An automated plane-strain apparatus that incorporates transparent soil and particle image velocimetry

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A plane strain laboratory test apparatus will be constructed and used to quantify the non-linear mechanical properties of soils used in a wide range of geotechnical applications. These applications include reinforced soil walls and slopes, landslides, buried pipes, box culverts and deep underground storage. A plane strain test apparatus is required so that the soil properties correspond to the plane strain boundary conditions that prevail for many of these structures in the field. The apparatus will include the ability to test transparent soil to directly observe soil deformations and shear band development within the test specimen. The apparatus will also have unsaturated soil and cyclic testing capabilities. The soil properties will then be available to develop advanced numerical models to investigate these geotechnical applications under both static and earthquake loading conditions.