Use of force-deformation curves to estimate Young's modulus and its applications to soil aggregate breakdown

Soil aggregates from a clay and a sandy loam were subjected to uniaxial compression and their force-deformation relationships determined. From these relationships the elastic deformation was identified, and estimates were made of Young's modulus, elastic strain energy and work of fracture. Also estimated were the increases in surface area produced on breakdown and hence surface energies. The results were interpreted in terms of Griffith's crack theory, and apparent crack lengths were calculated. The calculated values were high, but the variability of the data prevented a full assessment of this approach to the study of brittle failure of aggregates.