Mechanical behavior of porous crushable soils: effect of intragranular porosity

Abstract

Soils consisting of porous particles, such as pumice sands and calcareous sands, exhibit unique characteristics due to the presence of intraparticle voids. Although significant impacts of intraparticle voids on mechanical behavior, such as reduced single-particle crushing strength and shear modulus in pumice sands, have been reported, quantifying the intraparticle porosity is still challenging. Therefore, the previous research has primarily focused on macroscopic behavior, overlooking the influence of intra-particle voids. This study proposes an analytical approach to quantify intraparticle voids based on particle porosity and size distribution. Rigorous validation using specific gravity, sieving analysis, and compression tests strengthens the proposed solution. Our approach enhances understanding of the intra-particle void distribution and its impact on soil behavior.