TECHNICAL NOTE Geotechnical Testing Journal, Vol. 26, No.

3
Paper ID GTJ10916_263
Available online at: www.astm.org

Jian-Hua Yin1

A Double Cell Triaxial System for Continuous

Measurement of Volume Changes of an
Unsaturated or Saturated Soil Specimen in
Triaxial Testing

ABSTRACT: This paper presents an improved Double Cell Triaxial System (DCTS) for continuous measurement of the volume change of an un-
saturated or saturated soil specimen in triaxial testing. The DCTS developed by the author overcomes the two critical shortcomings of the conven-
tional triaxial system and has advantages over the existing modified triaxial cells for measuring the volume changes of unsaturated/saturated soils
during water flushing, consolidation, and compression. The calibration of the DCTS has been done using both a dummy solid copper specimen and
a fully saturated marine clay specimen. The water volume changes of the inner cell and the outer cell are measured and compared on the copper
specimen under compression of the inner/outer cell pressure up to 400 kPa. It is found that the volume changes of the outer cell are significant, while
the volume changes of the inner cell are negligible. On the saturated marine clay, volume changes of the clay specimen under isotropic consolida-
tion and drained axial compression are measured using two methods: the conventional method (Method A) by measuring the volume of water com-
ing out from inside the specimen and the method (Method B) by using the DCTS to measure the internal cell water volume changes. The volume
changes using the two methods are compared. It is found that the differences of the volume changes using the two methods are within 5.6 %. The
calibration results using both the solid copper specimen and the saturated marine clay specimen show that the DCTS is accurate and reliable for con-
tinuously measuring the volume changes of unsaturated or saturated soil specimens during consolidation and compression.

KEYWORDS: triaxial, volume, compression, saturated, unsaturated, soil

Introduction an open-top cylindrical container inside a conventional cell. The

The volume change of a soil specimen in triaxial testing is an es-
sential parameter, which shall be measured and is valuable for un-
derstanding the volumetric compression or dilation characteristics
of the soil. In triaxial testing, for a saturated soil specimen, the vol-
ume change of a specimen (enclosed within a rubber membrane
and top and bottom caps) during consolidation or compression is
equal to the volume of water coming out of (or into) the specimen.
Therefore, the commonly used method for the volume change mea-
surement of a saturated specimen is to measure the volume of wa-
ter coming out of (or into) the specimen. However, for an unsatu-
rated soil specimen, the volume of water coming out of (or into) the
specimen is not equal to the volume change of the specimen. Al-
ternative methods must be used to measure the volume changes of
unsaturated soil specimens.
Bishop and Donald (1961) first used a modified cell, similar to
that in Fig.1, for measuring volume changes of partly saturated
soils. An open-top inner cylindrical container was used inside a
conventional cell. The inner container was filled with mercury
(Bishop and Donald 1961). Outside, the inner container was filled
with water. Volume changes of the partly saturated soil specimen
were measured by monitoring the vertical position of a stainless
steel ball floating on the surface of the mercury using a cathetome-
ter. Following Bishop and Donald’s work (1961), Yin (1998) put
Received November 2, 2001; accepted for publication September 24, 2002;
published August 13, 2003.
1
Professor, Head of Soil Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Civil and
Structural Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom,
Kowloon, Hong Kong, China, Email: cejhyin@polyu.edu.hk.
inner container was filled with distilled water to the position shown
in Fig.1. Outside, the inner container was filled with air. When the
specimen volume is changed, for example, decreased under axial
loading, the water table in the inner container will come down. At
that time, water was supplied into the inner container through the
“Inner Cell Water Pressure Supply Tube,” as shown in Fig.1, to
maintain the water table in the inner container at the previous posi-
tion. In this way, the water volume (measured by burette) entering
the inner container is equal to the compression volume change of
the specimen. This process is tedious and cannot be done automat-
ically. The accuracy is questionable, since the water table position
was judged by naked eye readings.
Wheeler (1988) extended the idea of Bishop and Donald (1961)
and developed a double cell triaxial system for testing soils with large
gas bubbles. The schematic diagram of Wheeler’s double cell sys-
tem (Wheeler 1988) is shown in Fig. 2. In particular, the volume of
the inner cell was measured by using a water burette. The vertical ax-
ial load was measured outside the cell using a local proving ring. As
shown in Fig. 2, the shaft with the loading piston extends up and
comes out of the outer cell. Leaking could be a problem, and this was
minimized by using a rolling diaphragm between the loading piston
and inner cell top shaft (Fig. 2). Wheeler (1988) reported limited cal-
ibration results and found that the relationship of volume changes of
the inner cell with cell pressure up to 400 kPa was nonlinear and the
largest inner cell volume change was 0.7 cm3 at cell pressure of 400
kPa. A few limitations of the arrangement in Fig. 2 are:
1. Leaking is a potential problem, even though a rolling di-
aphragm is used. This is because the rolling diaphragm is

