PORE SIZE ESTIMATION OF DISTURBED AND UNDISTURBED UNSATURATED LOAM UNDER SIMPLE SHEARING PROCESS

Abstract

 Unsaturated triaxial tests of disturbed and undisturbed loam were carried out to reveal pore size changes that occur with volume changes using water retention properties, with simple shearing processes, under undrained and drained conditions. Initial matric suction was set as 0, 50, or 90 kPa. The confining pressure (net normal stress) was set as 100 kPa. This paper describes a method for estimating the pore size distribution using a capillary tube model of water retention curves obtained from triaxial tests. Results clarified a relation between the void ratio and pore size change ratio for each triaxial test condition. Furthermore, based on those results, we investigated the relation between soil structure and suction effects, which influence volume change properties.