New Approach to Interpret the Mechanical Behavior of Structured Soils
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 21, Issue 2
Abstract
The compression line of structured soils is highly nonlinear in the space of void ratio against logarithmic mean or vertical effective stresses. The variation in the compressibility with loading is attributed to the structure degradation. In this paper, the degree of structure is newly defined, and a new volume change equation for structured soils is established by using the modified mean effective stress and degree of structure as variables. The influence of the structure degradation on mechanical behavior of structured soils is explained by a degree of structure dependent normal compression index. The validity of this approach is examined via incorporating the newly defined volume change equation into the Modified Cam-Clay model. Simulations were carried out on four different types of structured soils under isotropic consolidation conditions and consolidated-drained triaxial shear conditions. Comparisons of simulation results with experimental data demonstrate that the new model provides satisfactory predicting of mechanical behavior of structured soils.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51709129, 51609102); and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. BK20170187).
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 21 • Issue 2 • February 2021
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 18, 2020
Accepted: Sep 15, 2020
Published online: Dec 2, 2020
Published in print: Feb 1, 2021
Discussion open until: May 2, 2021
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