Effects of strain rate and moisture content on the behaviour of sand under one-dimensional compression

The influence of strain rate and moisture content on the behaviour of a quartz sand was assessed using high-pressure quasi-static (10⁻³ s⁻¹) and high-strain rate (10³ s⁻¹) experiments under uniaxial strain. Quasi-static compression to axial stresses of 800 MPa was carried out alongside split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) experiments to 400 MPa, where in each case lateral deformation of the specimen was prevented using a steel test box or ring, and lateral stresses were recorded. A significant increase in constrained modulus was observed between strain rates of 10⁻³s⁻¹ and 10³s⁻¹, however a consistently lower Poisson’s ratio in the dynamic tests minimised changes in bulk modulus. The reduction in Poissons ratio suggests that the stiffening of the sand in the SHPB tests is due to additional inertial confinement rather than an inherent strain-rate dependence. In the quasi-static tests the specimens behaved less stiffly with increasing moisture content, while in the dynamic tests the addition of water had little effect on the overall stiffness, causing the quasi-static and dynamic series to diverge with increasing moisture content.