Effect of depositional method on the microstructure of silty sand

The results from a laboratory experimental study on silty sand are presented. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to investigate the effect of depositional method and silt content on the grain contact structure of silty sand. Triaxial specimens containing Nevada sand with various quantities of nonplastic silt were isotropically consolidated to 25 kPa and then preserved through epoxy impregnation. Specimens were formed using both dry funnel deposition and water sedimentation. A procedure was developed that allowed the microstructure to be quantified in terms of potentially stable and unstable grain contacts. As silt content increased, the percentage of stable grain contacts decreased. Specimens formed by dry funnel deposition contained a higher percentage of potentially unstable grain contacts than those reconstituted by water sedimentation, possibly reflecting a more compressible particle structure. This effect became more pronounced as silt content increased. A description of the specimen preservation technique as well as the methodology used to both prepare and analyze SEM specimens for grain contact analysis are presented.