Previous studies provide ample experimental evidence highlighting the effect of temperature on the volume change response of unsaturated soils. However, analytical efforts to capture the temperature dependency of dilatancy under shear stresses are notably scarce. This paper aims to fill this gap by presenting a thermodynamics-based dilatancy model incorporating the influence of the degree of saturation, temperature, soil type, and suction. The model is derived from the first law of thermodynamics, formulated in terms of stored and dissipative energies. Various sources of energy dissipation, including entropy, water flow, friction, as well as energies associated with volume change and rearrangement of soil grains, are considered. The temperature-dependent model is calibrated, and its accuracy is validated using data from 27 triaxial experiments available in the literature. This data set encompasses tests conducted under different temperatures, suctions, stress states, and initial void ratios. The accuracy of the proposed model is compared to three classic models present in the literature that do not account for suction and temperature. The findings demonstrate that the model adeptly captures the complex stress-dilatancy behavior of unsaturated soils with considerably higher accuracy than alternative models. Further, the proposed model's application to simulate the volume change response is demonstrated for two soils under varying saturation levels. The model can readily be incorporated into constitutive modeling of unsaturated soils under thermo-hydro-mechanical conditions.

Soil liquefaction caused by earthquakes is a devastating occurrence that can compromise the foundations of buildings and other structures, leading to considerable economic losses. Among the new remedies against liquefaction, Induced Partial Saturation (IPS) is regarded as one of the most promising technologies. In order to improve liquefaction resistance and the fluid phase's compressibility, gas or air bubbles are introduced into the pore water of sandy soils. This article deals with the general laboratory evaluation of a sand under partially saturated conditions and under cyclic loading to assess if this technology is applicable for a ground improvement of the examined soil. The use of the Axis Translation Technique for sample desaturation and diffusion-stable butyl membranes significantly influences the laboratory results. Additionally, it is found that the trapped air bubbles of the partially saturated samples act like a damping mechanism, which are reflected in the stress paths of the deviator stress q over the mean pressure p with an inclination of 1 : 3. Zum Verfl & uuml;ssigungsverhalten von teilges & auml;ttigtem SandDie durch Erdbeben verursachte Bodenverfl & uuml;ssigung ist ein verheerendes Ereignis, das die Fundamente von Geb & auml;uden und anderen Bauwerken gef & auml;hrden und zu erheblichen wirtschaftlichen Verlusten f & uuml;hren kann. Die induzierte partielle S & auml;ttigung (Induced Partial Saturation, IPS) gilt als eine der vielversprechendsten Technologien unter den neuartigen Baugrundverbesserungen gegen Verfl & uuml;ssigung. Um den Verfl & uuml;ssigungswiderstand und die Kompressibilit & auml;t der fl & uuml;ssigen Phase zu verbessern, werden dabei Gas- oder Luftblasen in das Porenwasser sandiger B & ouml;den eingebracht. Dieser Beitrag besch & auml;ftigt sich mit der generellen labortechnischen Evaluierung eines Sandes unter teilges & auml;ttigten Verh & auml;ltnissen und unter zyklischer Beanspruchung zur Beurteilung, inwiefern sich diese Baugrundverbesserung f & uuml;r den untersuchten Boden eignet. Die Verwendung der Axis Translation Technique zur Probenentw & auml;sserung und die Verwendung von diffusionsstabilen Butylmembranen haben einen erheblichen Einfluss auf die Laborergebnisse. Au ss erdem ist festzustellen, dass die eingeschlossenen Luftblasen der teilges & auml;ttigten Proben wie eine D & auml;mpfung wirken und sich in den Spannungspfaden der Deviatorspannung q & uuml;ber dem mittleren Druck p mit einer Neigung 1 : 3 widerspiegeln.

