Nonlinear elastic behavior of fiber-reinforced soil under cyclic loading

Abstract

Experimental investigations and modeling of nonlinear elasticity of fiber-reinforced soil under cyclic loading at small strain are conducted in this paper. The investigations include three aspects. First, cyclic shear tests are conducted using conventional triaxial apparatus. Twenty-seven specimens with three different fiber contents are employed to conduct triaxial cyclic shear tests under different confining pressure and loading repetition. Effects of geofiber, confining pressure and loading repetition on elastic shear modulus of reinforced soil are studied and analyzed. Second, a hyperbolic function is introduced to describe the nonlinear stress–strain skeletal curve under cyclic loading. Nonlinear elastic modulus is expressed as a function of shear strain and two variables A and B that are related to the initial tangential modulus and ultimate cyclic loading stress, respectively. In the present paper, variables A and B both are further assumed to be functions of geofiber content, confining pressure and loading repetition. Finally, eight constitutive coefficients of the nonlinear elastic model are calibrated using stress–strain curves from cyclic triaxial shear tests. The calibration of parameters is conducted using the technique of the linear regression for multiple variables. Impacts and effects of geofiber, confining pressure and loading repetitions on soil nonlinear elastic behavior are discussed.