Experimental study of strain localization in sensitive clays

For evaluation of slope stability in materials displaying strain-softening behavior, knowledge concerning the failed state material response is of importance. Here, soft sensitive clay is studied. Such clays behave contractant at failure, which for undrained conditions yields a strain-softening behavior governed by the generation of excess pore water pressure. Strain softening is further linked with material instability and the phenomenon of strain localization. In the case of shear band formation, internal pore pressure gradients are then expected to be present for globally undrained conditions in the sensitive clay due to its low permeability. In the present study, this hypothesis and its implications on the global response and shear band properties are investigated. Utilizing an experimental setup with a modified triaxial cell allowing for shear band formation, the effect of varying the displacement rate is studied. Onset of strain localization is interpreted to occur just before or at the peak shear strength. A strong rate dependency of the softening response is observed. Increasing displacement rates give raised brittleness in terms of the slope of the global softening curve due to accumulating pore pressure. Also, reduced shear band thickness and a shear band inclination approaching 45° are obtained for increasing rates. In the context of slope failure in such materials, the rate dependency in the post-peak state opens up for a large variation in behavior, all depending on time as an important factor.     

Stress-strain behaviour of reconstituted illitic clay at different temperatures

Tests on specimens of reconstituted illitic clay have examined the influence of temperature on the mechanical behaviour of clay soils. The program involved consolidation to effective confining pressures up to 1.5 MPa, heating to 100°C, and tests on normally consolidated and overconsolidated specimens with OCR = 2. The tests included isotropic consolidation, undrained triaxial compression with pore water pressure measurement, drained tests along controlled stress paths to investigate yielding behaviour, and undrained tests which involved heating and measurement of the resulting induced pore water pressures. The large strain strength envelope is independent of temperature. However, peak undrained strengths increase with temperature because smaller pore water pressures are generated during shearing. An important contribution from the study is a series of results for the yielding of illitic clay at three different temperatures. For the first time, there is clear evidence of yield loci decreasing in size with increasing temperature. An associated flow rule can be assumed without serious error. The results contribute to the confirmation of a thermal elastic-plastic soil model developed by the authors from cam clay following the addition of a small number of extra assumptions. Depending on the initial stress state, heating under undrained conditions may produce shear failure.     

Temperature and Damage Impact on the Permeability of Opalinus Clay

The effects of temperature on the water transport properties of intact and damaged Opalinus (OPA) clay are investigated by using a recently developed hollow cylinder triaxial cell [Monfared (Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 48:637–649, 2011b)] that allows full saturation and drainage conditions in low-permeability clays and shales. The volumetric response of saturated OPA clay sample during a drained heating test shows an irreversible contraction after a temperature threshold. The permeability tests which are performed before and after the heating test show that the induced irreversible sample contraction by thermal loading reduces the permeability of OPA clay sample. In order to study the effect of temperature on the permeability of a damaged sample of OPA clay, the permeability tests are performed on a saturated sample previously sheared by a standard drained triaxial loading. The test results show no significant effect of shear-type damage on the permeability of the sample at 25 °C and 80 °C. The experimental results presented in this paper show the crucial role of the thermally induced strains on sample permeability. Thermo-elastic dilation leads to a slight increase of the permeability, whereas thermoplastic contraction leads to a reduction.     

考虑超固结比和应力速率影响的膨胀土卸荷力学特性研究

利用GDS应力路径三轴试验系统对南阳膨胀土进行3种应力速率下、4种超固结比（OCR）的被动压缩三轴试验及3种超固结比的被动挤伸三轴试验,分析了不同超固结比和应力速率下其应力（孔隙水压力）-应变关系、有效应力路径及变形模量的演化规律,对膨胀土变形模量各向异性特性进行了初步探讨。结果表明,应力速率、超固结比及卸荷路径均对膨胀土力学特性有一定影响。在被动压缩路径和被动挤伸路径下,随着应力速率和超固结比的增加,相同轴向应变时的偏应力值单调增加;不同超固结比和应力速率时膨胀土的孔隙水压力始终为负值,且其降幅总体上随超固结比的增加而增大,但其降幅随应力速率的变化规律与剪切路径有关。在被动压缩路径下,相同应变时不同应力速率下的孔压降幅基本相同;而在被动挤伸路径下,其降幅随应力速率的增加而增大。边坡开挖路径的选择对于边坡变形影响显著,被动挤伸路径下达到设定极限偏应力时的轴向应变明显大于被动压缩路径。膨胀土变形模量E100随着超固结比和应力速率的增加而增加,但各应力速率下变形模量的各向异性特性则随着超固结比的增加而变弱。     

Some mechanical properties of reconstituted Boom clay

Summary The mechanical behaviour of reconstituted normally consolidated Boom clay was examined in a series of laboratory triaxial stress path tests. The aim was to establish some basic characteristics of this soil. The compressibility of the reconstituted Boom clay was found to be moderate, corresponding to the soils of the same plasticity. The results indicated also that the destructured Boom clay exhibited a brittle behaviour. The undrained secant stiffness was found to vary with strain level and also to be dependent on the consolidation pressure.     

