Triaxial tests under high loading rates and different confining pressures simulate the
multi-pass effect of a tractor wheel loading on the soil. A volume measuring technique
was developed to be used in triaxial tests conducted under high loading rates.
A sandy clay agricultural soil was tested under predetermined conditions using an
INSTRON loading frame, a differential pressure transducer and an APPLE Il + microcomputer.
A preliminary analysis indicated that the measuring technique that was
developed, was capable of recording volume changes under high loading rates.
Stress-density plots were created using the obtained data and a mathematical model
was developed relating stress to density. Stress-strain data was used to evaluate the
soil parameters under the Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria. Furthermore, the influence
of the initial soil density on the soil behavior was evaluated and subsequently compared
to the results of a similar study conducted under a different initial density.
next to an author's name indicates that all files or directories associated with their ETD are accessible from the Virginia Tech campus network only.
![[VT]](http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/images/ETD-db/restricted.gif)