Copyright © 2003 by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. 1
2 GEOTECHNICAL TESTING JOURNAL
FIG. 1—An existing old cell triaxial system with open inner cylindrical
container for measurement of volume change of a soil specimen—a
schematic diagram (after Yin 1998).
FIG. 2—A double cell triaxial system for measurement of volume
change of a soil specimen—a schematic diagram (after Wheeler 1988).
subject to differential pressure of
i_cell (i.e., the inner cell
pressure
i_cell at Point 1 minus the outside atmospheric pres-
sure of zero at Point 2).
2. The rolling diaphragm will deform under the differential
pressure of
i_cell. This will affect the volume changes of the
inner cell.
3. The shaft is subject to an extension under the differential
pressure of
i_cell. This will cause volume changes of the in-
ner cell and errors in measuring volume changes of the soil
specimen.
4. The vertical load was measured externally and the frictional
force between the piston and the shaft is included. This will
cause an error in the measurement of the actual vertical load
on the soil specimen.
5. The water volume changes were all measured using water bu-
rette. This is not convenient for computer control and auto-
matic data acquisition.
An Improved Double Cell Triaxial System
Based on the work of Bishop and Donald (1961) and Wheeler
(1988), the author has developed an improved Double Cell Triaxial
System (DCTS) for continuous measurement of the volume change
of an unsaturated or saturated soil specimen in triaxial testing, as
shown in Fig. 3. The main new features of the DCTS, which are dif-
ferent from the modified cells proposed by Bishop and Donald
(1961), Yin (1998), and Wheeler (1988), are as shown in Fig. 3:
1. The inner cell is totally enclosed within the outer cell. De-
aired water is used to fill both the inner cell and the outer cell.
2. Both outside and inside the inner cell are subject to the same
magnitude of the cell pressure
i_cell (inside) 
o_cell (out-
side).
FIG. 3—A new double cell triaxial system for measurement of volume
change of a soil specimen—a schematic diagram.

3. Because of the same water pressure
i_cell, both the wall and
top cap of the inner cell will have negligible deformation.
This will avoid errors caused by the inner cell deformations.
4. Since the inner cell water pressure
i_cell is equal to outside
cell water pressure
o_cell, the hydraulic gradient along the
piston at the inner cell top cap (from Point 1 to Point 2 as
shown in Fig. 3) is zero. Thus, no water flow will occur along
the gap between the piston and the inner cell top cap. This
will avoid errors due to water flow/leaking at the gap. In fact,
an O-ring is used at the gap.
5. A submersible electric load cell is placed inside the inner cell
and used to measure the vertical load on the soil specimen di-
rectly. This will avoid the error due to the friction between the
piston and the cell caps (inner and outer cell caps).
6. All water volumes are measured by electric volumemeter. All
data, such as vertical load, pore water pressure, and volume
changes, are collected automatically by a computer.
The DCTS has been made and set up at the soil mechanics labo-
ratory, as shown in Fig. 4. The inner cell with a soil specimen and
the submersible load cell is shown in Fig. 5a. The outer cell with
the inner cell inside is shown in Fig. 5b. For the DCTS in Fig. 5, the
outer cell has an internal diameter of 230 mm, height of 425 mm,
and wall thickness of 8 mm. The inner cell has an internal diame-
ter of 90 mm, height of 235 mm, and wall thickness of 6 mm. The
load cell is 30 mm high, with a diameter of 65 mm. The axial load
FIG. 4—The setup of the Double Cell Triaxial System (DCTS) in the Soil Mechanics Laboratory, the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering,
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
YIN ON DOUBLE CELL TRIAXIAL SYSTEM 3
piston has a diameter of 20 mm. The standard size for a soil speci-
men is diameter of 50 mm and height of 100 mm.
Calibration of the DCTS
Calibration Using a Solid Copper Specimen
A solid copper specimen with diameter of 50 mm and height of
100 mm was first used to calibrate the Double Cell Triaxial System
(DCTS). Since the solid copper specimen is considered incom-
pressible under a pressure up to 600 kPa, the copper specimen can
be used to assess the volume changes of the inner cell and the outer
cell under increasing pressure.
All tubes and holes were de-aired. The copper specimen was in-
stalled in the inner cell. A standard rubber membrane was put on
the copper specimen. The vertical filter stone and nylon cap were
put on the top of the specimen. The specimen was then sealed by
using double O-rings on the rubber membrane. In order to make the
water inside the rubber membrane nearly fully saturated, the de-
aired water was used and a back-pressure of 100 kPa was applied
with the cell pressure in the inner cell and the outer cell increased
to 105 kPa accordingly. The B-parameter was checked and found
to be 0.99.
After the back-pressure saturation, the top drainage tube valve of
the specimen was closed to make the copper specimen undrained.
Since the purpose of the calibration was to assess the volume
changes of the inner cell and the outer cell, keeping the specimen
4 GEOTECHNICAL TESTING JOURNAL

