HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Vomocil, J. A. Articles by Waldron, L. J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Vomocil, J. A. Articles by Waldron, L. J. Agricola Articles by Vomocil, J. A. Articles by Waldron, L. J.

Effect of Moisture Content on Tensile Strength of Unsaturated Glass Bead Systems¹

ABSTRACT

Measurements were made of the applied tensile stress necessary to cause tensile failure of partially saturated samples of uniform sized glass beads.

Stress was applied by constraining a sample in a specially designed centrifuge head. The nature of the constraint and the position of the sample in the mount placed a tensile stress on the cylindrical sample. The stress was calculated from the centrifuge speed at sample failure.

The glass beads were cohesionless, i.e., when dry their interparticle attraction was essentially zero. The tensile strength of the partially saturated systems could therefore by analyzed in terms of the surface tension of the water films and the hydrostatic pressure of water bodies at contact points.

The theoretical tensile strengths do not agree with the experimental if the hydrostatic pressure is taken as the pressure used to desaturate the sample. Better agreement is obtained if the hydrostatic pressure used in the theoretical calculation is that predicted by capillary theory from observed water content.

¹ Contribution from the Department of Soils and Plant Nutrition, University of California, Davis.

² Associate Professor of Soil Physics and Laboratory Technician IV, University of California, respectively.

Received for publication October 23, 1961. Accepted for publication December 19, 1961.