The Use of Restrained Ring Test Method for Soil Desiccation Studies

Abstract

Abstract Tensile failure in soils caused by desiccation cracking is of great importance in many geotechnical applications such as earth dam engineering, design of clay liners for waste contaminant systems, agricultural engineering, and environmental remediation. Currently, the majority of tests used for tensile strength measurement are based on external loading and few studies have measured soil tensile strength during the desiccation process. This study uses the restrained ring test as a method to determine the tensile strength in desiccating clay soils by isolating the initiation of a single crack. Four clay soils with varying shrink/swell potentials were tested and analyzed to predict their tensile strength during desiccation. Using image correlation or particle image velocimetry, information on shrinkage displacement and void ratio development were examined. An incremental non-linear elastic analytical model was used to explain the experimental behavior successfully.