Influence of the intermediate principal stress on the stress-strain-strength behaviour of a completely decomposed granite soil

The most widely encountered soil type in Hong Kong is completely decomposed granite (CDG). In this paper, the influence of the intermediate principal stress through b-values on the stress-strain-strength behaviour of a recompacted CDG soil is investigated by using a true triaxial test system with a new loading device. The experimental results show that the deviator stress decreases as the b-value increases from 0 to about 0.8, and the deviator stress is then increased slightly for b=0.8 and b=1.0. The development of a shear band appears, having caused failure for b-values in the range 0.2-0.8.Department of Civil and Environmental Engineerin