Monotonic Shear Loading Response of Sand-Silt Mixtures from Direct Simple Shear Tests

In an effort to address the inconsistent findings and conflicting conclusions derived from the studies on shear loading response of sand and silt mixtures, a comprehensive experimental research program has been undertaken to investigate the shear loading response of sand-silt mixtures. As a part of the experimental study, constant-volume monotonic direct simple shearing tests were conducted on normally consolidated, reconstituted sand-silt specimens with pre-selected compositions. Sand and silts originating from the Fraser River Delta in British Columbia, Canada was used as the test materials covering the complete range of mixture compositions considered for the study. Results and observations on this experimental work are presented, and specifically, the observed responses of sand-silt mixtures in comparison to those observed from the testing of sand-only and silt-only specimens are discussed.