The Partially Drained Behaviour of Dense Fibre-Reinforced Sands

Abstract

Strain paths allowing both volumetric changes and excess pore water pressure generation could be more critical than conventional drained or undrained paths as limiting boundaries. Due to the potential of fibre reinforcement to improve the mechanical behaviour of sands, this study investigated the influence of different strain paths, ranging from contractive to expansive partially drained, on the primary strength properties of fibre-reinforced sands. Triaxial tests were conducted to examine the effect of strain paths on the ultimate stress ratio, peak stress ratio, and the generation of excess pore water pressure in reinforced sands. The results indicate that the induced strain path significantly influences the behaviour of fibre-reinforced sands. The fibre reinforcement was able to significantly impact the tolerable peak deviatoric stresses and the induced ultimate stress ratio. It was also demonstrated that fibre reinforcement not only enhances the shear strength of sands but also increases their resistance to anisotropy induced by different experienced drainage conditions. Additionally, direct simple shear tests were conducted to evaluate the effects of shear modes, and the results were compared with triaxial tests.