EAGER: Use of Results from the Undrain Triaxial Tests to Model Elasto-plastic Behavior for Unsaturated soils: A Feasibility Study

这个探索性研究的早期概念拨款（EAGER）奖为探索使用不排水试验来表征非饱和土壤的本构建模的可行性提供了资金。本探索性研究将主要评估UTT试验过程中应力局部化及后续内排水对土样吸力分布的影响，并制定有效的消除这种影响的方法。研究目标将通过收集和分析现有文献数据、设备开发、实验测试和本构建模来实现。这项探索性研究是PI在开发简单可靠的方法来表征和模拟非饱和土的完全耦合弹塑性行为方面的初步研究。如果成功，它将通过更可靠的测量、更具代表性的土壤行为和更好地理解非饱和土壤的本构行为，将表征非饱和土壤行为所需的测试时间减少三个数量级。试验结果为解决非饱和土力学领域一些基本问题的争论提供了坚实的实验依据。本研究将为快速、实用和更全面、可靠的土壤特性表征打开新的、令人兴奋的大门。它有可能改变岩土工程以外耦合问题的材料测试和表征方法。

This EArly-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) award provides funding for exploring the feasibility of using undrained tests to characterize unsaturated soils for the purpose of constitutive modeling. This exploratory research will mainly evaluate the influences of stress localizations and subsequent internal drainage on suction distributions of soil specimens during UTT tests and develop effective methods to eliminate such effects. The objectives of the research will be achieved through collecting and analyzing data from existing literature, equipment development, experimental testing, and constitutive modeling. This exploratory research is a preliminary study of PI's effort on developing simple and reliable methods to characterize and model fully-coupled elasto-plastic behavior for unsaturated soils. If successful, it will reduce the testing time required to characterize behavior for unsaturated soils by three orders of magnitude with more reliable measurement, more representative soil behavior, and better understanding of constitutive behavior of unsaturated soil. The test results provide solid experimental basis for resolving arguments regarding some fundamental questions in the field of unsaturated soil mechanics. This proposed research will open up new and exciting doors for fast, practical and more comprehensive and reliable soil behavior characterization. It has the potential to transform the ways of material testing and characterization for coupled problems beyond geotechnical engineering.