Drained instability of sand in plane strain

Abstract

Flowslide or failure of loose granular soil slopes is often explained using liquefaction or instability data obtained from undrained triaxial tests. However, under static loading conditions, the assumption of an undrained condition is not realistic for sand, particularly clean sand. Case studies have indicated that instability of granular soil can occur under essentially drained conditions (e.g., the Wachusett Dam failure in 1907). Laboratory studies on Changi sand by Chu et al. in 2003 have shown that sand can become unstable under completely drained conditions. However, these studies were carried out under axisymmetric conditions and thus, cannot be applied directly to the analysis of slope failures. In this paper, experimental data obtained from plane-strain tests are presented to study the instability behaviour of loose and dense sand under plane-strain conditions. Based on these test data, the conditions for the occurrence of drained instability in plane strain are established. Using the modified state parameter, the conditions for instability under both axisymmetric and plane-strain conditions can be unified. A framework for interpreting the instability conditions of sandy slopes developed under axisymmetric conditions also extends into plane-strain conditions.