be preserved for future generations. Until now, it is not possible to predict if these remains will stay intact under the pressure of a manmade structure like an embankment. The goal of this research is to investigate the behaviour of assemblies of artificial archaeological remains during a one-dimensional compression test. The loads applied to the grains are similar to the loads under an embankment. Emmer wheat seeds, carbonized up to 270° C, 290° C and 370° C, have been assembled in a PEEK oedometer and were subjected to different loading stages with a maximum of 540 kPa. A total of four tests have been performed, one on each type of seed and a second test on the 290°C seeds, the latter being scanned with a micro CT-scanner in between every loading stage to be able to see individual grain behaviour in a 3D model. A comparison between the macroscopic yield stress (100 kPa for the second test on the 290° C grains) and the microscopic grain behaviour did not show clear resemblance because the point of yielding was not recognized in the 3D images.