Plane-strain compression experiments on water-saturated fine-grained sand

This Paper presents the results from an experimental study of the pre-failure and post-failure behaviour of water-saturated fine-grained sand in biaxial compression. Tbe experiments were performed in a plane-strain apparatus which allowed a detailed study of bifurcation and post-bifurcation pbenomena. Emphasis is given to limiting states, deformation instabilities and failure phenomena (liquefaction and localization). A patterned failure mode is illustrated witb X-ray radiographs. Internal fluid flow and rate senstitivity in relation to mathematical stability are also discussed. Cet article presente les resultats d'une etude experimentale du comportement avant et apres rupture d'un ebantillon de sable fin sature soumis a une compression biaxiale. La cellule biaxiale maintient I'ecbantillon en deformation plane, ce qui permet une etude detailee des phenomhnes de bifurcation et de post-bifurcation. Dans cette etude experimentale, on a mis I'accent sur les questions d'etat limite, d'instabilite de deformatio...