Characterization of the Reduction in Undrained Shear Strength in Fine-Grained Soils due to Cyclic Loading
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 145, Issue 5
Abstract
To evaluate the effect of plasticity characteristics and mineralogical composition on postcyclic shear strength degradation, 18 soils, prepared as different proportions of kaolinite, montmorillonite, and ground quartz, were characterized using static simple shear and cyclic simple shear tests with postcyclic monotonic loading. The postcyclic undrained strength ratio () was found to depend on the clay mineral, plasticity index (PI), and cyclic stress ratio. In soils with kaolinite as the clay mineral, a greater reduction in shear strength due to cyclic loading was noted at lower PIs, whereas soils with montmorillonite as the clay mineral typically experienced reductions between 0% and 30% of the static undrained shear strength. A relationship was established between degradation in undrained shear strength and postcyclic effective stress ratio (PC-ESR), which is the ratio of the consolidation stress to the effective vertical stress after cyclic loading and is equivalent to the reciprocal of the difference between the pore pressure ratio and one. A linear relationship between the ratio of (where is the effective vertical stress immediately after cyclic loading) and the undrained strength ratio () of a normally consolidated soil and PC-ESR was also developed. Results from nine natural soils showed good agreement with the relationships developed for mineral mixtures.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (Fellow ID: 2011105853), California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) Intramural Research Fund and Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) Fund 3361, the Charles E. Via Doctoral Fellowship, and the US Society of Dams Scholarship for their generous support in conducting this study. The efforts of CSUF graduate students, Mr. Pavitra Pandey, Mr. Brian Yamashiro, Mr. Khalifa Alhassen, and Miss. Smriti Dhital, in conducting the static and cyclic simple shear tests as well as analyze the data obtained for the natural soils presented in this study are also highly appreciated.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 145 • Issue 5 • May 2019
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©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 27, 2017
Accepted: Oct 24, 2018
Published online: Feb 28, 2019
Published in print: May 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Jul 28, 2019
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