Effects of Temperature on the Stress-Strain-Time Behavior of Sand under Shear

Abstract

Abstract The thermomechanical stress-strain-time behavior of dried sand is of interest. To investigate this, an advanced triaxial loading apparatus that can accurately control the applied loading history was modified to precisely control the temperature surrounding the specimen. A series of special triaxial compression tests were performed using an air-dried sand sample. The test specimens were isotropically consolidated at room temperature, drained heated to different specified temperatures (ranging from 30°C to 60°C, after which they remained constant), and then subjected to drained shear. Various shear loading histories were employed, including (i) continuous monotonic loading; (ii) sustained loading and then cyclic loading with small strain-amplitude; and (iii) stepwise change in the strain rate. Through this study, it was found that the peak and residual shear strengths decrease with increasing temperature. The elastic Young’s modulus increases with increasing stress and decreases with increasing temperature. The creep axial strain increases with increasing stress level and temperature. However, the viscous response by stepwise change in the strain rate is insignificantly affected by increasing temperature.