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Journal of the

SOIL MECHANICS AND FOIJNDATIONS DIVISION

Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers

EMPIRICAL DAMPING CONSTANTS FOR SANDS AND CLAYS

By H a r r y M. Coyle,l M. ASCE, and Gary C. GibsonZ

INTRODUCTION
Thedynamic behavior of-pilingh a s been of g r e a t concern to civil engineers
for many y e a r s . In 1962, Smith ( 9 ) suggested a n u m e r i c a l solution to the pile
driving problem. He presented the concept for s t a t i c loading a t the point of a
pile such that the ground c o m p r e s s e s elastically f o r a c e r t a i n distance and
then f a i l s plastically with a constant resistance. T h i s concept i s illustrated in
Fig. 1 by the dotted line OABC. Q in Fig. 1 r e p r e s e n t s the maximum static
elastic ground deformation o r quake, and R, r e p r e s e n t s the total ultimate
plastic ground r e s i s t a n c e to the pile. Under s t a t i c loading the pile d e f o r m s the
ground elastically through OA and then plastically through a distance S. The
soil then rebounds f r o m B to C leaving a permanent s e t of S .
Smith (9) developed a mathematical equation which accounts f o r both static
and dynamic soil behavior. Fig. 2 shows the rheological model which s i m u l a t e s
the mathematical equation proposed by Smith. The model c o n s i s t s of a spring
and friction block in s e r i e s connected in p a r a l l e l to a clashpot. If the model
were suddenly conlpressed a c e r t a i n distance, x , the following equation would
describe the soil's r e s i s t a n c e in the elastic region ( s e e Fig. 1):

In which R, = r e s i s t i n g f o r c e ; K ' = s o i l s p r i n g constant; c = a viscous damping constant; x = e l a s t i c deformation of the soll; and V = the instantaneous
velocity of the point of the pile in any t i m e interval. The friction block a c counts for the constant soil r e s i s t a n c e in the plastic region during s t a t i c
loading and thus d o e s not a p p e a r in Eq. 1. In o r d e r to include the effect of the
pile's s i z e and shape Smith (9) suggested the following relationship f o r viscous
damping:
Note.-Discussion open until October 1, 1970. T o extend the closing date one month,
a written request must be filed with the Executive S e c r e t a r y . ASCE. This paper is port
Of the Copyrighted Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Divtslon. P r o c e e d ~ n g s
of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. 96. No. Sh13, May, 1970. Manuscript
was submitted f o r review f o r possible publicntlon on hIarch 6 , 1969.
' ~ s s o c . Prof. Clv. Engrg., Texas A L M Univ., College Statlon, ?ex.
aGrad. Research Asst., Texas A&>I Cnlv.. College Station, Tex.

May, 1970

EMPIRICAL U A n l l , l l \ b
,

in which J = a visrous damping constant for the soil s i m i l a r to c . AS the velocity of deformation approaches z e r o in Eq. 1 , the dynamic r e s i s t i n g force
approaches a static value

PStattc = K' x

...................................

(3)

Letting Pdymmicequal R, in Eq. 1 f r o m Smith's mathematical model and

substituting Eqs. 2 and 3 into Eq. 1, the peak dynamic r e s i s t a n c e of the s o i l i s

Pdynamic = Pstatic ( 1 + J V ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ( 4 )
The concept of the dynamic loading i s r e p r e s e n t e d by line OA'BC of Fig. 1. If
R, in Fig. 1 i s the peak s t a t i c s o i l r e s i s t a n c e , then R,JV i s the dynamic
portion of the peak total soil resistance.
T h i s concept f o r the r e s i s t a n c e a t the point of the pile takes into account:
(1) Elastic ground deformation;(2) ultimateground r e s i s t a n c e ; and ( 3 ) viscous
damping based on damping constant J . Smith assigned a value of J = 0.15for

L u i k a L

A I 1
~3

Chan,Hirsch, and Coyle (1) i.nvestigated in thelaboratory the dyn

, road
deformation and -damping p r o p e r t i e s i n sands. Reeves, Coyle, and ~
~ (7) c
did laboratory r e s e a r c h and evaluated the damping constants of sands subjected
to impact loads. Using experimental d a t a and Smith's equation, they d e t e r mined that the damping constant, J , w a s actudlly a variable for a saturated
sand. Coyle and Sulaiman (3) did a study in .which they w e r e concerned with
the static side friction values encountered i n various types of sand. Raba and
Coyle (6) investigated frictional damping developed i n clays using a model pile
in the laboratory. They w e r e able to r e l a t e frictional damping toliquidity index
for CH materials.
F r o m the foregoing r e v i e w , i t c a n b e s e e n that s o m e work h a s been done on
pile-soil s y s t e m s and evaluating damping constants for soils; With the exception of the study by Raba and Coyle in c l a y s , little h a s been done i n relating
soil damping constants to common s o i l properties.
The objectives of this investigation were: (1) To d e t e r m i n e soil damping
constants for s a n d s and c l a y s by conducting laboratory impact t e s t s on these
soils; and (2) to c o r r e l a t e these s o i l damping constants with common soil
properties such a s void ratio and angle of i n t e r n a l shearing r e s i s t a n c e in
sands, and liquidity index and m o i s t u r e content in clays..
APPARATUS, INSTRUMENTATION, AND TEST PROCEDURE

