Study of shear strength of an unsaturated sandy soil

• Grant number: 12/00120-3
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Geotechnical Engineering
• Principal researcher: Roger Augusto Rodrigues
• Grantee: Lucas Savio Fagundes
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This work aims to study the shear strength of an unsaturated tropical soil from Central Region of São Paulo State with triaxial compression and unconfined compression tests. Soil suction is an important variable in geotechnical engineering because it affects the mechanical behavior of the unsaturated soils. The attempt to understand the unsaturated soils behavior has stimulated the development of theories, of experiments and of mathematical models. In this study, stress-strain behavior and Mohr-Coulomb yield surface will be analyzed with the soil suction and confining pressure. Soil-water retention characteristics complete the analysis. This research is part of Research Project (Proc.: FAPESP 2011/09031-0), where laboratory and field tests are performed under concepts of the Unsaturated Soils Mechanics.