Micromechanical model for compaction characteristics of bentonite–sand mixtures

This paper presents a new methodology for predicting the relationship between compaction stress and dry density, referred to herein as the compaction curve, of composite mixtures based on the micromechanics. To examine the effect of sand content on the compaction characteristics, a series of uniaxial compaction tests (UCT) for bentonite–sand mixtures with different sand fractions (by weight) were performed. In addition, a prediction model based on micromechanics for composite mixtures was developed. The developed model can be used to predict the compaction curves of composite mixtures based on experimental compaction curve of the matrix. The accuracy of the proposed model along with its applicability was examined and validated by using experimental data. The results show that the proposed model can accurately predict the compaction curves of the bentonite–sand mixtures in both loading and unloading phases.