FIG. 1.-SOIL RESISTANCE VEIISUS DEFORMATION D I A G It 11hI

FOR SOILS

FIG. 2.-SMITH'S RHEOLOGICAL blODE L (after Smith)

use by investigators until such time that new f a c t s w e r e developed. He pointed

out that h i s mathematical equation could be modified to account f o r the new
f a c t s a s they w e r e obtained.
Smith's work was augmented by Samson, H i r s c h , a n d Lowery (8) s o that the
drivlng of a pile could be simulated by use of the digital computer. It w a s their
feeling that the r e s i s t a n c e to dynamic loading a t the point of the pile w a s not
clearly understoodand that future study might shed m o r e light on the problem.
It i s knownthat the c o m p r e s s i v e strength of a s o i l i s a function of the time
d
(4) found that in Silty
required to reach a f a i l u r e load. Hampton a ~ Yoder
clay and clay the unconfined c o m p r e s s i v e strength showed significant i n c r e a s e s
with r a t e of s t r a i n f o r a l l compactive efforts and a l l m o i s t u r e contents tested.
Whitman and Healy (10) did an extensive study on s h e a r strength i n s a n d s
during rapid loading. They developed techniques f o r applying s t r a i n s rapidly
and measuring resultant s t r e s s e s and p o r e p r e s s u r e s , and p r e s e n t e d i n f o r mation concerning membrane and i n e r t i a effects i n t r i a x i a l tests. Jones*
L i s t e r and Thrower (5) in a related study presented a comprehensive study
of the subject of dynamic loading of soils.

The equipment in this s e r i e s of t e s t s w a s n e c e s s a r i l y of a special nature.

In thedynamic t e s t s it w a s d e s i r e d to load the s a m p l e o v e r a range of velocities f r o m 0 fps to 12 ips. It w a s a l s o important that a permanent r e c o r d of
each t e s t be available f r o m which the n e c e s s a r y calculations could be made.
Fig. 3 shows the complete t e s t s e t u p including thedynamic load apparatus, the
triaxial cell and the recording equipment. The n u m b e r s in parentheses in Fig.
3 represent the location of specific loading a p p a r a t u s in sequence of occurrence f r o m left to right.
Two s e p a r a t e triaxial devices with load c e l l s in the b a s e w e r e used in this
i n v e s t i g a t i ~ , ~Fig.
.
4 shows the c e l l b a s e s used f o r both the cohesive andgranular materials. The load c e l l s consisted of SR-4 s t r a i n gages mounted on the
walls of an aluminum tube o r pedestal to r e c o r d the compressional load on
imy-.ct.. The c e l l shown in Fig. 4(a) w a s developed by Reeves, Coyle, and
Hiisch (7) and w a s used f o r t e s t s on sands. It h a s provisions f o r drainage of
the sxmple a t both top and bottom. All sand s a m p l e s tested in this study w e r e
2.8-in. diam and 6 in. long. The s a n d s w e r e s a t u r a t e d and confined by a i r
pressure in the c e l l which remained constant during the test. The load cell
shown in Fig. 4(b) wasdeveloped by Chan, H i r s c h , and Coyle (1) and was used
for t e s t s on cohesive soils. The c e l l h a s no provisions f o r drainage but it i s
more sensitive to the s m a l l e r loads recorded with cohesive materials. The
cohesive specimens used in dynamic t e s t s w e r e of 2.8-in. d i a m and 3-1/4 in.
high. The reason for using s h o r t e r cohesive s a m p l e s i s given in the analysis
of r e s u l t s of t e s t s on clays.
The loading a p p a r a t u s wasdesigned and built by Reeves, Coyle, and Hirsch
( 7 ) f o r use in their work on impact loading of sands. A falling weight of 165 lb
was sufficient to fail any s a m p l e t e s t e d , given sufficient height of drop. The
drop height could be varied f r o m z e r o (weigh: resting on plunger of triaxial
device) to 12 in. F o r t e s t s on d e n s e s a n d s this weight was not l a r g e enough to