加荷条件下软黏土的孔隙演化特征

开展上海软黏土的宏微观三轴剪切试验,研究软黏土受荷状态下孔隙的演化特征。结果表明：局部变形在加荷初期就开始发生。随着荷载的增加,细碎团聚体增多,孔隙不断地扩展,生成大的贯通孔隙,孔隙定向排列明显,剪切带形成。微观结构参数与剪应力比呈非线性正相关关系,最大孔隙面积、孔隙比、孔隙各向异性率及分布分维数在受荷初期缓慢地增大,后期快速增大。应变为8%时,最大各向异性率达到0.68,最大孔隙比为1.96。剪切带附近的微观结构参数都大于带外值。在受荷过程中,土的微观结构发生劣化,软黏土变形过程分为损伤开始、损伤发展剪切带形成和土体破坏3阶段,微观结构的劣化与土的宏观力学特性紧密相联系。     

Experimental study of thermal effects on the mechanical behaviour of a clay

The paper presents the results of an experimental study of thermal effects on the mechanical behaviour of a saturated clay. The study was performed on CM clay (Kaolin) using a temperature-controlled triaxial apparatus. Applied temperatures were between 22 and 90°C. A comprehensive experimental program was carried out, including: (i) triaxial shear tests at ambient and high temperatures for different initial overconsolidation ratios; (ii) consolidation tests at ambient and high temperatures; and (iii) drained thermal heating for different initial overconsolidation ratios. The obtained results provide observations concerning a wide scope of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of clays. Test results obtained at 90°C were compared with tests performed at ambient temperature. Based on these comparisons, thermal effects on a variety of features of behaviour are presented and discussed. Focus is made on: (i) induced thermal volume change during drained heating; (ii) experimental evidence of temperature influence on preconsolidation pressure and on compressibility index; (iii) thermal effects on shear strength and critical state; and (iv) thermal effects on elastic modulus. Thermal yielding is discussed and yield limit evolution with temperature is presented. The directions of the induced plastic strains are also discussed. Several remarks on the difference in the mechanical behaviour at ambient and high temperatures conclude the paper. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

原状和重塑海洋粘土经历动载后的静强度衰减

根据海洋粉质粘土原状和重塑土样的动三轴试验结果, 比较和分析了两种土样应力、应变、孔隙水压力和不排水抗剪强度行为, 得到了土样的静不排水抗剪强度衰减与波浪荷载作用下土样产生的动应变以及平均累积孔压之间的关系。 并将波浪荷载作用使土样内孔压升高, 有效应力降低, 形成拟超固结现象的理论, 应用到土样不排水抗剪强度衰减与平均累积孔压之间关系的分析;同时与重塑土样的超固结静态剪切试验结果进行比较, 得到了土样在波浪荷载作用后的归一化不排水抗剪强度与拟超固结比之间的关系式。 建议以少量原状土样, 配合大量重塑土样的动三轴试验结果, 实现对实际海洋粘土地基在波浪荷载作用后的静不排水抗剪强度衰化规律的评估。     

泥岩弹塑性损伤本构模型及其参数辨识

以连续介质力学和不可逆热力学为基础,将损伤引入到修正的Mohr-Coulomb准则中,建立了泥岩弹塑性损伤本构模型反映泥岩软硬化行为,通过构建损伤势函数导出了泥岩的损伤演化方程,编制了泥岩弹塑性损伤本构模型及其参数反演程序。并根据非排水条件下泥岩三轴试验结果,采用多目标函数优化反分析法获得了泥岩本构模型参数。研究成果表明,所提出的弹塑性损伤本构模型能有效地描述泥岩在不同应力状态下的力学特性。     

Triaxial tests on the fluidic behavior of post-liquefaction sand

Liquefaction-induced ground deformation is a major cause of structural damage during earthquakes. However, a better understanding of seismic liquefaction is needed to improve earthquake hazard analyses and mitigate structural damage. In this paper, a dynamic triaxial test apparatus was employed to investigate the fluidic characteristics of post-liquefaction sand. The specimens were vibrated to the point of liquefaction by dynamic loading, and then the liquefied sand was further sheared by triaxial compression in an undrained manner. It was found that a non-Newtonian fluid model can accurately describe the shear stress and the shear strain rate of post-liquefaction sand during undrained triaxial compression. The apparent viscosity, a major parameter in a constitutive model of a non-Newtonian fluid, decreases with an increase in the shear strain rate.     

