Volume Change Measurement in Triaxial Tests by Monitoring Cell Fluid Volume Based on Viscoelastic Behavior of the Test Setup

Journal article, 2017

A novel procedure was developed to measure the total volume change of the unsaturated soils in triaxial testing. The principle of the proposed method was based on cell fluid volume measurements corrected by the assumption of viscoelastic behavior for the triaxial setup. Calibration and parameter determination procedures of the model are devised, and the presented model is implemented into a MATLAB code. The proposed method was validated through a series of consolidated drained triaxial tests on saturated specimens, by comparing the changes in volume measurement of proposed method and conventional measurement (pore fluid). The accuracy in volume measurement during consolidation and shear stages of these tests was between 0.09 and 0.32 cm3, which is on par with or better than more complex and expensive alternatives found in the literature. Repeatability of the proposed technique in measurement of the volume change was also investigated through a series of suction controlled unsaturated soil tests.