Correlation between CBR Strength and Fractal Dimensions of Sands

ABSTRACT: This study focuses on investigating the relationship between the bearing capacity of uniform sands and fractal dimensions calculated by different methods. California bearing ratio (CBR) tests are performed on 15 different soils to estimate the bearing capacities. A minimum number of 100 grains for each soil are investigated under a stereomicroscope. Applying the areaperimeter, line divider, and box counting methods, correlations between the fractal dimensions and CBR values are established. It should be stated that the reduced effect of particle size clarifies the effect of particle shape on the bearing capacity of uniform sands. For all of the fractal dimensions, as expected, total fractal dimension simulating the unified textural and structural characteristics of sands produced the best outcomes in terms of the correlation success.