Strain softening and instability of sand

The majority of experimental studies on strain§softening and instability behaviour of sand have been§carried out under axisymmetric conditions. However,§most geotechnical structures such as slopes,§embankments, and retaining walls, are not§axisymmetric problems and can only be simplified into§plane-strain conditions.§A comprehensive experimental study on the strain§softening and instability behaviour of a granular§soil under plane-strain conditions is presented in§this book. A new plane-strain apparatus was developed§and used. The main features of the new plane-strain§apparatus include appropriately enlarged and§lubricated rigid platens using the free-end technique§and four submersible load cells used for measurement§of the lateral stress. §In this study various specialised§plane-strain tests were carried out on very loose to§medium dense Changi sand retrieved from a reclamation§site in Singapore.§The experiments presented in this book should help§shed some light on strain softening and instability§phenomena of granular soils, and should be especially§useful to academics, researchers, and students, or§anyone else who may be interested in experimental§soil mechanics.