Effect of temperature on the shear strength of soils and the soil–structure interface

Neda Yavari (1) , Anh Minh A.M. Tang (2) , Jean-Michel Pereira (2) , Ghazi Hassen (3)

1 cermes - Géotechnique
2 navier umr 8205 - Laboratoire Navier
3 multi-échelle - Modélisation et expérimentation multi-échelle pour les solides hétérogènes

In the present work, the shear behaviour of soils and the soil–concrete interface is investigated through direct shear tests at various temperatures. A conventional direct shear apparatus, equipped with a temperature control system, was used to test sand, clay, and the clay–concrete interface at various temperatures (5, 20, and 40 °C). These values correspond to the range of temperatures observed near thermoactive geostructures. Tests were performed at normal stress values ranging from 5 to 80 kPa. Results show that the effect of temperature on the shear strength parameters of soils and the soil–concrete interface is negligible. A softening behaviour was observed during shearing of the clay–concrete interface, which was not the case with clay specimens. The peak strength of the clay–concrete interface is smaller than the ultimate shear strength of clay.

Mots clés: shear strength; temperature; soil–structure interface; friction angle; thermoactive geostructure

Domaines: Géotechnique

Neda Yavari, Anh Minh A.M. Tang, Jean-Michel Pereira, Ghazi Hassen. Effect of temperature on the shear strength of soils and the soil–structure interface. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 2016, 53 (7), pp.1186-1194. ⟨10.1139/cgj-2015-0355⟩. ⟨hal-01515798⟩