SM 3

May, 1970

,placement m e a s u r e m e n t s for the dynamic t e s t s w e r e made by means of

\ear
was
displacement transducer. A s s e e n i n Fig. 3 , the displacement transduLfastened to the triaxial cell and connected to the t r i a x i a l plunger, measuring
Its movement. Displacement m e a s u r e m e n t s f o r the s t a t i c t e s t s w e r e made with
an Arnes dial.
The signals coming f r o m the load c e l l s w e r e channeled into a C a r r i e r Amp l ~ f i e rand a Visicorder Oscillograph, a s seen in Fig. 3. The signal from the
linear displacement t r a n s d u c e r was channeled through a bridge balance unit
and then into the Visicorder. The amplifier unit provided a m e a n s of amplifying m o r e than one signal simultaneously and the v i s i c o r d e r oscillograph
provided a means of representing the signals on photographic paper in a
manner yielding the d e s i r e d information.

f a i l the s a m p l e when the weight r e s t e d on the t r i z x i a l cell's plunger. T h e r e f o r e , f o r t e s t s on dense sands, d r o p heights on the o r d e r of 1 in. w e r e used.
The f r a m e to stop the falling weight, shown in Fig. 3 , could be placed a t a
height to allow failure of a 6-in. sand sample o r could be adjusted to a c c o m modate the s h o r t e r 3-1/4-in. s : ~ r n p I e sof cohesive m a t e r i a l . A r e l e a s e mecha n i s m allowed the weight to bc released instantaneously and to fall f r e e l y to
impact with the plunger of the t r i x i a l apparatus. The whole f r a m e r e s t e d on
a s t e e l plate from which w a s hung 1,400 lb to d a m p . vibrations. T h e rubber
damping pads indicated in Fig. 3 also s e r v e d this purpose. ~ h e ' f a l l i n gr a m was
damped by a 1/4-in, rubber pad to prevent steel-on-steel impact which caused
disturbance in the recording system. The velocity of deformationof the s a m p l e

PORE PRESSURE

I
I

LOADING
APPARATUS

R E C O R O OF
EVENT
(10)

(3.4,S.S)

LINEAR
UNIT

FIG. 4.-TRILYIAL R A S E LOAD C E L L

F I G . 3.-APPARATUS

AND DIAGRAbf OF S E T U P

could be controlled by varying the height of drop. Note that the r e c o r d e d d i s placement velocity was higher than the velocity calculated f o r f r e e falling
bodies a t the heights shown. The reason f o r this was that the l a r g e r a m i m p a c t s
caused the t r i u i a l plunger to rebound a t a slightly g r e a t e r velocity than the
impact velocity. T h i s could be reduced somewhat by putting a thicker r u b b e r
pad on the ram.
All Static t e s t s w e r e run a t a loading r a t e of 0.05 ipm which i s the s t a n d a r d
loading r a t e f o r compression tests. Measurement of loads f o r the dynnmic
and Static t e s t s was accomplished using the load c e l l s shown in Fig. 4. Dis-

A sample visicorder t r a c e i s shown in Fig. 5. The left s i d e o f the t r a c e

Shows a calibration c u r v e f o r the load. In going f r o m A to B a load was placed
on the load cell g r e a t e r than that a n t ~ c l p a t e don the sample. T h l s load was
1,000 lb which deflected the v i s i c o r d e r point light s o u r c e by 1.98 in. O r 19.8
tenths of an inch. By placing the l i n e a r displacement t r a n s d u c e r in a device
to deflect ~ t ssh a f t 0.1 in., a deflection o r attenuation of the point light source
on the v i s i c o r d e r channelof 2.25 in. a s shown going i r o m C to D w a s achieved.
With the calibration completed, the loads and deflections w e r e again s e t to
zero a s seen in l i n e s E and F of the t r a c e . F o r dynamic t e s t s the visicorder
was run a t a s p e e d o f 8 0 IPS resulting in timlng lines on the phobgraphlc paper
at intervals of 0.01 sec.

