A novel method for imitating true-triaxial stress path with conventional triaxial apparatus

Abstract The stress paths of the cylindrical specimen in the p–q stress space by controlling the ratio of the axial and the radial loading is guaranteed to be consistent with the cuboid specimen, a novel method for imitating true-triaxial stress path by conventional triaxial apparatus was presented. Under the condition that p and q were variables and b was constant, the true-triaxial stress paths were realized by conventional triaxial apparatus strictly and easily. Under the condition that b and p were invariants, the b was used to control the ratio of axial and radial loading to ensure p constant, the method can be used to measure the strength on the π plane. If the tests were conducted at the different p with the same b, the critical state line of different b could be obtained. Under the condition that p and q were constant, the proposed method of nonlinear loading with b as a parameter could be used to design the various stress paths of true-triaxial under the condition of deviatoric stress consolidation, and which could be used to determine the deformation and the plastic flow of soil in 3D space. The proposed method could be used to achieve the equivalent stress path in the p–q stress space to obtain the 3D mechanical properties, and the stress path controlled by stress, strain, and a hybrid of stress and strain. Once the software of conventional triaxial apparatus was developed by the novel method, the measuring range of stress paths could be expanded greatly.