Stress-Strain Response and Dilatancy of Sandy Gravel in Triaxial Compression and Plane Strain

The strength and stress-dilatancy of uniform sands has been studied extensively in geotechnical investigations, and practitioners can draw on a wealth of previously reported data for the estimation of their volumetric response. However, the suitability of accepted stress-dilatancy theory and empiricism has not been evaluated for well-graded gravelly soils. Axisymmetric, isotropically consolidated drained compression, and pure shear, plane strain quasi-K0 consolidated drained tests were performed on well-graded Kanaskat gravel using confining pressures ranging over three orders of magnitude to determine its stiffness, strength, and stress-dilatancy response. The plane strain stiffness, strength, and stress-dilatancy of Kanaskat gravel is observed from tests performed using a large cubical true-triaxial device with flexible bladders. The observed response is interpreted with a view of experimental boundary conditions and their impact on the volumetric response. The observed plane strain shear modulus and friction, and dilation angles of well-graded sandy gravel soils commonly used in practice are significantly higher than those measured in the triaxial compression stress path. Existing empirical and modified stress-dilatancy expressions proposed for low confining pressures underestimate the observed dilation response; however, another common empirical approach appears to adequately capture the dilatancy. The data reported herein should help practitioners estimate plane strain behavior of sandy gravel mixtures.