ISSN: 1945-7545
CODEN: GTJODJ
Page Count: 7

Measurement of Volume Changes in Triaxial Tests Using Digital Imaging Techniques

Macari, EJ
Associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Civil Engineering, Atlanta, GA

Parker, JK
Associate professor of mechanical engineering, The University of Alabama, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tuscaloosa, AL

Costes, NC
Senior research scientist, Space Sciences Laboratory, NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

Abstract

Conventional procedures for the determination of volume changes in triaxial tests are based on the amount of pore fluid changes into or out of the fully saturated cylindrical specimen. As a triaxial soil specimen shears, the total volume may increase or decrease depending on the soil density, current state of stress, and the stress history. The measurement of these changes in volume are of great importance in the characterization of the soil's mechanical properties. This paper presents an innovative or alternative technique that has been used for measuring the volumetric deformation that cylindrical specimens experience during the shearing stages of a triaxial test. This method incorporates digital imaging techniques and computer-aided analysis to assess the changes in volume throughout a test. A detailed description of the hardware and other equipment is provided along with the data analysis methodology used to simplify the operation. Comparisons are made between the observed results and those obtained from conventional measurement techniques.

Keywords:
triaxial testing, digital imaging, volume change

Paper ID: GTJ11424J
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ11424J
ASTM International is a member of CrossRef.