Objectives and Relevancy: This project provides support for collaboration by Dr. Richard J. Fragaszy of the Department of Civil Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, and Dr. Farhat H. Siddiqi of the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), Islamabad, Pakistan. The two scientists plan to study and evaluate existing models for predicting static and cyclic strength behavior of soils containing oversized particles. They plan to test specimens of selected prototype soils with various maximum size particles similar to those used in earth-filled foundations and earth-filled dams. They plan to study the effects of grain shape and silt/clay content on material behavior. Static and cyclic tests on 6 inch diameter specimens will be conducted at Washington State Univ. All soil classification tests as well as static and cyclic tests for the molded specimens of 1.4 and 2.8 inch diameter will be conducted in Pakistan. The U.S.-Pakistan Program supports joint projects where the capabilities of the participants complement each other, and the research area is important to both countries. This project meets these criteria well. Merit: The project is quite important to Pakistan where large dams for irrigation and for power generation are usually built of earth materials. A better understanding of the strength of these materials can help improve the design of the structures. In the U.S. the results can benefit those designing canals and embankments or designing structures for earthquake conditions. The Pakistani scientist has worked on this problem while at the University of California, Davis and Berkeley, and has developed specific modeling hypotheses which will be tested in this project. The U.S. scientist is actively engaged in this area of research. The project is likely to strengthen the collaboration between Pakistan and the U.S. in science and engineering. Funding: The project is being funded under two grants: 1. INT8711042 to Washington State University as follows: FY87 U.S. $22,000 from ECES plus U.S.$13,079, and SFC$2,500 from INT FY88 U.S. $22,000 from ECES plus U.S.$13,079 from INT FY89 U.S. $22,000 from ECES plus U.S.$13,079 from INT 2. INT8715355 to Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources: FY87 SFC$30,000 from INT.
