115-5 Effect of Soil Suction On Shear Strength and Resilient Modulus of Subgrade Soils.



Monday, October 17, 2011: 2:05 PM
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Room 217C, Concourse Level

Satish Gupta1, Andry Ranaivoson2, Edil Tuncer3, Craig Benson4, Auckpath Sawangsuriya3, John Siekmeier5 and Ruth Roberson6, (1)University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
(2)Soil, Water, & Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
(3)Civil Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
(4)1415 Engineering Dr, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
(5)Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. paul, MN
(6)Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, St. Paul, MN
Pavements are constructed on compacted soils that are typically unsaturated. The negative pore-water pressure (soil suction) is due to the ingress of water into soil particle interstices and having a significant effect on pavement foundation stiffness and strength. This study characterized the effects of soil suction on shear strength and resilient modulus of four soils representing different regions of Minnesota. The deviator stress generated from shear strength measurements followed a power function relationship with soil suction. Resilient modulus also followed the power function relationship with suction but these relationships fell within a narrow range. Presented are models for incorporating suction effects in shear strength and resilient modulus measurements of highly compacted subsurface soils.
See more from this Division: S01 Soil Physics
See more from this Session: Micro- and Macro-Scale Water Dynamics In Unsaturated Soil Mechanics and Porous Media