R. A. Widger

Bio: R. A. Widger is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Triaxial shear test & Strength of materials. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 2 publications receiving 1157 citations.

The shear strength of unsaturated soils

Abstract: The shear strength of an unsaturated soil is written in terms of two independent stress state variables. One form of the shear strength equation isThe transition from a saturated soil to an unsatur...

Stability of swelling clay embankments

Abstract: A common occurrence in cuts or fills of swelling soils is their reduction in strength with time. At the time of compaction, the clay generally has a high matrix suction. Correspondingly, it has a high strength and will stand at relatively steep side slopes. With time, the soil generally tends towards saturation and the matrix suction reduces towards zero. There is a reduction in total strength and if the gravitational forces are too large, the slope fails.During the past several years, numerous cut and fill slopes have been observed in the Regina area of Saskatchewan. Many of these slopes have remained stable for 4–6 years and then failed. There has been a 20 year history of observations on the Belle Plaine overpass west of Regina. Field and laboratory investigations have been conducted.With a knowledge of the geometry of the slope and failure plane, the simplified Bishop method of stability analysis was used to perform a 'back-analysis' to assess the shear strength parameters. The shear strength paramete...

A constitutive model for partially saturated soils

Abstract: The Paper presents a constitutive model for describing the stress-strain behaviour of partially saturated soils. The model is formulated within the framework of hardening plasticity using two iodependent sets of stress variables: the excess of total stress over air pressure and the suction. The mode1 is able to represent, in a consistent and unified manner, many of the fundamental features of the behaviour of partially saturated soils which had been treated separately by previously proposed models. On reaching saturation, the mode1 becomes a conventional critical state model. Because experimental evidence is still limited, the model has been kept as simple as possible in order to provide a basic framework from which extensions are possible. Tbe mode1 is intended for partially saturated soils which are slightly or moderately expansive. After formulating the model for isotropic and biaxial stress states, typical predictions are described and compared, in a qualitative way, with characteristic trends of the behaviour of partially saturated soils. Afterwards, the results of a number of suction-controlled laboratory tests on compacted kaolin and a sandy clay are used to evaluate the ability of the model to reproduce, quantitatively, observed behaviour. The agreement between observed and computed results is considered satisfactory and confirms the possibilities of reproducing the most important features of partially saturated soil behaviour using a simple general framework.

A Constitutive Model for Partially Saturated Soils

Abstract: The Paper presents a constitutive model for describing the stress-strain behaviour of partially saturated soils. The model is formulated within the framework of hardening plasticity using two independent sets of stress variables: the excess of total stress over air pressure and the suction. The model is able to represent, in a consistent and unified manner, many of the fundamental features of the behaviour of partially saturated soils which had been treated separately by previously proposed models. On reaching saturation, the model becomes a conventional critical state model. Because experimental evidence is still limited, the model has been kept as simple as possible in order to provide a basic framework from which extensions are possible. The model is intended for partially saturated soils which are slightly or moderately expansive. After formulating the model for isotropic and triaxial stress states, typical predictions are described and compared, in a qualitative way, with characteristic trends of the...

Quantifying the mechanical and hydrologic effects of riparian vegetation on streambank stability

Abstract: Riparian vegetation strips are widely used by river managers to increase streambank stability, among other purposes. However, though the effects of vegetation on bank stability are widely discussed they are rarely quantified, and generally underemphasize the importance of hydrologic processes, some of which may be detrimental. This paper presents results from an experiment in which the hydrologic and mechanical effects of four riparian tree species and two erosion-control grasses were quantified in relation to bank stability. Geotechnical and pore-water pressure data from streambank plots under three riparian covers (mature trees, clump grasses and bare/cropped turf grass) were used to drive the ARS bank stability model, and the resulting factor of safety (Fs) was broken down into its constituent parts to assess the contribution (beneficial or detrimental) of individual hydrologic and mechanical effects (soil moisture modification, root reinforcement and surcharge). Tree roots were found to increase soil strength by 2–8 kPa depending on species, while grass roots contributed 6–18 kPa. Slope stability analysis based on data collected during bank failures in spring 2000 (following a very dry antecedent period) shows that the mechanical effects of the tree cover increased Fs by 32 per cent, while the hydrologic effects increased Fs by 71 per cent. For grasses the figures were 70 per cent for mechanical effects and a reduction of Fs by 10 per cent for the hydrologic effects. However, analysis based on bank failures in spring 2001 (following a wetter than average antecedent period) showed the mechanical effects of the tree cover to increase Fs by 46 per cent, while hydrologic effects added 29 per cent. For grasses the figures were 49 per cent and −15 per cent respectively. During several periods in spring 2001 the hydrologic effects of the tree cover reduced bank stability, though this was always offset by the stabilizing mechanical effects. The results demonstrate the importance of hydrologic processes in controlling streambank stability, and highlight the need to select riparian vegetation based on hydrologic as well as mechanical and ecological criteria. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An elasto-plastic critical state framework for unsaturated soil

Abstract: Data from a series of controlled suction triaxial tests on samples of compacted speswhite kaolin were used in the development of an elasto–plastic critical state framework for unsaturated soil. The framework is defined in terms of four state variables: mean net stress, deviator stress, suction and specific volume. Included within the proposed framework are an isotropic normal compression hyperline, a critical state hyperline and a state boundary hypersurface. For states that lie inside the state boundary hypersurface the soil behaviour is assumed to be elastic, with movement over the state boundary hypersurface corresponding to expansion of a yield surface in stress space. The pattern of swelling and collapse observed during wetting, the elastic–plastic compression behaviour during isotropic loading and the increase of shear strength with suction were all related to the shape of the yield surface and the hardening law defined by the form of the state boundary. By assuming that constant–suction cross–secti...

Unsaturated Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice

Abstract: Unsaturated soil mechanics has rapidly become a part of geotechnical engineering practice as a result of solutions that have emerged to a number of key problems (or challenges). The solutions have emerged from numerous research studies focusing on issues that have a hindrance to the usage of unsaturated soil mechanics. The primary challenges to the implementation of unsaturated soil mechanics can be stated as follows: (1) The need to understand the fundamental, theoretical behavior of an unsaturated soil; (2) the formulation of suitable constitutive equations and the testing for uniqueness of proposed constitutive relationships; (3) the ability to formulate and solve one or more nonlinear partial differential equations using numerical methods; (4) the determination of indirect techniques for the estimation of unsaturated soil property functions, and (5) in situ and laboratory devices for the measurement of a wide range of soil suctions. This paper explains the nature of each of the previous challenges and...