| Abstrakt: |
This study presents a simple, yet robust testing methodology employed for investigating the mechanical behaviour of soils under cyclic loading conditions. Small cylindrical specimens of soil (10.5 mm diameter and 35.0 mm high) were subjected to oscillatory torsional loading in either strain sweep or stress sweep mode using the dynamic shear rheometer. Key mechanical properties, including dynamic shear modulus, phase angle, and energy dissipation capacity, were obtained and used to effectively identify threshold strain levels which differentiated the linear, nonlinear, and damage response of the soil. This study further applied the proposed method to stabilized soils to evaluate the effects of stabilizers on improving soil stiffness, while also considering their potential effects on increasing soil brittleness, which could ultimately lead to reduced resistance to fatigue cracking. The successful development of this testing protocol has the potential to evolve into a specification-type method due to its efficiency, repeatability, sensitivity, and fundamental robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
