Experimental investigation on the influence of hydraulic hysteresis on the California Bearing Ratio of an unsaturated deformable clayey sand

Many of the past experimental research on the design of road pavement layers was confined to the behavior of saturated pavements materials. Among the experimental studies to determine the road layers properties, California bearing ratio (CBR) has been one of the most common and applicable parameter for determination of the resistance of roads subgrade in both design and practical purposes. An extensive amount of research exist in the literature that explains the behavior of California bearing ratio of saturated soils. However, any change in the degree of saturation of subgrade materials and in particular different hydraulic response in wetting and drying paths can affect the CBR value of a pavement material. In compare to the extensive previous studies on the California bearing ratio of soils, this phenomenon is rarely concerned in the previous studies. The goal of this laboratory research is to examine the influence of the initial compaction void ratio, moisture content, degree of saturation, matrix suction and hydraulic hysteresis on the California bearing ratio of a pavement material. To this end, California bearing ratio of sand-kaolin mixture was measured in a range of initial void ratios and initial water contents along drying and wetting portions of the soil-water characteristic curve. The CBR tests along wetting paths was performed on the soil samples that were dynamically compacted and wetted in a range of initial void ratios and initial water contents. The CBR tests for drying paths was also carried out on the soil samples that were compacted identically to the samples used in wetting tests, but they were air dried for seven days before CBR measurements. The air drying process was achieved from the both ends of soil samples as to maintain a homogenous moisture distribution thorough the soil. This was experimentally verified by measuring the moisture contents of top, middle, and bottom portions of the specimens. The CBR values of soil samples were measured within the loading speed of 1.2 mm/min both for wetting and drying paths. According to the laboratory results, it is observed that the CBR value is increased within the increment of initial soil compaction and matrix suction. Based on the results, it is also observed that the value of California bearing ratio of the understudying soil is decreased within increment of the degree of saturation and initial moisture content of the soil. The experimental data also revealed that the California bearing ratio of the pavement material along the drying and wetting paths are not identical, and for a given suction, the CBR values for drying paths possess lower values than the wetting paths. This hysteretic trend for the change of CBR along drying and wetting paths is explained with regard to the hysteretic behavior of the soil-water characteristic curve.