Determination of Virgin Compression Destructuring Line Parameters for Natural Clays

Abstract

Based on the destructuring framework proposed by Liu et al. (2015) preceded by the work by Liu and Carter (1999, 2000), the virgin compression destructuring behavior of fifteen natural soil published in various literature over the last seven decades in several locations around the globe have been studied. Two methods (i.e., graphical and two reference point approach) to determine the parameters used in the equation of compression destructuring line (CDL) are proposed and examined by simulating the experimental data. Also, a systematic approach to find the yield pressure is suggested. The study concluded that CDL parameters obtained from graphical approach successfully predicted the compression behaviors of structured soil for most of the soil samples. Nonconformity occurs in case of two reference point approach in some cases. The two reference point approach is very helpful for a quick approximation of the CDL parameters because of its simplicity. Theoretically, two reference point method should be independent of the selection of the two point sets and always yield the same parameters but due to the uncertainty of the precision of experimental data, it varied. The author used and suggested a universal by taking furthest two points on the destructuring compression data as references. Also, the analytical approach to locate the yield pressure point is found very helpful. These methods eliminate the rigorous process of trial and error to find CDL parameters and other conventional processes to locate the yield pressure.