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Experience has indicated that the engineering properties of a
graded sand with fines are significantly different from those
of a uniform sand. Under a given relative density , a uniform
sand could be dilatant while a graded sand with fines could be
contractive. Fines can influence the results of in-situ tests
such as the cone penetration tests. Numerical simulations ,
show that finer particles tend to experience higher stress
induced by the penetration of a cone. There is a lack of
fundamental understanding as to how the fines affect the
behavior of a granular material. A series of research
activities were initiated to enhance our understanding related
to the effects of fines on the behavior of sands. These
activities include numerical simulations using
Discontinuous Deformation Analysis (DDA) method ,and laboratory
experiments on sands. The objectives of the research are
:development of a multiple purpose soil testing apparatus to
meet the need of future research work , establish basic
engineering properties , testing method and procedures for the
sand to be used in the future , and evaluate the feasibility
and repeatability of the testing procedure. The thesis
describes details of the multiple purpose soil testing
apparatus , and results of preliminary experiments.
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