Degradation of cementation in soil element tests
This project will extend work performed in a recently completed PhD thesis. The objective of the work will be to provide experimental data on the evolution (degradation) of cementation of artificially and naturally cemented geomaterials. This will be achieved by monitoring the shear wave velocity as the materials are subjected to a range of stress paths. The rationale behind this approach is that the shear wave velocity is sensitive to the amount of cementation and provides a non-destructive measurement. The experimental data will allow an evaluation of the different strategies employed in constitutive models to reproduce the effects of cement degradation.