Static Fatigue at Grain Contacts: A Key Cause of Time Effects in Sand

Abstract

Behavior of disturbed sand deposits is known to be time-dependent, but the nature of this dependency is still the subject of research. A hypothesis is suggested, which considers delayed fracturing of the micro-morphological features on grain surfaces in contact, as the primary cause of time effects in sand. Investigation of micromorphology was carried out first, followed by grain-to-grain load tests and modified consolidometer tests. Experimental evidence is consistent with the suggested hypothesis.