Laboratory measurements of the stiffness of normally consolidated till polluted by benzene with bender element tests

This study examines the effect of benzene in the pore space of normally consolidated till on the initial stiffness (G0), the shear wave velocity being measured by the bender element method in a special designed triaxial cell. A significant reduction in G0 was connected with increasing benzene in the till. The results obtained on the till specimens showed the strong influence of benzene on the undrained shear modulus.