Strength Evaluation of Coarse-Grained Soils

摘要

Due to the need for large quantities of fill materials which are used in the construction of large earth and rock-fill dams, increasing numbers of dams are now being built utilizing very coarse-grained materials, including gravel-boulder mixtures. The large size of the particles often causes problems in the determination of the strength parameters for these materials. In order to determine the relevant properties of the prototype (total) materials, laboratory specimens have to be prepared with a maximum particle size which is considerably smaller than the maximum field particle size. Improper modeling of the laboratory test specimens could lead to erroneous estimates of both static strength and cyclic loading resistance of the prototype material. It is, therefore, essential that estimates of the strength behavior of earth dam fill material be made as accurately as possible. The investigation described in the report was conducted towards this objective.