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Experimental realization of incipient active failure in sand heap by seismic loading

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Abstract

Sand heaps avalanche when a static angle of repose is exceeded, and freeze at a dynamic angle of repose. The stress distribution in a planar sand heap stabilized at the angle of repose with an incipient active failure condition, by which the material is on the verge of failure everywhere, was examined. At the time of construction, the vertical pressure was initially not in the incipient failure. A slight amount of seismic loading using the sinusoidal motions of a shaking table was set up with just enough energy to rearrange the sand particles, to erase the formation history, and to fluctuate local density inside a sand heap without an excessive loss of mass. During the experiments, laser displacement sensors and pressure gauges were employed to monitor the vertical displacements above and the vertical pressures below the sand heap respectively. The non-linear differential equations, characterizing the stress distribution in an active sand heap, were formulated under the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion and numerically solved by the Newton method. Bulk solids started flowing after the state of incipient failure; therefore, the experimental vertical pressure profiles were found to gradually conform to the theoretical vertical pressure profiles if the sand heap was subjected to sufficient excitation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 15H04037. The authors would also like to thank fellow colleagues, Dr. Kun Fang and Dr. Takafumi Kitaoka, who provided technical support in relation to the experimental setup.

Funding

JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) Project/Area Number 15H04037.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Division, Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan

    Samuel Comfort Wanjala

  2. Department of Urban Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Thirapong Pipatpongsa

  3. Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Tan Nguyen

Authors
  1. Samuel Comfort Wanjala
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  2. Thirapong Pipatpongsa
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  3. Tan Nguyen
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Correspondence to Thirapong Pipatpongsa.

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Wanjala, S.C., Pipatpongsa, T. & Nguyen, T. Experimental realization of incipient active failure in sand heap by seismic loading. Granular Matter 22, 39 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-020-1007-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-020-1007-2

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