EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF DEPOSITION OF SANDS BY DRY PLUVIATION TECHNIQUE

Obtaining dry density of remolded sand specimens precisely in laboratory has always been an area of interest among researchers in geotechnical engineering. This paper presents the development of a dry pluviation apparatus and its use to prepare dry sand samples in the laboratory to a specified initial relative density. The density and void ratio characteristics of three major sources of sands in Pakistan were investigated through dry pluviation as a function of free fall height. ASTM vibrating table tests on sand samples were also performed to compare index densities with those obtained by dry pluviation apparatus. The results indicate that relative densities up to 100% are achievable in the laboratory using the developed apparatus. A series of regression models have been developed between various parameters associated with dry pluviation.