Influence of angularity of coarse fraction grains on internal erosion process

International audienceThis paper deals with suffusion process also named internal instability, which takes place inside the soil skeleton. Inthis process, finer particles of a soil migrate within its own pore spaces. These fine particles can be cohesionlessparticles or clay particles. With the objective to study the effect of angularity of coarse fraction grains on suffusion aseries of tests was performed on different clayey sand. Three coarse fraction type samples were tested which aredifferent by the grain size distribution and also by the angularity of grains. A specific triaxial device was used in orderto force fluid through the samples in downward direction under constant hydraulic gradients.It is shown that the angularity of coarse fraction grains may contribute to increase the erosion resistance of the testedsoils by a factor of 5. Moreover for the tested soils, the grain shape has an effect on hydraulic conductivity decrease.The angularity of coarse fraction grains may intensify the geometric blocking of detached clay particles.Finally a study is conducted to compare the different ways to characterize the angularity of grains: by an analysis ofgrain pictures, by using an angulometer or by measuring the internal friction angle