Modulus and damping from shaking table tests of reinforced soil walls

Abstract

The paper presents rational procedures to estimate normalised shear modulus and damping ratio from measured responses of reinforced soil model walls tested in a 1-g shaking table. Displacement measured at the top of the model walls and input base acceleration time histories are used to produce equivalent hysteretic responses of the model walls. Equivalent hysteretic loops at different strain amplitudes are developed and used to calculate normalised modulus degradation curves and damping ratio for the tested model walls. Model wall responses are also analysed using the single degree of freedom (SDOF) model to determine damping ratio and phase difference, and to verify the validity of SDOF model for application with reinforced soil walls.

Results indicate that the normalised shear modulus significantly decreased at the early stage of the base shaking (i.e. γ_s < 0.03%). For example, about 68% and 80% reductions in shear modulus occurred at γ_s = 0.005% and 0.01% respectively. In addition, a 90% reduction in the normalised shear modulus realised at relatively strong input base acceleration (i.e. for γ_s > 0.03%). Minimum damping ratio of 5% to 10% for both model walls was obtained, increased to 15% to 20% at strain amplitude γ_s = 0.3%, and reached higher values thereafter. Finally, dynamic properties determined from the proposed method are compared with experimental and empirical relationships proposed in literature as well as resonant column test results.

Keywords:

• normalised shear modulus
• damping ratio
• shaking table
• model tests
• sandy soil
• reinforced soil walls

Acknowledgement

The many discussions with Dr Kianoosh Hatami, University of Oklahoma, and Dr Richard Bathurst, Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), on the experimental models and proposed procedures are gratefully acknowledged.