Cyclic Triaxial Tests with Continuous Measurement of Dissipated Energy

This article describes conventional cyclic triaxial tests on a uniform sand in which the amount of energy dissipated by the specimen was continuously monitored. Energy monitoring was achieved by means of a digital circuit that automatically integrated the force-displacement signals as the test progressed. The resulting energy trace was plotted against the pore pressure buildup within the specimen. From a total of 21 tests, it appears that pore pressure generation and dissipated energy are functionally related, but this relationship appears to depend strongly on the level of cyclic deviator stress.