Progressive development of soil arching and deformations in two- and three-dimensional trapdoor tests

In this study, two- and three-dimensional trapdoor tests were conducted using a newly developed trapdoor test device, to investigate the evolution of soil arching and fill deformation with different relative fill densities and fill heights. The test results show that the trapdoor settlements normalised by trapdoor width required for the soil arching ratios to reach minimum and ultimate values increased with fill height. In tests with dense fill, both the minimum and ultimate soil arching ratios were smaller compared to tests with loose fill at the same fill height. Two symmetrical slip surfaces developed from the trapdoor edges, with their inclination angles dependent on the dilatation angle of the sand. The proposed Gaussian distribution function with fitting parameters well matched the measured fill settlement profile. In the dense fill tests, the settlement trough’s width and volume loss induced by trapdoor settlement gradually decreased with fill elevation due to its strong shear dilation behaviour. Conversely, the loose fill exhibited weaker shear dilation behaviour, resulting in a larger settlement region. The settlement trough width and volume loss ratio, derived from the measured fill deformation, can be used to predict the fill deformation, including the surface settlement.