FIG. 5a—A close-up view of the inner cell.

undrained (or all drainage tube valves closed) would avoid the vol-
ume changes (errors) due to the water squeezed out of the gap be- FIG. 5b—A close-up view of the outer cell.
tween the rubber membrane and the copper specimen and between
the cap/filter stone and the specimen.
The measured volume changes of the inner cell and the outer cell
with effective cell pressure (cell pressure minus the initial cell pres-
sure of 105 kPa) are shown in Fig. 6. It is seen that the relationship
of the outer cell volume change and the effective cell pressure is
nonlinear, while the relationship of the inner cell volume change
and the effective cell pressure is linear. The volume changes of the
outer cell is 3–4 times of the volume changes of the inner cell. For
example, the accumulated volume change under the effective pres-
sure of 400 kPa is 1.523 cm3 for the outer cell and 0.40 cm3 for the
inner cell. Compared to the results reported by Wheeler (1988), the
volume change of the inner cell was 0.7 cm3 under effective pres-
sure 400 kPa. Using the DCTS, the inner cell volume change is
only 0.40 cm3, that is, 0.57 % of 0.7 cm3, using the design by
Wheeler (1988). Furthermore, the relationship of the inner cell vol-
ume change and the effective cell pressure using the DCTS is lin- FIG. 6—Volume changes of a copper specimen under isotropic com-
ear, while that reported by Wheeler (1988) was nonlinear. A pression measured by the changes of water volume of the inner cell and the
water volume of the outer cell with back-pressure equal to 100 kPa and the
straight line has been used to fit the relationship of the inner cell specimen drainage valve closed.
volume change and the effective cell pressure, as shown in Fig. 6.
The fitting equation is:
Vi_cell  0.0010
e_cell (1) Calibration Using a Saturated Marine Clay Specimen
where Vi_cell is the accumulated volume change of the inner cell The marine clay used in the testing was taken from depth 1–2 m
and
e_cell is the effective cell pressure. The volume of the copper at a marine site in Hong Kong’s waters. The marine clay was dark
specimen is 196.25 cm3. The inner cell volume change of 0.4 cm3 gray in color and was a mixture of clay, silt, and fine sand with oc-
is only 0.20 % of the copper specimen volume and negligible for casionally shells and coarse particles. In order to obtain uniform
the volume strain calculation of a soil specimen. and consistent soil samples, the marine deposits were sieved in wet

