Cyclic cumulative strain of coarse-grained soil under large cyclic stress amplitude

Abstract

The deformation behavior of coarse-grained soil under large cyclic stresses, such as those induced by strong earthquakes, has received limited attention. This study aims to investigate the cyclic accumulation behaviors and hysteresis loops of coarse-grained soil during drained cyclic triaxial tests, spanning a range from small to large cyclic stresses. The cyclic triaxial tests were primarily conducted under anisotropic consolidation conditions, with an axial-to-radial stress ratio of 2.0, confining pressures ranging from 100 to 500 kPa, and cyclic stresses varying from 0.01 to 1.85 times the confining pressure. Additionally, cyclic triaxial tests under isotropic consolidation conditions and constant mean stress conditions were performed for comparison and validation. The test results reveal that the properties of the hysteresis loops exhibit significant nonlinear behavior as cyclic stress increases, particularly concerning their shape, symmetry, degree of closure, and initial tangent modulus of elasticity. The cumulative axial strain displays three stages: strain increases slightly and gently at small cyclic stress, increases rapidly and substantially at medium cyclic stress, and decreases at large cyclic stress. The delineation of these phases is largely governed by the behaviors observed during the first cycle. Moreover, the cumulative volumetric strain increases monotonically with the increase of cyclic stress, with a more rapid increase at large cyclic stress. This study provides valuable insights into the cyclic deformation and constitutive modeling of coarse-grained soil under significant cyclic stress.