Shl 3 q

May, 1970

Poillts G and I i r e p r e s e n l the points of i m p a c t between the f r e e falling

weight and the sample. At this point, line HI begins to deflect downward from
H to I indicating s a m p l e defol.m;ltion and the load t r a c e GJK begins to deflect
bpivard indicating i n c r c n s r i n load. O v e r a very s h o r t time i n t e r v a l , the test
h a s been conrpletecl. 'I'he sati~l)leclcIlection h a s gonc off the paper and the load
h a s rcturncd t o z e r o . It i s important to note that thedeformation line i s s t r a i g h t
immediately a f t e r contact irl~licatingconstant velocity and z e r o acceleration.
P r o c e d u r e s used in prepnr;ition of s a t u r a t e d sand s a m p l e s w e r e developed
by Reeves, Coyle, and IIirscll ( 7 ) and used in this study. The cohesive mater i a l s were tested in u n c o n f i ~ ~ ccompression.
d
They w e r e remolded s a m p l e s
prepared by use of a Vac-airr: extrusion machine. Coyle and Shiffert (2) did
considerable work with this machine and have shown that the s a m p l e s a r e

l 3

EhlPIRICAL DAhlPmG CONSTANTS

FIG. G.-EQUIPMENT

S E T U P F o ~ <IMPACT T E S T ON OTTAWA SAXD

w
TEST

FIG. 5.-SALIPLE

RECORO

VISICORDER T R A C E

homogeneous and highly saturated. Raba and Coyle (6) u s e d s o m e of Shiffert's

samplcJ in their study. The cohesive s a m p l e s used in this investigation were
p r e p a r e d in the s a m e manner a s those used by Coyle, Shiffert, and Raba ( 2 , 6 ) .
RESULTS O F TESTS ON SANDS
F o r the t e s t s on cohesionless m a t e r i a l s , it w a s d e s i r a b l e to have a r e a sonably wide range in physical properties. A s e r i e s of t e s t s w e r e conducted
onOttawa 20-30, A r k a n s a s , and Victoria s a n d s which varied in g r a i n s i z e and
grain shape. The Arkansas sand w a s obtained f r o m a t e s t s i t e a t Lock aaci
Dam No. 4 on the A r k a n s a s River. T h e v i c t o r i a sand w a s obtained f r o m a test
s i t e at a highway bridge o v e r p a s s a t Victoria, Texas. The Ottawa sand had
g r a i n s which w e r e uniform in s i z e and smooth in shape. The A r k a n s a s sand
was a fine sand with subangular shaped g r a i n s , and the Victoria sand Was a
very fine sand with angular shaped g r a i n s ,
The dyllamlc t e s t s on s a n d s were performed AS u n c o n s o l i d a t e d - ~ n d r : 1 i n ~ ~
tests. The majority of t e s t s w e r e performed at a void ratio of 0.55 and under

PIC. '7.-VELOCITY O F SAMPLE DEFORhIXTION VEI(SUS PEAK DYNAMIC LOAD

FOIt SANDS 'I'ESTED

'

a confining p r e s s u r e of 15 psi. A typical t e s t setup f o r a dynamic t e s t on sand

is shown in Fig. 6. The s t a t i c t e s t s w e r e p e r f o r m e d a s consolidated-drained
t e s t s , at a void ratio of 0.55 and a confining p r e s s u r e of 15 psi. The dynamic
t e s t s w e r e performed a s undralned t e s t s in o r d e r to sirnulate the pore p r e s s u r e condition a t the point of a pile during driving. The s t a t i c t e s t s w e r e p e r -

EMPIRICAL DAM PING CONSTANTS

0 f p s to 3 f p s to determine how the dynamic load varied with velocity in this

May, 1970

range. Fig. 7 shows values of peak dynamic load related to velocity of deformation f o r the t h r e e s a n d s tested. The P, values plotted a r e the peak values
obtained f o r t!le statlc t e s t s which w e r e loaded a t the slow r a t e of 0.05 Lpm.
The r a t i o of peak dynamic to peak s t a t i c load i s related to velocity of deformation a s shown in Fig. 8.
With velocity of deformation and the r a t i o of dynamic to s t a t i c load known,
the damping constant, J , can be calculated f r o m Eq. 4 by solving f o r the
damping constant

Using Eq. 5 with the experimental l a b o r a t o r y r e s u l t s of this investigation,

J values w e r e calculated and r e s u l t s a r e shown in Fig. 9. A s seen in Fig. 9,

J i s not a constant but v a r i e s with velocity of deformation. In o r d e r to apply
Smith's wave equation analysis (9) to the piling behavior problem, J must be a
constant. To obtain a constant J , a modification of the original Smith equation

