Low strain shear moduli of cemented sands

The dynamic properties of tightly cemented sands at low strain levels have been the subject of several published articles. The main technique used for the determination of these properties has been the torsional resonant column test. Some questions have been raised regarding the specimen end plattens coupling in the resonant column test. The present study makes use of piezo ceramic bender elements and compares previous findings with those obtained from utilizing an independent technique that does not pose the same type of concerns as those raised from using the resonant column device. The results of the present study show that there is a negligible effect of confining pressure on the measured maximum modulus (G(max)) of artificially cemented sand specimens. This confirms the existence of problems with coupling of specimen end plattens in previous work. The main variables that determine the moduli of the cemented sand are the percentage of cementation, and to a lesser degree the relative density of the sand skeleton.