A New Apparatus for Measuring the Principal Strains in Anisotropic Clays

An apparatus and an experimental arrangement were developed to provide an accurate measurement of the lateral deformation of soft sensitive clays. The apparatus contained light gage points and displacement transducers floated in a cell fluid in such a way that internal strains could be measured directly on the soil specimen with the least amount of disturbance. The performance data obtained from the testing of a soft sensitive clay indicated that the apparatus developed possessed adequate precision and stability for the study of the deformation behavior of clays.