不同温度应力路径下饱和黏土剪切特性

在精准温控动三轴试验系统上开展了不同温度及不同升温路径饱和黏土剪切试验研究,探讨了不同温度对饱和软黏土不排水剪切特性的影响,分析不同升温固结方式对饱和软黏土孔压发展、体变、强度以及模量的影响规律。试验结果显示：在4～76 ℃试验研究范围内,环境温度升高导致饱和软黏土的不排水剪切强度有所减少,但温度升高对土体模量增加影响明显,温度T和模量ET关系可用ET = 2.69T 0.3表达;升温变化时正常固结黏土产生超孔隙水压力并随着温度增大而增大,升温热固结后土的剪切强度将明显提高,且排水状态下升温固结对土剪切强度增长小于升温完成后再固结情况;土体从26 ℃分别升高20、40 ℃时,升温引起的超孔压比分别为0.41、0.61,剪切峰值强度分别增加8.23%、22.37%。研究表明：升温幅值增大会使土体热固结程度越大,升温分级越多,热固结也越充分,其对应的体变、强度增长率则越大;同时最终温度及热固结路径对其剪切相转换特征存在影响,升温越高、热固结路径越多其剪胀性越明显,但温度变化范围、固结分级、热固结路径总体上对孔隙水压力的发展基本不产生影响。     

循环荷载对粉质黏土力学性质的影响

通过等压固结静、动三轴试验,研究了渤海湾粉质黏土在循环荷载作用下的动力性质和循环荷载后不排水静力性质。试验结果表明,循环应力幅值比越大,平均轴向应变和轴向应变幅值越大;循环应力幅值比达到0.4时,平均轴向应变和轴向应变幅值随着循环周数增加迅速增大;循环应力幅值比相同,固结应力越大,轴向应变幅值越大,而平均轴向应变越小。在较大的循环应力幅值比下,平均孔压比值和孔压幅值比值随着循环周数的增大会达到稳定;循环应力幅值比越大平均孔压比值和孔压幅值比值均越大;相同循环应力幅值,固结应力越大平均孔压比值越小,而固结应力对孔压幅值比值影响较小。循环荷载的作用会导致循环荷载后不排水剪在q-p’平面上有效应力路径和孔压发展表现出超固结土的性质。     

原状膨胀土剪切力学特性的应变速率效应

为研究应变速率对原状膨胀土力学性状的影响,通过GDS三轴试验系统进行了不同速率和围压下的固结不排水三轴剪切试验,分析了应力−应变曲线、孔隙水压力、剪切强度以及破坏模式随应变速率的变化规律。结果表明：不同应变速率下,膨胀土应力−应变曲线均呈应变硬化型。随着应变速率的增加,不排水剪切强度单调递增,引入应变速率参数ρ_0.9后发现,不排水强度增长率为14.3%～23.2%,平均值为18.4%。低围压下,应变速率对孔隙水压力影响较小,随着围压的增大,孔隙水压力的发展趋势由软化型转变为硬化型,孔隙水压力峰值随应变速率的增大而减小。原状膨胀土应变速率效应与其多裂隙性密切相关,破坏形式表现为小应变速率下主剪切带与次剪切带共存,大应变速率下仅有主剪切带,裂隙或多剪切带的出现强化了膨胀土强度的应变速率效应。     

不同应力路径下剪切带的数值模拟

采用回映应力更新算法,编写了基于伏斯列夫面的超固结黏土本构关系模型子程序,嵌入非线性有限元软件ABAQUS。通过对单元试验进行三轴压缩、三轴伸长及平面应变等问题的模型预测,再现了超固结黏土在不同初始超固结比和应力路径时的变形和强度特性,从而验证了子程序的正确性。借助该本构模型,对三轴压缩、三轴伸长及平面应变应力路径下超固结黏土体变形局部化问题,进行了三维数值模拟。分析结果表明：超固结黏土在三轴压缩及伸长状态时,土体变形局部化在应力-应变关系软化时出现,而平面应变状态时,在应力-应变关系硬化阶段出现,其超固结黏土的剪胀特性在剪切带的形成过程中起重要作用。     

常剪应力路径下含气砂土的三轴试验

天然气水合物完全分解时,产生的气体使得能源土孔隙压力急速增加,有效应力减小,进而引起土体液化破坏。此时深海能源土斜坡的应力状态与静力液化失稳过程可简化为含气土在常剪应力排水(或不排水)应力路径下的破坏问题。以此为背景,提出了制备含气砂土试样的改进充气管法,并开展了含气砂土的常剪应力路径三轴试验。22组试验结果表明:同一孔隙比的含气密砂在不同围压与常剪应力下具有相同的失稳线;含气砂土试样失稳时的应力比和体变均随初始相对密实度的增大而增大;含气密砂在常剪应力路径下饱和度对失稳特征影响的规律性在排水与不排水条件下均不明显,但在不排水条件下含气砂土的孔压(或体变)对变形的敏感性降低;含气密砂在常剪应力路径到达失稳点之后,排水条件下是瞬变的液化鼓胀破坏,不排水条件下是渐变的剪切破坏。     

