Cumulative deformations and particle breakage in calcareous sand subjected to drained high-cyclic loading: Experimental investigation.

Transportation infrastructures filled with calcareous sand are subjected to a high-cyclic loading. Existing studies indicated that a key challenge in predicting the cumulative deformation of calcareous sand was a lack of thorough knowledge about the effects of various important field factors. This paper presents an experimental study on the drained monotonic and high-cyclic triaxial behavior of calcareous sand. The dependencies of cumulative deformation and particle breakage behavior on practical variables, such as mean effective stress (p '), cyclic stress ratio (ζ), void ratio (e), and stress-induced anisotropy, etc., were summarized for calcareous sand. It was found that a larger e and consolidation anisotropy led to a significant increase in the accumulated axial strain, transforming the stable shakedown behavior to transitional or unstable shakedown behaviors. The increase in anisotropy can cause a remarkable increase in dilatancy, as well as a severe failure. A phase transition state line (PTSL) was observed to exist in e -(p / p a)0.7 plane under high-cyclic loading, where the PTSL was found dependent on initial void ratios. As the p ', ζ , e , and anisotropy increase, a larger particle breakage index (B r) of calcareous sand was observed, where the total input energy (W in) played a substantial role. The relationship between B r and W in was found to be unique under high-cyclic loading, regardless of the stress conditions and initial void ratios. Moreover, the relationship between B r and W in under high-cyclic loading was discovered to differ dramatically from that under monotonic loading. An appropriate equation was thus developed to describe the correlation between B r and W in for high-cyclic loading. • Dependencies of cumulative deformation and particle breakage on field parameters are highlighted for calcareous sand. • A phase transition state line dependent on void ratio is observed under high-cyclic loading. • The energy consumption for particle breakage under high-cyclic loading is compared with that under monotonic loading. • The correlation between paticle breakage and energy under high-cyclic loading is unique regardless of stress and void ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]