Geotechnical Impact Engineering Laboratories

Sand Response

HSR Response of Sand

The study of the high strain rate (HSR) response of sand has been a topic of interest in soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering for over 60 years.  HSR loading refers to loading conditions characterized by rapid rise times, high deformation rate, and rapid fall times.  Interest in the subject stems from applications where loads are applied rapidly to a granular medium. Notable applications include projectile impact and penetration in soils and rock, explosions, ground improvement, in situ subsurface explorations , mining , pile driving , planetary impact, and ballistic vulnerability of military structures.  In modeling and design of such applications, it is desirable to describe the strain rate sensitivity of constitutive parameters of the soil.

Strain rate ranges and the techniques utilized to achieve them

 

                         Strain rate ranges and the techniques utilized to achieve them

The geotechnical group at NYU performed tests to  characterize material behavior of a number of sands at intermediate and very high strain rates (i.e., >0.1/s or 10%/s).   The team also published a highly cited review article.

Schematic representation of the effect of high strain rate

Schematic representation of the effect of high strain rate on the stress-strain response of sand in uniaxial compression

Primary References

Review Articles
  1. Suescun-Florez E., M. Omidvar, M. Iskander, S. Bless (2015), “Review of high strain rate testing of granular soils,” Geotechnical Testing Journal, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 511-536, doi:10.1520/GTJ20140267, ASTM [link]
  2. Omidvar, M., M. Iskander and S. Bless (2013), “Stress strain behavior of sand at high strain rates,” International Journal of Impact Engineering, Vol. 49, pp. 192-213, doi: 10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2012.03.004, Elsevier [link]
Research Articles
  1. Suescun-Florez, E. and M. Iskander (2017), “Effect on Fast Constant Loading Rates o the Global Behavior of Sand in Triaxial Compression”, Geotechnical Testing Journal, Vol. 40, No.1, pp. 52-71, doi:10.1520/GTJ20150253 [link]
  2. Suescun-Florez, S. Bless, M. Iskander, and C. Daza (2017), “Arrested Compression Tests on Two Types of Sand”, Dynamic Behavior of Materials, Vol. 1, Proceedings, SEM 2015, June 8-11, 2015, Costa Mesa, California, pp. 81-86, doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-22452-7_31, Springer [link]
  3. Suescun-Florez, E, I. Guzman, S. Bless, M. Iskander (2016), “Particle size reduction in granular materials during rapid penetration,” Dynamic Behavior of Materials, Vol. 1, Proceedings, SEM 2015, June 8–11, 2015, Costa Mesa, California, pp. 219-228, doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-22452-7_31, Springer [link]
  4. Suescun-Florez E., M. Iskander, and S. Bless (2015), “A model to predict strain rate dependency of dry silica sand in triaxial compression,” Journal of Dynamic Behavior of Materials, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 447-461, doi: 10.1007/s40870-015-0039-x, Springer [link]
  5. Suescun-Florez E., M. Iskander, and S. Bless (2015), “Predicting the uniaxial compressive response of granular media over a wide range of strain rates using the strain energy density concept”, Journal of Dynamic Behavior of Materials, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 330–346, doi: 10.1007/s40870-015-0028-0, Springer [link]