On the construction of sand fill dams – Part 2: Soil mechanical aspects

The pore pressure response and the porosity of a sand body were investigated in model tests on the construction of sand fill dams. In the tests a sand–water mixture was discharged in a flume with dimensions 32x0.5x2.5m. The water depth in the flume was 2.1 m, so most of the constructed sand body was below the water level. In the tests the specific flow rate varied between 0.01 and 0.1 m 2 /s and the sand concentration in the mixture was 12 or 30 % by volume. During the experiments liquefaction of a part of the newly formed sand body was noticed several times. In the paper the pore pressure response and the decrease in porosity during liquefaction are shown and discussed.