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Compression of Soil by Isotropic Stress
Author(s) -
McMurdie John L.,
Day Paul R.
Publication year - 1958
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1958.03615995002200010006x
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , compaction , compression (physics) , volume (thermodynamics) , isotropy , stress (linguistics) , natural rubber , plasticity , geotechnical engineering , geology , thermodynamics , linguistics , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics
Loose packs of moist soil aggregates were encased in thin, cylindrical rubber membranes and subjected externally to air pressure in a triaxial test cell. The pressure was increased in increments, and the volume of the pack was determined from the axial strain after the rate of strain became less than 0.01% per minute at each step. The stress‐strain measurements revealed certain characteristics of the compaction process. The soil aggregates were deformed plastically during loading and had developed a condition of “plastic set” at the end of each step. However, the system expanded substantially when the pressure was released. This effect has been attributed to translocation of water within the aggregates as a result of differential stress. The mechanical behavior of moist soil aggregates is different in this respect from the behavior expected of perfectly plastic grains under the same conditions. A new sequence of plastic deformations occurred when the precompacted samples were recompressed to pressures which exceeded those previously applied. The volumetric contraction of the pack resulting from pressure gave an almost continuous envelope which represented successive states of plastic equilibrium throughout the pack.