Abstract
A micromechanics model is used to analyse the stiffness anisotropy of soils at small strains. Five material constants for a cross-anisotropic elastic material are related to micromechanics variables such as fabric anisotropy, contact stiffness, particle radius, and the number of contacts in a given volume of particulate assembly. The analytical results from the model are compared with the published experimental data on small-strain stiffness anisotropy in order to estimate typical soil fabric conditions of sands and clays. The relationship between the small-strain shear modulus obtained from triaxial tests and shear tests is examined using the micromechanics model. The analysis shows that, when a soil is stiffer in the horizontal direction, the shear modulus evaluated from the conventional triaxial drained tests underestimates Gvh and Ghh. The opposite is true when a soil is stiffer in the vertical direction. When a soil is sheared in undrained condition, the measured shear modulus is closer to Gvh than Ghh, especially when the soil is stiffer in the horizontal direction. The effect of soil anisotropy on the stiffness measured from different stress paths in triaxial condition is investigated.
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