Noncoaxial Response of Sands Influenced by Grain Shape and Anisotropy: Insights from Hollow Cylinder Testing

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.

2 Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.

Abstract

A comprehensive understanding of the noncoaxial behavior of sands, particularly under complex loading conditions, is critical for the safe and efficient design of geotechnical structures. Noncoaxiality refers to the deviation between the orientations of the principal stress and the principal plastic strain rate vectors during plastic deformation. This study investigates the influence of particle morphology, specifically shape and sphericity, on the noncoaxial response of granular soils. A series of hollow torsional cylinder tests were conducted on sands with distinct particle characteristics, including Hamedan, Chamkhale, Firoozkooh, Leighton Buzzard, and Ottawa sands. The specimens were subjected to monotonic loading paths under varying principal stress rotation angles of 15°, 30°, and 60° to evaluate the effect of stress directionality on their deformation behavior. The results reveal that both principal stress orientation and particle sphericity significantly affect the degree of noncoaxiality. Furthermore, a comparative analysis was performed to quantify the relative impact of these factors, providing valuable insights into the micromechanical origins of noncoaxial deformation in sands. These findings contribute to enhancing predictive models for soil behavior under multidirectional shear loading conditions.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Available Online from 13 August 2025

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