Effect of relative density on the shear behaviour of granulated coal ash

Granulated coal ash (GCA), a mixture of the by-product from milling processes with a small amount of cement added, has recently come to be used as a new form of geomaterial. The shear strength and deformation behaviours of GCA are greatly determined by its relative density or void ratio. A series of drained triaxial compression tests were performed on cylindrical specimens of GCA at confining pressures of between 50 kPa and 400 kPa at initial relative densities of 50%, 70% and 80%. Experimental results show that a rise in relative density increases the peak shear strength and intensifies the dilation behaviour. The initial tangent modulus and secant modulus of the stress-strain curve increase with increasing initial relative density, whereas the axial and volumetric strains at failure decrease with level of initial relative density. The stress-dilatancy relationships of GCA at different relative densities and confining pressures display similar tendency. The dilatancy behaviour of GCA is modelled by the Nova rule and the material property N in Nova rule of GCA is much larger than that of natural sand.