Mechanical Behavior and Particle Crushing of Carbonate Sand in Simple Shear Tests

The mechanical behavior and particle breakage of carbonate sand under a simple shear condition are a concern for many engineers. In this study, simple shear tests were carried out under constant-load and constant-volume conditions, and various combinations of relative density and vertical consolidation stress were considered. The results revealed that the crushing of grains can diminish shear strength and inhibit dilatancy. The ultimate state line shifts due to the impact of particle crushing. In addition, there is a unique relationship regardless of relative density between the ratio of volumetric strain at shear strain of 20% to particle breakage and normalized vertical consolidation stress.