Monotonic and cyclic tests of interface between structure and gravelly soil

Monotonic and cyclic behavior of the interface between a structure and gravelly soil was investigated using systematical tests. A series of monotonic and cyclic tests of the interface between a steel plate and gravel were conducted using a large-scale test apparatus through varying gravel types, surface roughnesses of steel plates, normal boundary conditions, magnitudes of normal stress and displacement amplitudes. Microscopic movements and crushing process of soil particles were measured coupled with macroscopic stress-displacement relationship response. Based on the results, it is concluded that monotonic and cyclic behavior of the interface between a structure and gravelly soil is significantly different from that of gravelly soil itself. Main behaviors of the interface includes: (1) shear strength is proportional to normal stress; (2) the interface between a steel plate and gravel exhibits insignificant strain softening; (3) normal displacement accumulates and the accumulation rate decreases with increasing shear cycles, but varies in well-regulated manner within a single shear cycle; (4) shear deformation is composed of indispensable slippage component on the contact surface and soil deformation component constrained by the structure nearby while the latter mainly contributes to volumetric change due to dilatancy; (5) mechanical response is dependent on shear direction due to cyclic shear application after an initial shear application; (6) evolution of stress-displacement relationship response are governed by the evolution of physical state including particle crushing and soil compression due to shear application; (7) main factors influencing on behavior include surface roughness of the structure, characteristics of the soil and magnitude of normal stress.