Recent Advances in Volume Measurements of Soil Specimen during Triaxial Testing

Abstract

Triaxial tests have been extensively used to characterize soil behavior. During triaxial testing, the soil deformation needs to be measured. However, measurement of deformation in unsaturated soils is considered a great challenge for researchers due to the existence of air phase. Over the years, a great deal of research effort has been dedicated to developing methods to measure soil deformation during triaxial testing. Among these methods, image-based methods receive increasing attention. This state-of-the-art report presented herein aims at documenting advancement in the image-based methods for unsaturated soil deformation measurement. The documentation presented this study includes the image analysis, X-ray CT, image correlation, multi-camera photogrammetry, and the photogrammetry-based methods. The pros and cons of each method are discussed and a comprehensive comparison between these methods is provided. Concluding remarks are included in the last section of the report.