condition through a sieve with an opening size of 150 m. The ma-
rine clay after wet sieving had a composition of silt and clay with
some fine sand. The composition is 27.5 % clay, 58.4 % silt, and
14.1 % fine sand. The marine clay was reconsolidated in cylindri-
cal mold with 300 mm in diameter and 450 mm high. The basic
FIG. 7—Volume changes of a saturated marine clay during consolida-
tion measured by the changes of the water coming out of (or into) the clay
specimen and water volume of the inner cell.
FIG. 8—(a) The deviator stress versus the axial strain under drained compression with an effective confining pressure of 50 kPa and (b) volume changes
of the saturated marine clay specimen during drained compression measured by Method A—the water coming out of (or into) the clay specimen and Method
B—water volume of the inner cell.
YIN ON DOUBLE CELL TRIAXIAL SYSTEM 5
properties of the marine clay are specific gravity Gs  2.664, liq-
uid limit wL  60.0 %, plastic limit wP  28.5 %, plasticity index
IP  31.5 %, and initial water content w  57.4 % (after reconsol-
idation but before odometer testing).
A thin-wall plastic tube with 50-mm internal diameter was
pushed into the reconsolidated marine clay in the mold. The clay
sample in the tube was then extruded out and trimmed to form a
specimen of 50 mm in diameter and 100 m in height. The clay spec-
imen was installed in the inner cell following the code of BS 1377
(1990). A back-pressure of 200 kPa with a cell pressure of 205 kPa
was applied to ensure near 100 % saturation. The B-parameter
measured was 0.99.
Figure 7 shows the results of volume changes with time under
effective cell pressure of 50 kPa. Two methods of volume measure-
ment were used: Method A by measuring the volume of water com-
ing out of the specimen and Method B by measuring the water vol-
ume change of the inner cell. Figure 7 shows that the curves of
accumulated volume change with time, using the two methods, are
very close. The volume measured using the inner cell (Method B) is
slightly larger than that measured using Method A. In particular, at
the end of the consolidation, i.e., time of 1560 mins, the Vi_cell us-
ing Method B is 21.1 cm3; while Vw_cell using Method A is
20.7 cm3. The relative difference is | Vi_cell  Vw_cell |/Vw_cell 
6 GEOTECHNICAL TESTING JOURNAL
| 21.1  20.7 |/20.7  1.93 %. The total volume of the clay speci-
men is Vo  196.25 cm3. The volume strain error is | Vi_cell 
Vw_cell |/Vo  | 21.1  20.7 |/196.25  0.20 %. This error may be
negligible.
After the consolidation, the clay specimen was compressed un-
der axial loading with a very slow constant axial strain rate of 0.006
%/min, and all drainage valves open. The measured deviator stress
versus axial strain data are shown in Fig. 8a. The volume changes
with the axial strain using Method A and Method B are shown in
Fig. 8b. Again, the volume changes measured using the two meth-
ods are very close. The volume measured using Method B is
slightly larger than that using Method A. At the axial strain of 16
%, the accumulated volume change using Method B is 7.71 cm3;
while that using Method A is 7.30 cm3. The relative difference is
| Vi_cell  Vw_cell |/Vw_cell  | 7.71  7.30 |/7.30  5.62 %. The
total volume of the clay specimen is Vo  196.25 cm3. The volume
strain error is | Vi_cell  Vw_cell |/Vo  | 7.71  7.30 |/196.25 
0.21 %. This error may be negligible for most soils.
Summary and Conclusions
A Double Cell Triaxial System (DCTS) has been developed and
calibrated by the author. The calibration data using a solid copper
specimen show that the outer cell volume change is 3–4 times of
that of the inner cell volume change. For an effective pressure of
400 kPa, the inner cell volume change is only 0.4 cm3 and 0.20 %
of the copper specimen volume. The error of 0.2 % may be negli-
gible for the volume strain calculation of a soil specimen. The cal-
ibration data using a saturated marine clay specimen during
isotropic consolidation show that the relative difference of volume
changes measured using Method A and Method B is 1.93 % and the
volume strain error is 0.20 %. This error is small. In drained com-
pression, the relative difference of volume changes measured using
Method A and Method B is 5.62 % and the volume strain error is
0.21 %. This error is small and considered acceptable for most
soils.
From the calibration results, it can be concluded that the pro-
posed Double Cell Triaxial System (DCTS) has advantages over
the existing modified cells in that more accurate and continuous
measurement of the volume changes of unsaturated and saturated
soils in consolidation and compression can be made.
The primary limitations of the DCTS are added in the paper:
1. The device is used to measure the total volume changes of a
unsaturated soil specimen; neither water nor air volume
changes of the specimen are measured separately;
2. For different soil types, the device needs to be calibrated be-
fore testing.
Acknowledgments
Financial support from a RGC grant (PolyU 5041/01E and
PolyU Account No.Q414) of the University Grant Council of the
Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and
from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University is acknowledged.
References
BS 1377, 1990, Methods of Test for Soils for Civil Engineering
Purposes, British Standards Institute, London, 1990.
Bishop, A.W. and Donald, I. B., 1961, “The Experimental Study of
Partly Saturated Soils in the Triaxial Apparatus,” Proceedings,
Fifth International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Founda-
tion Engineering, Paris, Vol.1, pp.13–21.
Wheeler, S. J., 1988, “The Undrained Shear Strength of Soils
Containing Large Gas Bubbles,” Geotechnique, Vol. 28, No. 3,
pp. 399–413.
Yin, Z. Z., Ed., 1998, Settlement and Consolidation of Soil Mass,
China Electric Publication House (in Chinese).