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A framework for the construction of state surfaces of unsaturated soils in the elastic domain
Author(s) -
Devillers P.,
El Youssoufi M. S.,
Saix C.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/2007wr006573
Subject(s) - biot number , geotechnical engineering , soil water , shrinkage , domain (mathematical analysis) , void ratio , suction , porosity , materials science , mathematics , mechanics , geology , thermodynamics , soil science , mathematical analysis , physics , composite material
This paper deals with volume changes of an unsaturated soil in the elastic domain. Two constitutive relations are established in the general framework of unsaturated porous media mechanics. They express the variations of the void ratio e and the water content w with respect to the mean net stress ( σ − p g *) and the suction s . Associated with validated experimental results, these relations give access to the construction of the state surface e = f (( σ − p g *), s ) in the elastic domain. This surface shows two domains: the first, near saturation, is based on the hypothesis of a Biot's coefficient b w equal to 1; the second, for high suctions, is based on an experimental value of b w . Next, a preliminary construction of the state surface G s w = g (( σ − p g *), s ) is proposed for a given soil. Although restricted to the elastic domain, these constructions give a new understanding of the suction role in important problems related to overconsolidation, shrinkage, or swelling of unsaturated soils.