Triaxial tests have been performed on mixtures of kaolin clay and a coarse uniform sand (d50∼2 mm). Drained and undrained compression tests have been performed on isotropically normally consolidated and overconsolidated samples. It has been found that the mechanical behaviour of the mixture is dominated by the mechanical behaviour of the clay matrix until the clay content falls below 40 per cent and the volume fraction of the granular constituent reaches about 0.45. Pore pressures in undrained tests are unaffected by the presence of the sand. Volumetric strains in the clay matrix in drained tests are virtually identical to those seen in pure clay.
Calculations of mechanical response of mixtures have been made using a theoretical analysis, developed for the behaviour of composites: it is found that this analysis overestimates the effect of the granular material. Numerical analyses using a finite element program lie closer to the experimental observations but still overestimate the influence of the sand.
The aim of this study was to relate the mechanical behaviour of saturated clays to their structural characteristics. Two clays were studied: a kaolinite and a bentonite. The evolution of the shape, the size, the concentration and the orientation of the elements which constitute the clay structure was examined by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Particular care was taken to avoid as far as possible disturbing the micro-structure during observation. The results showed the existence of particle breakage and the creation of structural anisotropy during loading. We can conclude from this work that the mechanical behaviour to clayed materials is largely dependent on the changes which occur at the scale of the particles. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Two different approaches for modelling soil non-linearity (hardening plasticity and hypoplasticity) are compared with reference to the analysis of soil–structure interaction in an excavation in dense dry sand, supported by a propped diaphragm wall. The analysis focuses on the prediction of wall and soil movements. A commercial FE code has been used for the elastoplastic analyses, in order to assess the performance of a readily available design tool in current geotechnical engineering practice as compared to the predictions of a more advanced research tool. Although obtained for an idealized scheme, the results allow a number of more general conclusions to be drawn on the influence of the constitutive assumptions. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.