Engineering Commons^™

Estimation Of Mechanical Behavior Of Unsaturated Soils From A Soil-Water Characteristic Curve, Lucas Acheampong

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The small-strain shear modulus and shear strength are two crucial mechanical behaviors used in the design of geotechnical structures and in the analyses of earth materials subjected to static and dynamic loadings. Traditional testing methods for these parameters are expensive and time-consuming. This research aimed to address these challenges by developing a model based on the inverse relationship between mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils and the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC). The proposed model integrates a scaling function to align the SWCC with the mechanical property curve. Empirical relationships were established for the scaling function, specifically aligning with the air-entry value …

Prediction Of Strength And Shear Modulus Of Compacted Clays Within An Unsaturated Critical State Framework, Corrie Walton-Macaulay

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The objective of this research study is to determine whether the soil stiffness, from which the small-strain shear modulus is determined, can be used to predict the shearing resistance of compacted clay soil, which are invariably under conditions of partial saturation. The research program developed for this objective included three major soil testing programs of matric suction, shear modulus, and strength.

A method to estimate matric suction of field compacted clay soil was presented and it is based on the quantified effect of change in initial void ratio on the soil water characteristic behaviors. With the use of a non-nuclear …