A practical method for suction estimation in unsaturated soil testing

Abstract

This research presents an alternative methodology to estimate suction in triaxial tests carried out under constant water content. A preliminary determination of the retention curve is proposed using two complementary techniques, namely psychrometer measurements and mercury intrusion porosimetry results. Starting with the definition of a set of retention curves at different void ratios, an attempt is made for establishing a correspondence of the measured retention curves with the results of a high pressure isotropic compression test. From the stress-paths followed in a soil-cement specimen during isotropic compression, plotted in the void ratio-stress plane, the suction is interpolated by using the previously measured values and the evolution law describing suction as a function of the specimen’s void ratio. For the aforementioned paths, the suction for all stress state points is estimated, including for the apparent yield pressure.