Resilient modulus of a compacted clay with different moisture and temperature histories

ABSTRACT

This paper reports a series of experimental studies to compare the influences of different moisture and temperature histories on the resilient modulus (M_R) of a compacted clay. Parallel specimens that were compacted at the optimum moisture content (w_opt) were equilibrated to six different moisture contents (w) and subjected to different numbers of freeze–thaw cycles (N_FT = 0, 1, 3, 10) before determining the M_R and the unconfined compressive strength (UCS). Specimens were brought to each testing condition (i.e. the combination of w and N_FT) through two or three different interlaced wetting-drying and freeze–thaw processes. Such a procedure imposed different moisture and temperature histories on the specimens. Experimental results demonstrated that different moisture and temperature histories only result in noticeable differences in the M_R for specimens tested at the dry side of the w_opt and N_FT = 1. The differences become negligible at all w levels after freeze–thaw effects have stabilised at N_FT = 10. Different Moisture and temperature histories do not differentiate the relationships of the M_R and UCS to the w and N_FT. Meanwhile, the relationships of the M_R to the UCS are unique and linear regardless of the different moisture and temperature histories.

KEYWORDS:

• Resilient modulus
• subgrade soil
• moisture content
• freeze–thaw cycles
• unconfined compressive strength

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The studies presented in this paper were supported by the Open Research Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and System Safety of Traffic Engineering Structures, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University [grant number KF2021-04], Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation [grant number 2021CFB389], National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 51809199] and the Science and Technology Project of Hebei Education Department [grant number QN2022051].