An experimental study of the active arching effect in soil using the digital image correlation technique

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the active arching effect in soils using the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique. A trapdoor apparatus was filled with a mixture of dyed and natural sand. The redistributions of the loads over the trapdoor and its adjacent, fixed sides, were recorded during the experiments using 15 stress sensors. The distribution regime of displacements in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the vertical strains within the specimen cross-sectional area, were obtained and interpreted. The effect of a surcharge on these variables was also investigated. It was observed that the DIC technique provides rich, small-scale information and insights into how and where the active arching effect creates zones of different local deformations within the soil.