ABSTRACT

This paper describes a numerical study of a laboratory experiment related to a soil-structure interface. The soil sample in the interface test is divided into (a) a soil mass and (b) an interface layer. The average values of the normal stress and the shear stress acting on the contact surface are measured. The evolution of the horizontal normal stress is calculated using a finite element analysis. Subsequently, a bounding surface plasticity model is employed to make predictions. The results of both the conventional triaxial tests and the interface tests are used to determine the model parameters. Comparisons are made between the observed and predicted behavior.

INTRODUCTION

In many geotechnical engineering problems, soils interact with structural members. For the solution of soil-structure interaction problems, the magnitude of the load transferred at the interface and the corresponding displacements have to be known. The interface is defined as a thin layer of soil next to the surface of the structural member. In the past, experimental investigations were conducted on soil-structure interfaces. Potyondy (1961), Desai (1981), Acar et al. (1982), Desai et al. (1985), Boulon and Plytas (1986), Boulon (1989) and many other researchers used a direct shear type device to study the behavior of interfaces. The direct shear type apparatus is simple in sample preparation and in testing procedures. However, the major shortcoming of this apparatus is the difficulty of separating the sliding displacement (i.e. slip) at the contact surface and the displacement due to soil deformation. Uesugi and Kishida (1986a, b) and Uesugi et al. (1989) developed a plane strain, simple shear type device to study the behavior of interfaces. The simple shear type device allows the measurement of sliding displacement between a structural member and the soil sample in addition to the measurement of deformation of the soil sample.

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