Effect of non-plastic fines on liquefaction resistance of Gujarat sand

Abstract

To study the effect of non-plastic fines on liquefaction resistance of Gujarat sand, the cyclic triaxial tests have been carried out on sand-silt mixtures with fines content varying from 0 to 50%. The specimens were prepared by moist tamping under compaction procedure at different relative densities. Stress controlled, undrained tests have been performed on the samples consolidated under the pressure of 100 kPa for cyclic loading with CSR varying from 0.075 to 0.275. Pore pressure and axial strain responses are analyzed for the soils tested under various dense conditions. Liquefaction resistance is evaluated in terms of void ratio, relative density and sand skeleton void ratios at 15 cycles of loading. The test results show that the liquefaction resistance decreases as the fines content increases. Sand skeleton void ratio provides an index to estimate the combined effect of fines content and void ratio on liquefaction resistance of sand-silt mixtures.