A slurry consolidation method for reconstitution of triaxial specimens

Abstract

In this paper, a modified slurry consolidation approach to reconstitute triaxial specimens was developed within an experimental program to study the influence of drying-wetting on the cyclic behaviors of unsaturated soils. The uniformity of the reconstituted specimens was assessed by measuring the dry density, water content, grain size distribution and the soil water characteristic curve throughout the specimens. Additionally, the static and cyclic triaxial tests were performed to further verify the ability of this new slurry consolidation method for preparing identical specimens. All the test results report very small differences between specimens. The slurry consolidation approach presented herein can produce specimens with a high initial degree of saturation of about 96%, expediting the subsequent saturation process. Finally, the cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on the unsaturated soils to investigate the influence of drying-wetting on the cyclic behaviors of unsaturated soils. Drying-wetting has an irreversible influence on the cyclic behaviors of unsaturated soils. The cyclic strength is increased after drying-wetting.