Dynamic modulus and damping ratio characteristics of unsaturated silt in the Yellow River flood field

Abstract

The silt in the Yellow River flood field exhibits strong water sensitivity and unique mechanical properties, which makes it vulnerable to vibration load. This study investigates the dynamic elastic modulus and damping ratio characteristics of the silt by considering the influence of confining pressure and saturation through dynamic triaxial tests. Test results indicate that the backbone curves of the silt are consistent with a typical hyperbolic relationship. The dynamic elastic modulus sharply decreases and eventually tends to stabilize with increasing dynamic strain. Furthermore, the dynamic elastic modulus gradually increases with an increment in confining pressure and decrement in saturation, while the damping ratio simultaneously decreases. A binary linear equation can conveniently estimate the dynamic elastic modulus at a small strain. Based on quantitative analyses, a modified Hardin-Drnevich model is preliminarily proposed to calculate the dynamic elastic modulus and damping ratio of the silt. This investigation supplies a theoretical reference for the engineering construction of the Yellow River basin.

Keywords

Yellow River flood field / unsaturated silt / dynamic elastic modulus / damping ratio / calculation model

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