6
VELOCITY

FIG. 8.-Pd namic/PstaticVERSUS

VELOCITY b F DLFOIiLIATION FOR
SANDS T E S T E D

1
OF

0
OEFORYATION

2
IIp)l

FIG. 9.SA.IITH'S J VERSUS VELOCIT Y O F DEFORbIATION FOlZ SANDS

TESTED

1 FIG. 12.-PEAK

FIG. 10.-DAhIPJNG CONSTANT VERSUS v E L O c I T Y O F DEFORMAT108

RAISED T O 0.20 POWER FOR SANDS
TESTED

DYNAMIC LOAD VEIlSUS

VELOCITY O F DEFORhIATION FOR VOII)
RATIO STUDY ON OTTAWA SAND

was n e c e s s a r y . A reasonably constant value of J was found by raising velocity

of deformation to s o m e power l e s s than one. Thus

FIG. 11.-EFFECTIVE ANGLE O F INT E R N A L SHE;AI1ING R E S I S T A N C S

VERSUS DAhIPING CONSTANT FOR
SAND T E S T E D

formed a s drained t e s t s in o r d e r to s i m u l a t e the drained condition ( z e r o pore

water p r e s s u r e ) a t the pile point during static loading.
The s a m p l e s w e r e tested o v e r a range of loading velocities varying fro*'
the minimum velocity obtainable to i n s u r e sample f a i l u r e to a maximurn
locity of 12 Ips. S p e c i a l c a r e was taken a t velocities of s a m p l e deformation

''

FIG. 1 3 . -VOID RATIO VERSUS DrZbIPING CONSTANT F O R OTTAWA SAND

The r e s u l t s of r a i s i n g velocity of deformztion to a power using Eq. 6 may be

seen in Fig. 10 f o r the t e s t s p e r f o r m e d on the t h r e e sands.
It was determined f r o m a s e p a r a t e study on each sand that the Ottawa,
Arkansas, and Victoria s a n d s have a constant J value when velocities of deformation a r e r a i s e d to N = 0.21, N = 0.27, and hr = 0.19 p o w e r s , r e s p e c tlvely. It w a s d e s i r a b l e f o r p r a c t i c a l a p p l i c a t ~ o nto r e p r e s e n t a l l t h r e e s a n d s
by a common value of N. The power of N = 0.20 w a s chosen s i n c e this gave
Uleleast deviation f r o m the optimum power f o r a l l t h r e e sands. Fig. 1 0 shows
related to the velocity of deformation f o r a l l t h r e e s a n d s f o r the power
'4 = 0.20.
In accordance with one of the stated objectives h e r e i n , an attempt was made
to relate the damping constants obtained to a common sand property. It was

May, 1970

$'?
,j

rd:
i

11
1

Ir

I
I

i
f
i
I

EMPIRICAL DAMPING CONSTANTS

found thaz the damping constant obtained by using N = 0.20 could be related to
the effective angle of internal shearing r e s i s t a n c e , $'. T h i s relationship i s
shown In Fig. 11. ~ h values
c
of 9' w e r e obtained by conducting drained t e s t s
and undrained t e s t s with p o r e p r e s s u r e m e a s u r e m e n t s f o r a l l t h r e e s a n d s a t
a void ratio of 0.55. T h e r e w a s s o m e question concerning the validity of r e lating $', a s determined f r o m a standard laboratory t r i a x i a l t e s i , to J, a s
determined f r o m a dynamic test. However, the study made by Whitman and
He;lIy (10) h a s shown that the difference indynamic and s t a t i c angle of internal
shearing r e s i s t a n c e i s l e s s than one d e g r e e . A s shown in Fig. 11, the c o r r e lation between J and 4' f o r this study i s very good.
A limited number of t e s t s w e r e performed during this study on Ottawa sand
in o r d e r to d e t e r m i n e the change in magnitude of the damping constant, J , if
the void ratio of-the sand w a s varied. T e s t s w e r e performed a t void r a t i o s of
0.50 and 0.60 with a p r i m a r y objective of obtaining the relation between peak
load and velocity of s a m p l e deformation a s shown in Fig. 12. The s a m p l e a t
e = 0.60 was difficult to p r e p a r e because of the extremely loose packing of the
grains.
The optimum p o w e r s of velocity of deformation to obtain a constant J for
the e = 0.50 and e = 0.60 t e s t s a r e quite different f r o m the value of J for
N = 0.20. Fig. 13 shows a considerable deviation in J values which r e s u l t s
when velocity of deformation i s r a i s e d to both the optimum N value and hr =
0.20. The m a j o r deviations in J values a r e seen to o c c u r a t the l o o s e s t void
ratio of e = 0.60. It i s felt that if a pile w e r e d r i v e n in s a n d s with a void ratio
a s loose a s e = 0.60, the s a n d s would consolidate to a d e n s e r void ratio during
driving. T h u s , considering the d e n s e r void r a t i o s in Fig. 13, the a v e r a g e
J values shown by representing velocity of deformation to the N = 0.20 power
a r e acceptable.
The significance of these relationships i s that in clean s a n d s , if the void
ratio of a p a r t i c u l a r m a t e r i a l o r the effective angle of internal s h e a r i n g r e sistance i s known, an approximation of a J value can be obtained.

