Static and cyclic behavior of a silty sand according to tests on undisturbed samples

Abstract

The effects of plastic or nonplastic fines on the static and cyclic strength of sand have been a subject of laboratory studies for many decades. These studies have not lead to a consensus as to how fines can affect the behavior of sand. Earlier studies have mostly been limited to tests on reconstituted specimens. Some of the controversies stem from the concerns that reconstituted specimens may not be able to duplicate the soil fabric in the field. The authors used Laval sampler to retrieve high quality samples in silty sand in Central Western Taiwan, following the procedures reported earlier. A test site was developed in Yuan Lin County where standard penetration test (SPT), seismic piezocone (SCPTU) and field V, measurements were performed in addition to Laval sampling. A series of monotonic and cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on natural and reconstituted Sand specimens. Laboratory V-s measurements were taken on the triaxial specimens using bender elements. With these data, the authors were able to evaluate the static and cyclic characteristics of YLS. This paper describes the results from Yuan Lin test site studies and discusses their implications in the assessment of liquefaction potential for the silty sand in this region.