ABSTRACT
This study investigated particle displacement and rotation (motion) in reinforced triaxial tests conducted on transparent sand. Individual particles were segmented from laser-illuminated sections through the specimens by using a neural network. State boundary lines between probable and improbable particle motions were drawn. The reinforced specimen was found to be stronger than the unreinforced, despite having a similar volumetric strain response. Measurement of the particle motions showed that the centre of the unreinforced specimen gradually shifted outwards under applied load. This applied an additional moment to the specimen. The reinforcement restricted the outwards movement of the specimen, resulting in a higher strength. These results also suggest that at a given applied axial strain, particle rotation increases with increasing lateral restraint.