40

'

VELOCITY OF

DEFORMATION

I Ips)

FIG. 14. --EFFECT O F CONFIXIXG PRESSURE ON OR 36 hlATERL4L

RESULTS O F TESTS ON CLAYS

F o r the t e s t s on cohesive m a t e r i a l s , it w a s again d e s i r a b l e to vary the
physical p r o p e r t i e s . A s e r i e s of t e s t s w a s conducted on four clay m a t e r i a l s .
T h r e e of the s o i l s w e r e classified a s CH by the Unified Soil Classification
System and the fourth s o i l w a s classified a s CL. One of the CH s o i l s w a s an
organic clay which had a liquid l i m i t of 53 and w a s tested a t , a m o i s t u r e content
of 36% ( T e s t Soil-OR 36). The o t h e r CH s o i l s tested w e r e local s o i l s named
Easterwood clay and V e t t e r s clay. The Easterwood clay had a liquid l i m i t of
94 and was tested a t m o i s t u r e contents of 50% and 60% ( T e s t Soils-EA 50 and
EA 60). The V e t t e r s clay had a liquid l i m i t of 8 0 and was tested a t m o i s t u r e
contents of 4696, 50%, and 55% ( T e s t Soils-VE 46, YE 50, and VE 55). The C L
soil tested was a hall pit clay with a liquid l i m i t of 48 and was tested a t a
moisture content of 35% ( T e s t Soil-CE 35).
The dynamic t e s t s on the c l a y s w e r e performed as unconsolidated-undrained
t e s t s with no confiningpressure. The s t a t i c t e s t s w e r e performed in the Same
manner a s a standard unconfined c o m p r e s s i o n test. T h e r e w a s s o m e question
concerning the effect of confinement on the clay soils. A p r e l i m i n a r y study
was made usingthe organic m a t e r i a l a t 36% moisture content (OR 36) i n o r d e r

.:a
P,
C,.3l

'
f

I
'
I

V E L O C I T Y OF

FIG. 11.-DYNAMIC
TESTED

STATIC

DEFORUATION

TEST

LOAD

10

11

(f.).~.)

LOAD VERSUS Y E I B C I T Y O F P E F O R l l A T l O N FOR C U Y S

EMPIRICAL DAMPING CONSTANTS

d

to evaluate the effect of confinement. Unconsolidated-undrained t e s t s w e r e

conducted a t two confining p r e s s u r e s (15 psi and 30 psi). The r e s u l t s of these
dynamic t e s t s a r e shown in Fig. 14. The confinement caused only a slight inc r e a s e in thc peak loads. Since the effect of confinement was minimal, i t was
decided that the t e s t p r o g r a m should involve only unconfined tests.
The cohesive m a t e r i a l s w e r e tested o v e r a range of loading velocities of
from 0 f p s to 12 ips. Data w e r e reduced f r o m the v i s i c o r d e r t r a c e using the
same procedure that w a s used for the sands. Fig. 1 5 shows the'values of peak
dynamic load related to velocity of deformation f o r the c l a y s tested. A s i n the

FIG. 16.-RATIO O F DYNA.ILIC T O STATIC LOAD VEliSIjS VELOCITY O F D E F O R MATION F O R CLAYS T E S T E D

-I

L I S T OF SYMBOLS

6
VELOCITY OF DEFORMATION

(fp* )

FIG. 18.-DAMPING CONSTANT AT N = 0.18 VERSUS VELOCITY O F D E F 0 R . U TION FOR CLAYS T E S T E D

FIG. 17.--SMITH'S J VERSUS VELOCITY O F DEFORMATION FOR E A 50 M A T E R U ~

case of the s a t u r a t e d s a n d s , the peak dynamic loads i n the c l a y s increased

rapidly a t low velocities and then leveled off to an essentially straight line
with a slight slope. Note that the s l o p e s a r e nearly p a r a l l e l , and that the peak
loads i n c r e a s e a s the m o i s t u r e content d e c r e a s e s f o r a given clay soil. Fig.
16 shows the values of the ratio of dynamic to s t a t i c loads related to velocity
of deformation f o r the c l a y s tested.
Using the r e s u l t s f r o m the clay t e s t s , it w a s w s s i b l e to compute the damping constant, J , with Smith's equation (Eq. 5). A t y p i c a l c u r v e showing Smith's
J related to velocity of deformation i s shown in Fig. 17 f o r the EA 50 rnate-

May,

lYrU

J t s a r e s i m i l a r to those for the saturated sands in that the values

rial. The
of J a r e not constant. By using the modified Smith equation where velocity of
deformation was raised to some power N(Eq. 6), a reasonably constant value
of J for the clay soils was obtained.
An examination of the clay data revealed that there was variation in the

