Effect of Particle Breakage and Interlocking on Strength and Dilatancy Characteristics of Calcareous Sands

Abstract

Studies show that the shear strength of angular-shaped calcareous sand is mainly affected by dilatancy, interparticle locking, and particle breakage. In the present study, a series of consolidated-drained triaxial compression tests on calcareous sands are carried out to investigate the strength impacts of dilatancy, interparticle locking, and particle breakage. It is found that as the stress level increases, the friction angle difference reflecting the effect of the particle breakage increases. In contrast, the friction angle difference reflecting the interparticle locking and dilatancy effect decreases gradually. Moreover, the critical stress ratio of the high-angled calcareous sands decreases, which may be attributed to particle breakage. The obtained results demonstrate that when the stress level exceeds a certain value, the critical stress ratio remains constant. Then the correlation between the particle breakage, interparticle locking, and dilatancy effects in the shear strength is studied. Finally, based on the performed analysis on energy dissipation in calcareous sands, a dilatancy model is proposed that covers the particle breakage effect. The performed analyses demonstrate that the proposed model can accurately explain the experimental data.