Evaluating quasi-elastic behavior in granular Materials: Insights from cyclic loading tests

Abstract

Understanding the evolution of quasi-elasticity in granular materials under cyclic stress is key to characterizing their extended quasi-elastic behavior. While the deformation steady state is often assumed to mark the onset of this behavior, empirical validation of this assumption has been lacking. This study conducts cyclic loading tests on silica powder, Missouri River sand, and Ottawa sand, using elastic probe cycles to evaluate elastic moduli under both isotropic and anisotropic stress histories. The results demonstrate that elastic moduli remain stable across cycles at a given stress level, confirming their reliable evaluation in the deformation steady state. Furthermore, the area of the hysteresis loop observed in cyclic triaxial tests (CTT) is greater than that in cyclic isotropic compression tests (CICT), highlighting the role of anisotropic stress history in hysteresis behavior. These findings provide compelling evidence for the use of deformation steady state for nonlinear quais-elastic properties evaluation and offer new insights into the hysteresis mechanisms under cyclic loading.