The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive

Undrained cyclic triaxial testing of gravels -- the effect of membrane compliance

Evans, Mark D.; Seed, H. Bolton

UCB/EERC-87/08, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, 1987-07, 434 pages (495/E92/1987)

The magnitude of the effect of membrane penetration and compliance on the undrained cyclic loading resistance of various gravels is investigated in order to define and take it into account in assessing undrained strength loss in gravelly soils. The results of tests performed on gravel specimens tested in a conventional compliant system are compared with those for comparable gravel specimens tested in a specially prepared non-compliant or low-compliance system. Special test conditions, including isotropic and anisotropic consolidation, the use of various numbers and thicknesses of confining membranes, and construction of a thin annular sand shell around the outside of the gravel specimens, were imposed on several test groups to investigate their effects on the relationships between the cyclic loading resistance curves and the pore pressure ratio curves for sluiced and unsluiced gravel specimens. Based on results, it is suggested that the effects of membrane compliance may be estimated by comparing membrane penetration volume changes with the values measured in this study and computing a proportional value of membrane compliance correction.

Available online: http://nisee.berkeley.edu/documents/EERC/EERC-87-08.pdf (73 MB)