Challenges in characterisation of natural sands with fines
Challenges in characterisation of natural sands with fines
Characterisation of sands with fines has been historically challenging due to the difficulty in recovering intact samples. For this reason, very often advanced laboratory tests are performed on reconstituted specimens, which are typically prepared to the in situ density estimated based on the concept of relative density (Dr) derived from in situ testing results, typically cone penetration tests. However, the reliability of most of reconstitution techniques in replicating the in situ conditions can be questionable, especially for sands with fines. This is because it is not only difficult to accurately estimate the in situ density, but also difficult to reproduce in situ conditions, such as fabric and ageing, in the laboratory. In this paper, the commonly used procedure for specimen reconstitution is reviewed first and the limitations associated with the Dr-based and state parameter (ψ)-based correlations for inferring in situ conditions is discussed, especially towards characterisation of sands with fines. Subsequently, some preliminary results are reported from an experimental study on a natural sand with plastic fines. The performance of the Dr- and ψ- based approaches are compared and recommendations are provided towards developing a practical and more reliable procedure for characterising natural sands with fines.
H. Zhou; S. Sharma
18th European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ECSMGE2024)
A - New developments on structural design
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