'1

YATCRIAL

d u e s of J and the optimum power to which velocity of deformation

t be
raised in o r d e r to obtain a constant J. Again, f o r purposes of p r a c t i d application the velocity of deformation was raised to one common power f o r a l l
clays. This conimon power of velocity of deformation was N = 0.18 f o r the
materials tested. This power i s not an average value but rather a number
arrived a t by i~lspectingthe relative change in the data brought about by a
change in power of velocity of deformation. Fig. 18 Shows, f o r the m a t e r i a l s
tested, the J value related to velocity of deformation raised to the 0.18 power.
It was possible, with the test results obtained, to corre1ate.the damping
constants with several common clay properties. F o r a given clay soil, the
J values could be related to rnoisture content. Fig. 19 shows the J values
obtained when velocity of deformation was raised to the N = 0.18 power related
to moisture content for the Vetters clay. An essentially linear relationship
exists and s i m i l a r relationships were obtained for the o t h e r clay soils.
In addition to moisture content correlation, i t w a s possible to relate the
J values for the CH materials to liquidity index. Liquidity index i s defined as:

V E T T C R I CLAY

LI- =
MOISTURE

FIG. 19.-RIOISTUIIE

CONTENT

CONTENT VERSUS.DAhIPING CONSTANT FOR V E T T E R S

I
I

I
I

a ORBINIC

CASTFRWWD
HALL R T $AHOY

CLAY

I
I

FIG. 20.-LIQUIDITY

INDEX VERSUS DAMPING CONSTANT FOR CLAYS T E S T K D

............

Fig. 20 shows the J values related to liquidity index. The liquidity index was
consideredan important p a r a m e t e r in this study because it includes the AtterL
berg Limits a s well a s the moisture content of the clay. The data shown in Fig.
20 include some test results from a preliminary test program conducted in the
fall of 1967. Generally, the results of t e s t s performed in this study (spring
1968) lie above the e a r l i e r test results due to thixotropic hardening of the clay
samples. Allof the data a r e shown a s lying within a band, and the dotted lines
on Fig. 20 show that maximum deviatihn was about 2 12%. The hall pit clay
does not fall into this band, and since this material was a C L i t appears that
the band i s only valid for CH materials. Perhaps if m o r e t e s t s had been conducted on C L materials, a different band would be established f o r them.
The significance of these relationships for clays i s that if properties such
as moisture content and liquidity index a r e known, then an approximate value
for the damping constant, J , can L 2 established.

I %I

CLAY

Natural Moisture Content - Plastic Limit

Plasticity Index

CONCLUSIONS
The following conclusions can be made concerning this study:
1. When the experimental laboratory data from this study w e r e used with
Smith's equation (Eqs. 4 and 5), the damping constant, J , varied with velocity
of deformation for all materials tested. (See Fig. 9 for s a n d s and Fig. 17 f o r
clays.)
2. If Smith's equation was modified s o that velocity w a s r a i s e d to some
power, N, l e s s than 1.0 (Eq. 6), then a reasonably constant value f o r J was 0btained for all values of velocity from 0 fps to 12 fps. (See Fig. 10 f o r sands and
Fig. I 8 f o r clays.)
3. An acceptable constant J value for saturated sands may b e obtained by
raising velocity of deformation to the power of N = 0.20 (See Fig. 10).
4. An acceptable constant J value f o r clay may be obtained by raising the
velocity of deformation to the power of N = O.lEf(see Fig. 18).

May, 1970

EMPIRICAL DAMPING CONSTANTS

9 9 6 5

5. A ~ r a p p r o x i m a t eJ value for s a t u r a t e d sand may be obtained if the effective angle of internal shearing r e s i s t a n c e i s known ( s e e Fig. 11).
6. An approximate J value for clay (Classification-CH) may be obtainedif
the liquidity index i s known ( s e e Fig. 20).

9. Smith, E. A. L.. "Pilc Driving Analysis by the Wave Equation." Transactions. AS&. Val. 127,
Proc. Paper 3306, Part I. 1962.
10. Whitman, R . V.. and I-lcaly. K. E.. "Shearing Rsistancc of Sands During Rapid Loadings,"
Transactions. Journal o f the Soil Mrchanics and Foundations Diviqion. ASCE, Val. 88, No.
SM2. Proc. Paper 3102, April, 1962, pp. 99-132.

It should be r e m e m b e r e d that a l l d a t a collected h h e i n w e r e the r e s u l t of

laboratory t e s t s conducted on p r e p a r e d s a m p l e s . The failure mechanism occ u r r i n g in the s o i l s a m p l e tested in the l a b o r a t o r y may not be the s a m e as the
f a i l u r e mechanism occurring a t the tip of a full s c a l e pile in the field. Howe v e r , r e s u l t s from c u r r e n t s t u d i e s being conducted a t T e x a s A&M University
in field s o i l s indicate that the damping constants obtained in this study a r e
useable with field p i l e s , especially in s a t u r a t e d sands.

