Experimental Study on Dynamic Parameters of Calcareous Sand Subgrade under Long-Term Cyclic Loading

Abstract

A long-term cyclic loading test of calcareous sand from an island reef in the South China Sea was conducted under conditions of unequal consolidation and drainage. The axial cumulative strain and dynamic characteristics of coral sand samples with different physical and mechanical properties were studied under different stress levels, yielding a model prediction formula. The results show that (1) the axial cumulative strain and dynamic elastic modulus increase with increasing vibration times of the cyclic load, whereas the dynamic damping ratio decreases with increasing cyclic vibration time; (2) the axial cumulative strain, elastic modulus, and damping ratio are affected by dynamic stress amplitude, load frequency, confining pressure, consolidation stress, compactness and moisture content; and (3) based on dynamic triaxial test results, the axial cumulative strain model of calcareous sand under cyclic loading and its permanent deformation prediction formula are established by introducing the cyclic stress ratio. Two parameters, the elastic modulus evolution parameter and the damping ratio evolution parameter, are introduced, and the axial cumulative strain is normalized. The results of this research have significance for understanding the long-term deformation and dynamic response of coral sand subgrade soil under cyclic vibration loads.