EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON STRENGTH AND TIMEDEPENDENT DEFORMATION BEHAVIOURS OF HOSTUN SAND UNDER SHEAR

Abstract

Hostun sand is widely adopted as a standard sand used in various laboratory stress-strain tests in geotechnical engineering research. In this study, the effects of temperature on the shear strength and timedependent deformation behaviours of Hostun sand are of interest. A comprehensive series of temperaturecontrolled triaxial compression tests were performed on air-dried Hostun sand sample. During the drained heating stage, the sample was heated to different target temperatures (i.e., 30, 45 and 60°C), after which the temperature was held constant. Then, the sample was sheared under constant cell pressure and temperature. Small strain-amplitude cyclic loading and sustained loading were successively applied at different shear stress levels for investigating equivalent elastic Young’s modulus (Eeq) and creep behaviour. The following were found. Shear strengths, both at the peak sand residual stages, decrease with increasing temperature. The Eeq increases with increasing shear stress level, but at the same shear stress level, it decreases with increasing temperature. The Eeq can be expressed as a function of the shear stress level and temperature. The axial creep strain increases with increasing shear stress level and temperature