Factors Affecting Apparent Position of Steady-State Line

Abstract

Due to its simplicity, the steady-state approach is an attractive method of characterizing the strengths of loose, saturated sands for stability analyses in these materials. Use of the approach depends on steady-state strengths that are both reliable and measurable. While there has been a wide variety of research in recent years exploring the constitutive behavior of these materials, contradictory conclusions have been reached regarding the uniqueness of the steady-state line and the factors that may or may not affect it: among these, the level of consolidation stress, the drainage conditions, and the effective stress path have figured prominently. The current study was undertaken to investigate the effects of these factors on the position of the steady-state line through a comprehensive laboratory program involving careful triaxial and simple shear testing. The results provide a consistent framework within which some of the existing contradictions are resolved, and they highlight the importance of the mode of deformation on the strength of these materials at large strains.