ABSTRACT
Sands are soils with particles ranging in size from 0.05 to 2 mm. Sands are frictional materials. Friction is the primary source of shear strength in sands, but dilatancy can also be important in dense sands. Sand shear strength increases with increasing density and effective confining stress. After an initial elastic response at very small strains, the mechanical response of sands is essentially plastic. Because hydraulic conductivity in sands is high, shearing normally takes place under drained conditions. Undrained response tends to be observed only when loads are dynamically applied. At sufficiently large shear strains, sands reach a critical state: a state at which shearing takes place without changes in density or effective stress.
