Anisotropic and Noncoaxial Behavior of -Consolidated Soft Clays under Stress Paths with Principal Stress Rotation
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 145, Issue 9
Abstract
During embankment construction, the deformation behavior of soil will vary with increasing fill height because the principal stresses applied on soil elements in -consolidated subsoil will rotate. In this study, a series of tests is conducted on natural -consolidated Wenzhou soft clay in a hollow cylinder apparatus (HCA) to clarify the response of soils during principal stress rotation. Specimens are sheared with different angles of inclination () with respect to the vertical direction in undrained conditions. The stress-strain relationship, pore-water pressure evolution, shear strength, and noncoaxiality are discussed. The test results show that the development of strain components (vertical, radial, circumferential, and shear strains) is clearly distinct during orientational shearing. The coupling action of the axial and shear stresses results in different evolution processes of the excess pore-water pressure in tests with different values. Under a critical state, the elliptical and asymmetric effective stress strength envelope conclusively shows a strong undrained strength anisotropy. In addition, the different noncoaxial angles between the major principal strain increment direction and corresponding major principal stress direction at failure is revealed, and the noncoaxial behavior is dependent on the value.
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Acknowledgments
The work presented in this study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFC0800200), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51778502, 51622810, and 51778501), Zhejiang Province Natural Foundation Projects of China (Grant No. LR18E080001), Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province (Grant No. 2018C03038), and Basic Scientific Research Projects of Wenzhou (Grant No. G20180030). Their financial support is gratefully acknowledged.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 145 • Issue 9 • September 2019
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©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jun 16, 2018
Accepted: Mar 8, 2019
Published online: Jun 17, 2019
Published in print: Sep 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Nov 17, 2019
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