Shear Deformation of Locked Sand in Triaxial Compression

Dense, uncemented, locked Athabasca oil sand specimens were tested in drained triaxial compression with enlarged lubricated platen ends. Computer tomography and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging techniques were used to examine the micro-structural features of the intact and sheared specimens. The micro-structures studied in this paper include shear banding pattern, shear band thickness, and spatial porosity distributions inside and outside shear bands.