Impact of Vibration on Double-Porosity Unsaturated Laterite Soil with Different Water Contents

Abstract

Engineering practices, natural and man-made vibrations phenomena such as blasting, construction machinery and operations, and vehicle traffic vibrations can cause stresses to soils. In addition, changes in moisture content may affect the speed of liquid penetrating the soils. Therefore, the impacts due to vibrations and changes in moisture contents need to be addressed to ensure geo-environment sustainability. This can be achieved by conducting laboratory experiments to determine the behaviour of deformable double-porosity soil samples with different water contents subjected to non-repeated vibrations. In this study, aggregated laterite soil samples were prepared with 30% and 34% moisture contents. Each aggregated soil was poured into an acrylic column then the soil was compressed to a pre-determined height of 10 cm. Testing was performed on each soil column using a vibrating table where accelerometers were installed to measure high-frequency acceleration time histories on the surfaces of the vibrating table and laterite soil. The tests were conducted by increasing the amplitude of displacement and the acceleration time histories were collected to record maximum amplitudes. The results showed that the soil surface acceleration in non-repeated vibration was increased with increasing moisture contents. It was also discovered that the speed of liquid penetration was influenced by vibration due to rearrangement of soil particles and changes in soil structure and porosity characteristics.