Research on the Disturbed State Concept for Soft Clay Roadbed

With the rapid development of the economy in China, more and more highways and railways are being constructed in areas with soft soil. As a result, geotechnical engineers encounter many difficulties in dealing with stability and deformation problems of soft roadbeds. The significance of a disturbed state concept for soft clay is presented. Based on the tests, the preparation method of the soft clay samples with the different degrees of disturbance is illustrated. In addition, an electrical resistivity method is introduced to define and measure the disturbed variable, and a formulation for the development of disturbance is established. Also, an advanced disturbed state concept constitutive model is proposed. Finally, results from triaxial drained triaxial shear tests show that the advanced model can describe the stress-strain characteristics of soft clay.