Resilient modulus of a compacted clay with different moisture and temperature histories.

This paper reports a series of experimental studies to compare the influences of different moisture and temperature histories on the resilient modulus (MR) of a compacted clay. Parallel specimens that were compacted at the optimum moisture content (wopt) were equilibrated to six different moisture contents (w) and subjected to different numbers of freeze–thaw cycles (NFT = 0, 1, 3, 10) before determining the MR and the unconfined compressive strength (UCS). Specimens were brought to each testing condition (i.e. the combination of w and NFT) through two or three different interlaced wetting-drying and freeze–thaw processes. Such a procedure imposed different moisture and temperature histories on the specimens. Experimental results demonstrated that different moisture and temperature histories only result in noticeable differences in the MR for specimens tested at the dry side of the wopt and NFT = 1. The differences become negligible at all w levels after freeze–thaw effects have stabilised at NFT = 10. Different Moisture and temperature histories do not differentiate the relationships of the MR and UCS to the w and NFT. Meanwhile, the relationships of the MR to the UCS are unique and linear regardless of the different moisture and temperature histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]