A self -sensing cementitious geocomposite was developed based on laboratory data, and it demonstrated good physical and mechanical properties, durability, and piezoresistivity performance. It consisted of stabilized cemented sand containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) as conductive fillers. This geocomposite could be used to detect damage based on the relationship between electrical impedance and mechanical performance, making it suitable for use as structural layers in railway lines. In this study, the effects of MWCNTs and GNPs, as well as of degree of saturation, were evaluated on the compaction, secant modulus, resilient modulus, electrical resistance, and piezoresistivity of the geocomposite. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microscopic imaging were used to analyse microstructural alterations induced by varying concentrations of MWCNTs and GNPs. This innovative geocomposite, intended for installation in Portuguese railway lines as part of the EU project IN2TRACK3, is aimed at capturing performance data, identifying structural damage levels, and estimating load intensity, axle numbers, and train speed. The feasibility of its use is discussed based on literature studies and research conducted under the IN2TRACK2 and IN2TRACK3 projects, and its potential advantages over traditional methods for monitoring rail track health are highlighted.

Tailings are waste materials of mining operations, consisting of a mixture of clay, silt, sand with a high content of unrecoverable metals, process water, and chemical reagents. They are usually discharged as slurry into the storage area retained by dams or earth embankments. Poor knowledge of the hydro -mechanical behaviour of tailings has often resulted in a high rate of failures in which static liquefaction has been widely recognized as one of the major causes of dam collapse. Many studies have dealt with the static liquefaction of coarse soils in saturated conditions. This research provides an extension to the case of silty tailings in unsaturated conditions. The static liquefaction resistance was evaluated in terms of stress -strain behavior by means of monotonic triaxial tests. Its dependency on the preparation method, the volumetric water content, the void ratio, and the degree of saturation was studied and compared with literature data. The static liquefaction response was proved to be dependent mainly on the preparation technique and degree of saturation that, in turn, controls the excess of pore pressure whose leading role is investigated by means of the relationship between the -B Skempton parameter and the degree of saturation. A preliminary interpretation of the static liquefaction response of Stava tailings is also provided within the Critical State framework.

This research explores how the dynamic behaviour under cyclic compression loading affects compaction characteristics. Three types of sand, varying in fines content, are compacted under different saturation (${{\rm{S}}_{\rm{r}}}$Sr) and compaction (${{\rm{D}}_{\rm{c}}}$Dc) levels. Suction-controlled drained cyclic loading tests are conducted to predict axial strain accumulation, with initial suction measured for each compacted state. The study seeks to understand the correlation between axial strain accumulation and initial suction across soil types. Findings indicate that initial soil suction, influenced by saturation, significantly impacts axial strain under cyclic loading. Lower saturation enhances particle bonding, increasing initial suction and reducing strain accumulation. Moreover, an increase in fines content results in greater strain accumulation. Despite that, sands with elevated fines (18.8%) can achieve similar soil performance through effective compaction with precise saturation control. This underscores the role of saturation in moisture regulation during compaction, particularly for sands with higher non-plastic fines content, in achieving effective compaction.

To investigate the stability of the earth embankments and slope failures during natural disasters, it is necessary to consider that soil is naturally unsaturated. Hence, it is essential to understand the variations of pore air pressure and pore water pressure, in terms of suction. The relationship between soil suction and soil moisture content is generally attained by soil water characteristic curve (SWCC), which is critically important in characterizing the mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils. The SWCC is obtained from pressure plate apparatus by imposing the suction continuously by draining water from the saturated specimen and/or supplying water to unsaturated soil, which differs from the actual soil compaction process at the site. Therefore, the current study employs a methodology of suction measurement directly at a certain degree of compaction and degree of saturation using the membrane filter method in the triaxial apparatus, to meet the realistic conditions in the field. A comparative study has been done using SWCC with the imposed suction and the measured suction (Natural suction) at each compacted state. The results from both the methods exhibited an increase in the suction and air entry value with the increase in the degree of compaction, proving that an increasingly positive effect of suction contributed while increasing the density. Whereas the suction measured immediately after the compaction (Natural suction) in triaxial apparatus is more consistent with the suction imposed in the wetting process of SWCC. Further deep understanding of the microstructure behaviour of each compacted state and the SWCC is necessary.