Universal model forms for predicting the dynamic properties of granular soils

Abstract

Dynamic soil properties are important parameters for the design of structures subjected to various dynamic/cyclic loading such as earthquake which can be obtained by in situ and laboratory measurements. Numerous empirical and mathematical models have been proposed to predict the dynamic properties of soils, including maximum shear modulus (Gmax ), normalized shear modulus (G/Gmax-γ) curve, reference shear strain (γr), minimum damping ratio (Dmin ) and damping ratio (D-γ) curve. However, the majority of the existing models were proposed for specific soil types, loading characteristics, initial soil fabrics and strain ranges. This paper proposes five universal models to estimate the Gmax, γr and Dmin values, and also G/Gmax – γ and D – γ curves using a database that contains 117 tests on 5 different granular soils. The proposed models include the effect of grading characteristics, void ratio, mean effective confining pressure, consolidation stress ratio (KC) and specimen preparation method. The models are validated using experimental data from previous studies for granular soils. The results indicate that the proposed models are capable of evaluating the dynamic properties of granular soil.