Comparison of Deformation Behavior of Saturated Sand under Constant and Variable Deviatoric Stress

The cyclic triaxial tests were carried out on Fujian standard sand under two stress paths, the constant deviatoric stress path (CDS) and constant stress-ratio path (variable deviatoric stress, VDS), and the influence of cyclic deviatoric stress on the development characteristics of saturated sand was preliminarily discussed. Under the condition of the same consolidation stress state and amplitude of cyclic spherical stress, the amplitude of deviatoric stress under the two stress paths was different. The test results indicated that cyclic deviatoric stress had significant effect on the volumetric and shear strain in soil. When the consolidation deviatoric stress was relatively small, the volumetric and shear strain curves under these two stress paths almost coincided. However, the cyclic deviatoric stress had a stronger effect with an increase in the consolidation deviatoric stress. During the loading and unloading stages, the slope of the volumetric strain curve under the VDS path was smaller than that under the CDS path. The accumulated volumetric strain under the VDS path was greater than that under the CDS path. In the loading stage, the growth rate of shear strain under the VDS path was greater than that under the CDS path, but the opposite relationship was observed in the unloading stage. The presence of cyclic deviatoric stress accelerated or slowed down the accumulation of shear strain. These phenomena were related to the positional relationship between the stress state of soil and the critical state line.