• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.49-60
• /
• 2016

Soil failure is initiated and preceded by forming and progressing of shear band, defined as the localization of deformation into thin zones of soil mass. To understand the failure mechanism of normally consolidated cohesive soil, the spatial distribution and evolution of deformation within the entire specimen need to be evaluated. In this study, vertical compression tests under plane strain condition were performed on reconstituted kaolinite specimens, while capturing digital images of the specimen at regular intervals during shearing. Overall stress-strain behavior from initial to post peak has been analyzed together with spatial distributions of deformations and shear band characteristics from digital images at 4 stages.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.561-573
• /
• 2020

The creep and consolidation behaviors of clays subjected to thermal cycles are of fundamental importance in the application of energy geostructures. This study aims to numerically investigate the physical mechanisms for the temperature-triggered volume change of saturated clays. A recently developed thermodynamic framework is used to derive the thermo-mechanical constitutive model for clays. Based on the model, a fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) finite element (FE) code is developed. Comparison with experimental observations shows that the proposed FE code can well reproduce the irreversible thermal contraction of normally consolidated and lightly overconsolidated clays, as well as the thermal expansion of heavily overconsolidated clays under drained heating. Simulations reveal that excess pore pressure may accumulate in clay samples under triaxial drained conditions due to low permeability and high heating rate, resulting in thermally induced primary consolidation. Results show that four major mechanisms contribute to the thermal volume change of clays: (i) the principle of thermal expansion, (ii) the decrease of effective stress due to the accumulation of excess pore pressure, (iii) the thermal creep, and (iv) the thermally induced primary consolidation. The former two mechanisms mainly contribute to the thermal expansion of heavily overconsolidated clays, whereas the latter two contribute to the noticeable thermal contraction of normally consolidated and lightly overconsolidated clays. Consideration of the four physical mechanisms is important for the settlement prediction of energy geostructures, especially in soft soils.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.49-58
• /
• 2004

Consolidation properties of Shihwa deposits were analysed by means of depositional environments. Depositional environments including particle size distributions, sediment structures, geochemical properties, porewater chemistries and carbon age dating were analysed using undisturbed samples retrieved successively from a boring hole in the study area. Laboratory oedometer tests and anisotropic consolidated triaxial tests (CKoUC) for undisturbed samples were performed to examine the overconsolidation phenomena. Based on the results of analysis of depositional environments, it was found that the upper silt/clay mixed layer was deposited under marine condition while underlying sand and clay layers were deposited under fluvial condition. Planar laminated structures of silts and clays were dominant in marine deposits. Although there was no clear evidences that geological erosion had occurred in marine deposits, overconsolidation ratios of the upper marine samples were greater than unity Stress Paths of the upper marine samples behaved similarly to those of normally consolidated clays. Data plotted in stress state charts showed that the marine deposits were normally consolidated in geological meaning. These apparent overconsolidation of the marine deposits can be explained by the structures i.e. chemical bonding due to the difference of the rate of deposition, not by geological erosions and ground water fluctuations.

• Geotechnical Engineering
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.41-50
• /
• 1995

In situ clay soils with Ko condition have anisotropic characteristics, varying the response according to the principal stress direction upon loading. But because of their practicality and simplicity, consolidated isotropic undrained compression tests are commonly used in practice to determine the behavior of cohesive soils. In this study to investigate the anisotropic characteristics and the effects of consolidation stress states on the response of normally consolidated clay soils during shearing, triaxial compression and extension tests after consolidating the undisturbed clay soil samples, which are obtained as a block sample to normalized consolidation states under isotropic or Ko state, were carried out. As a result of tests, the anisotropy of the undrained strength was confirmed. Comparing the soil responses between isotropic and Ko consolidation, the undrained strength by isotropic consolidation is overestimated because of its higher mean consolidation pressure. And isotropic consolidation reduces the anisotropy of soil response and influences on the stress-strain behavior and pore pressure response because the animotropic soil structure is partially collapsed during isotropic consolidation process. Also, OCR in overconsolidated soils is decreased by isotropic consolidatiorL Friction angle in eztension is higher than that in compression, but regression analysis shows that friction angle with cohesion in extension is almost the same as that without cohesion in compresslon.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.134-153
• /
• 1988

