A compression line for soils with evolving particle and pore size distributions due to particle crushing

Abstract

In this study it is supposed that energy is dissipated in two ways when particle crushing occurs. The first is the release of strain energy stored in the crushed particle and is analogous to the creation of surface. The second is due to the load redistribution and change of stored strain energy of the surrounding soil. Terms for these two mechanisms are included in a Cam-clay type energy equation. By defining particle and pore size distributions during the crushing process using fractals, and by equating particle and pore surface areas, a closed-form expression is obtained for a limiting compression line in the double logarithmic voids ratio–stress plane. The limiting compression line and the evolving particle size distribution are matched well by the theory for two silica sands loaded in oedometric compression to high stresses. Evidently, energy dissipation due to load redistribution is significantly larger than energy dissipation due to the creation of surface.