The use of high-capacity tensiometer for cyclic triaxial testing of railway formation material

Ashutosh Kumar, Arash Azizi, David G. Toll

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

The formation layers of railway embankments are often unsaturated and subjected to coupled cyclic traffic-induced and hydraulic loading. Understanding this coupled response requires the development of a testing protocol capable of subjecting soil samples to cyclic loading while continuously monitoring water retention response of the soil. An accurate measurement of the suction variation for the case of repeated cyclic loading is crucial for interpreting the response of the soil considering the principles of unsaturated soil mechanics that are commonly neglected during the design of this infrastructure. In this paper, we present the use of a high-capacity tensiometer of capacity 2 MPa and resolution 0.5 kPa developed at Durham University, capable of measuring suction on the body of soil samples. The setup allowed continuous monitoring of suction at the mid-height of the unsaturated soil sample during cyclic triaxial testing while continuously measuring the volumetric deformations with the help of local displacement transducers. The obtained results indicated that the volumetric compression during cyclic loading reduced the voids ratio leading to an increase in the degree of saturation under constant water content conditions that reduced the soil suction. The obtained results were then interpreted by using mean Bishop’s stress where the permanent strain was consistently found to increase with an increase in the Bishop’s stress ratio. The resilient modulus was also found to be correlated to Bishop’s stress ratio.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 5th International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics (ICTG) 2024, Volume 1
Subtitle of host publicationSensor Technologies, Data Analytics and Climatic Effects
EditorsCholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Jianfeng Xue, Buddhima Indraratna
PublisherSpringer Nature
Pages307–315
ISBN (Electronic)9789819782130
ISBN (Print)9789819782123, 9789819782154
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Oct 2024
Event5th International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics: ICTG 2024 - Sydney, Australia
Duration: 20 Nov 202422 Nov 2024

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Civil Engineering
PublisherSpringer Nature
Volume402
ISSN (Print)2366-2557
ISSN (Electronic)2366-2565

Conference

Conference5th International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CitySydney
Period20/11/2422/11/24

Keywords

  • suction
  • subgrade soils
  • unsaturated soils
  • tensiometer
  • railways

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