Influence of Sand Fabric on Pore Water Pressure Build-Up

Abstract The sand fabric is created depending on the art of the grain deposition. A certain deposition method creates a specific type of soil fabric that can be linked to a particular soil density which, when related to the limit density states obtained from the standard index tests, can vary within a large range for different sands prepared by the same method. This paper aims to clarify the impact of varying the relative density in the case of one deposition method on the pore water pressure (PWP) accumulation in sands. A simplified cyclic shear test (PWP Tester) enabling a fast testing of the PWP accumulation during undrained cyclic shearing in granular soils is used for this purpose. The tested specimens are pluviated under water via a funnel and thus have a similar fabric. The results show a greatly comparable rate of PWP accumulation during undrained shearing, despite the fact that the relative densities following the same soil deposition vary greatly for different soils.