Changes to particle characteristics associated with the compression of sands

Abstract

It is commonly accepted that the onset of particle breakage in sands during compression marks the start of yielding. Although particle breakage is strongly associated with the tensile strength of a single soil grain, initial density and initial sample grading have great influence on the probability of particle breakage. This paper examines the effect of initial grading and density on the sample behaviour during one-dimensional compression for three sands with distinct mineralogies. It was found that a unique normal compression line is the outcome of a large amount of breakage in poorly graded samples and that by changing the initial grading to a better graded sample a significant reduction in particle breakage is observed, until for very well-graded samples no significant particle breakage can be measured. At this point a difficulty in defining a unique normal compression line for the sample was found and a transitional behaviour was identified. In addition to particle size, the paper examines the changes to some important particle characteristics such as particle shape and particle surface roughness in an attempt to relate the soil behaviour to the nature of the microscopic particle damage during yielding.