The purpose of this study is to determine quantitatively the dynamic deformation characteristics of soil structures with a slope such as fill dams. We performed dynamic triaxial tests on saturated Toyoura Sand applying initial shear stress, then we used the test results to determine shear modulus
G and damping ratio
D used in the equivalent linear method, taking account of the effects of initial shear stress.
As mentioned in the previous papar, plastic shear strain significantly increases, particularly in the fi rst 10 cycles of sinusoidal dynamic load, after applying initial shear stress. Thus, the starting and the end points on the hysteretic curve in each cycle do not coincide. In order to take account of the effect of more dissipated energy due to applying initial shear stress, we indicated the definition of the two parameters
G and
D according to the actual hysteretic curve.
As a result of considering the quantitative determination of
G and
D, we obtained the following conclusions: shear modulus ratio
G/Go (in which
Go is the shear modulus with a very small shear strain amplitude) can be determined by the function of [
G/Go]
p'=1 which is the value of
G/Go at effective mean principal stress
p'=1.0 kg/cm
2 and
m'(γ
a) which is the power of
p'; furthermore, damping ratio
D can be determined by the quadratic function of
G/Go. It is seen from the comparison among the curves of the relationships [
G/Go]
p'=1-γ
aa and
D-G/Go by the authors and those by the other investigators that the difference among those curves is rather small, but that the curve
D-G/Go by the authors gives greater values of
D than the curves by the other investigators.
Next, it seems from the test results that the effects of initial shear stress clearly appear in the dynamic deformation characteristics with only a small number of cycles and the anisotropic structure of soil due to initial shear stress is gradually changed by repeated loading into a rather isotropic structure. So, we consider the variation of
G and
D with increase of the number of cycles. It is concluded that the change of soil structure influences considerably for
D but a little for
G. Finally we compare the curve of the relationship [
G/Go]
p'=1-γ
a established by the authors with that by Shibata and Soelarno which was obtained in an isotropic stress condition using the same material and the same type of apparatus as used in this study. It is seen that [
G/Go]
p'=-1 applied initial shear stress is smaller than that in the isotropic stress condition for γ
a when less than 10
-3, but that almost of them agree when larger than 10
-3. This may be due to the fact that the anisotropic structure of soil due to initial shear stress reduces
G/Go with a small shear strain amplitude, but that this effect disappears as the anisotropic stucture approaches a rather isotropic structure with a large shear strain amplitude.
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