APPENDIX 11.-NOTATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
1

I!
i

This .investigation was conducted a s a p a r t of R e s e a r c h Study 2-5-67-125

entitled "Bearing Capacity for Axially Loaded P i l e s " whicll i s a cooperative
r e s e a r c h study sponsored jointly by the T e x a s Highway Department and the
U.S. Department of Transportation, F e d e r a l Highway Administration, Bureau
of Public Roads. The opinions, findings, and conclusions e x p r e s s e d in this
paper a r e those of the w r i t e r s and not n e c e s s a r i l y those of the Burerlu of
Public Roads.

APPENDIX I.-REFERENCES

i
II

i
h

&&

I . Chan. P. C., Hirsch. T . J., and Coylc, H. M., "A Study of Dynamic Load-Deformation and
Damping Properties of Sands Concerned with a Pile-Soil System," Texas Transportation
Institute, Piling Behavior Research. Research Report No. 33-7. Texas A & M University.
June. 1967.
2. Coylc. H. M.. and Shiffert. J. 8.. "Manufactured Soil Samples for I.abor;itory Research."
American Society for Testing and Materials, Jourrrul o j Mutrriols. Vol. 3 . No. 2, June. 1968, pp.
272-293.
3. Coylc, H . M.. and Sulaiman. I. H.. "Skin Friction for Steel Piles in Sand." Journal o j thc .Sot(
Mechanics and Foundations Divirion, ASCE, Vol. 93. No. S M 6 . Proc. Paper 5590. Nov.. 1967.
pp. 26 1-278.
4. Harnpton, D., and Yoder. E. J., "The Effect of Rate of Strain on Soil Strength," Prorredinfs.
43th Annual Road School, 1958. Purduc University. Lafayettc, Indiana.
5. Jones. R.. Lister, N. W.. and Thrower. E. N.. "The Dynamic Behavior of Soils and Foundations." Vibration in Civil Engineering. Session IV. Proceedings of a Symposium organized by the
British National of the International Society for Earthquake Engineering. London. April. 1965.
6 . Raba. C. F., Jr.. and Coylc, H. M.. "The Static and Dynamic Response of a Miniature Friction
Pilc in Rcmoldcd Clay." paper prcsentcd at TPXUSection. ASCE, S a n Antonio, Texas. Oct..
1968.
7. Reeves. G.N.. coylc. t i . M., and tiirsch. T. J.. "Investigation o f Sands Subjected to vynanlic
Loading." Tcxas Transportation Institute, Piling Behavior Research. Rescorch Repor1 N o .
33-7A. Tcxas A & M University. Dcc.. 1967.
8. Samson. C. H., Jr.. Hirsch. T. J.. and Lowery. L. L., "Computer Study of Dynamic Behavior of
.
Piling." Journul o j the Structural Uivisrun. ASCE. Vol. 89. No. STJ. Proc. Papcr 3608,
1963. pp. 4 13-450.

The following symbols a r e used in this-paper:

CE 35 = Hall Pit clay a t a n approximate moisture content of 356&;

c = viscous damping constant;
EA 50 = Easterwood clay a t an approxin1:lte moisture content of 50%;
EA 60 = Easterwood clay a t an approximate moisture content of 60%;
e = v o ~ dr a t l o ;
J = viscous damping constant for soil, in seconds p e r foot; '
K' = spring constant for s o i l m a s s segment, in pounds p e r inch;
iV = power to which velocity of sample deformation i s r a i s e d ;
OR 36 = organic m a t e r i a l a t an approximate moisture content of 36'&;
I ' m m i c (PC/)
= dynamic strength of soil, in pounds;
PStatic
(P,) = s t a t i c strength of s o i l , in pounds;
Q = m&ximum elastic ground deformation, in inches;
R, = total ultimate plastic ground r e s i s t a n c e , in pounds;
I?,
= r e s i s t i n g force of the soil in the e l a s t i c region, in pounds;
S = permanent s e t of the s o i l , in inches;
x = e l a s t i c deformation of the s o i l , in inches;
V = velocity of deformation of the soil, in feet p e r second;
VE 46 = V e t t e r s clay a t an approximate moisture content of 46?,;
VE 50 = V e t t e r s clay a t an approximate moisture content of 50%;
VE 55 = Vetters clay a t an approximate moisture contentof 557;; and
0 ' = effective angle of internal shearing r e s i s t a n c e , in d e g r e e s .