NGI‐ADP: Anisotropic shear strength model for clay

Many geotechnical problems involve undrained behavior of clay and the capacity in undrained loading. Most constitutive models used today are effective stress based and only indirectly obtain values for the undrained shear strength. To match the design profiles of undrained shear strengths, in active (A), direct simple shear (D) and passive (P) modes of loading are complicated. This paper presents the elastoplastic constitutive model NGI‐ADP which is based on the undrained shear strength approach with direct input of shear strengths. Consequently, exact match with design undrained shear strengths profiles is obtained and the well‐known anisotropy of undrained shear strength and stiffness is accounted for in the constitutive model. A non‐linear stress path‐dependent hardening relationship is used, defined from direct input of failure strains in the three directions of shearing represented by triaxial compression, direct simple shear and triaxial extension. With its clear input parameters the model has significant advantages for design analysis of undrained problems. The constitutive model is implemented, into finite element codes, with an implicit integration scheme. Its performance is demonstrated by a finite element analysis of a bearing capacity problem. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

连云港软黏土的不排水强度试验研究

对连云港软黏土不扰动样和重塑样进行三轴CU对比试验研究。结果表明,不扰动样的不排水强度包线是由以屈服压力为界的双折线组成,而重塑样的不排水强度包线可以用通过圆点的直线表示。屈服前阶段,不扰动样由于受结构性影响产生的抵抗作用,其不排水强度包线高于重塑样;屈服后阶段,不扰动样的不排水强度包线介于具有不同初始含水率的重塑样的包线之间。通过对比分析,发现不扰动样与重塑样的不排水强度包线存在差异的主要原因是由于试样的不同初始含水率引起的。不扰动样在屈服后阶段的含水率变化规律与不排水强度增长规律与重塑土相一致,采用Burland提出的孔隙指数Iv,可将不同初始含水率重塑样及屈服后阶段不扰动样的压缩性状较好地归一化。     

Effects of Soil Aging on Mechanical and Hydraulic Properties of a Silty Soil

The aging phenomenon, which produces changes in material state over time, is associated with significant modification of mechanical and physical soil properties. This change should be accounted for during geotechnical design. Although soils sometimes improve with aging, the opposite effect is occasionally observed. This paper describes a study performed to investigate the effect of aging on the mechanical behavior and the permeability of a silty soil. Undrained unconsolidated triaxial shear tests and triaxial permeability tests were performed on disturbed and compacted samples. Upon conclusion of these tests, the samples were sealed from air and moisture. The results show an important increase in both the undrained shear strength and the deformation modulus caused by silt rigidification during the aging process. These changes cause an over estimation of laboratory measured shear strength. For instance, the increase in the deformation modulus and undrained cohesion can approach 100 % for an approximate 328 day storage period. Sample permeability was found to decrease with aging. This reduction can be ascribed to several causes including micro-organisms growth, secondary sample consolidation and progressive filling caused by the migration of very fine particles. These phenomena might have negated the expected increase in permeability with aging time reported in the literature.     

Field measurements of shear strength of an underconsolidated marine clay

This paper presents the observations of cone penetration testing (CPT), in situ vane shear testing and undrained triaxial testing of underconsolidated marine clay in the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area (CIDMMA), Norfolk, VA. Comparison of vane shear measurements, taken during 1981–1983, to CPT measurements, taken during 1993, indicates a change in undrained shear strength. Both the vane shear and cone penetration resistances are lowest at the mid-heights of the clay layers and the excess pore water pressures are highest at the mid-height of the clay layers, indicating that the clay layer is underconsolidated.     

Observed Behaviour of Laterally Expanded Stone Column in Soft Soil

The paper describes the behavior of remolded kaolin clay reinforced by stone column as investigated in laboratory. The installation of stone column was simulated by performing lateral expansion at different rates within hollow cylindrical remolded kaolin specimens initially subjected to K0 consolidation path. These specimens were, then, subjected to classical consolidated undrained triaxial tests while recording excess pore pressure values. The objective of the experimental programme was to quantify the effects of consolidation stress and stone column on the undrained Young’s modulus and shear strength of kaolin clay. Obtained results showed a significant improvement in Young’s modulus when the cavity expansion ratio and the consolidation stress increase. It was also found that the increase in undrained shear strength of improved kaolin clay mainly occurred at lower consolidation stress. Another important finding of this study is that the ratio of undrained Young’s modulus to undrained shear stress increases when the consolidation stress decreases. Finally, the paper presents a model developed for the design of stone columns.