Application of granular solid hydrodynamics to a well-graded unbound granular material undergoing triaxial tests

Abstract

Unbound granular materials (UGMs) are widely used as a base or a subbase in pavement construction. They are generally well graded and exhibit a higher peak strength than that of conventional cohesionless granular materials. By using a simplified version of granular solid hydrodynamics (GSH), a set of GSH material constants is determined for a UGM material. The deviatoric stress and volumetric strain caused by triaxial compression are calculated and then compared with experimental data. The results indicate that the GSH theory is able to describe such a special type of granular materials.