This paper was carried out to investigate the existence of a unique stress- strain behavior by obtaining some factors influencing the time dependent stress- strain behavior of clay. The results obtained from this study were summarized as follows ; 1. The relationship between stress ratro and strain in normally consolidated clay was in- dependent on pre-shear consolidation pressure. Therefore, shear strain could be expressed as a function with stress ratio. 2. The constitutive equation of shear strain on Modified Carn Clay Model coincided better with the observed value than Cam Clay Model. 3. The relationships between deviator stress and shear strain, between pore water pressure and shear strain were unified by the mean equivalent pressure. 4. The shear strain contour in norrnally consolidated clay was increased linearly through origin, but that in overconsolidated clay was not in accordance with the result of the former. 5. Because the effective stress path of normally consolidated clay was unified by the mean equivalent pressure, state boundary surface in (e,p,q) space was transformed into two dimensional surface. But it was considered to be suitable that the unified stress- strain in overconsolidated clay be expressed by a function with overconsolidation ratio. 6. The deviator for constant strain was increased linearly with increment of strain rate ($\varepsilon$) on semi-log scale, but pore water pressure was decreased. 7. The behavior of stress relaxation was transformed from linear to curvilinear with inc - rement of strain rate before stress relaxation test, and pore water pressure was increased in total range. 8. The strain of creep was increased linearly with increment of time on semi-log scale. The greater the strain rate before creep test became, the greater the increment of strain of creep became. And the pore water pressure during creep test was increased generally with increment of time on semi-log scale.

• Geotechnical Engineering
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.55-64
• /
• 1993

The Undrained creep tests on the normally consolidated clays with four different consolication ratios(c3c'/clc': 1.0, 0.7, 0.5, 0.4) were performed to investigate the effects of avisotropic consolidation on the undrained creep rupture behavior. The elapsed time to a certain minimum strain rate is decreased with decreasing the value of the consolidation pressure ratio, and the elapsed time to rupture for a certain minimum strain rate is also decreased with decreasing the ratio. The upper yield strength obtained from the equation suggested by Finn and Shead(1.) is coincided well with the creep strength irrespective of the magnitude of the consolidation pressure ratio, and the normallised upper yielding strength by mean confining pressure is decreased with increasing the consolidation pressure ratio. The critical strain for creep rupture, the strain at min. strain rate, is constant irrespective of the magnitude of creep stress, but it increased exponentially with increasing the ratio, It accordingly is dangerous that the potential of in-situ creep rupture is estimated only by the creep rupture test on the isotropically consolidated clay in case of K0-value below 1.0.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.149-163
• /
• 2023

This paper presents stability evaluation of unlined tunnels with semi-circular arch and straight sides (SASS) driven in non-homogeneous and anisotropic undrained clay. Numerical analysis has been conducted based on lower bound finite element limit analysis with second order cone programming under plane strain condition. The solutions will be used for the assessment of stability of unlined semi-circular arch tunnels and tunnels in which semi-circular roof is supported over rectangular/square sections. The stability charts have been generated in terms of a non-dimensional factor considering linear variation in undrained anisotropic strength for normally consolidated and lightly over consolidated clay with depth, and constant undrained anisotropic strength for heavily over-consolidated clay across the depth. The effect of normalized surcharge pressure on ground surface, non-homogeneity and anisotropy of clay, tunnel cover to width ratio and height to width ratio of tunnel on the stability factor and associated zone of shear failure at yielding have been examined and discussed. The geometry of tunnel in terms of shape and size, and non-homogeneity and anisotropy in undrained strength of clay has been observed to influence significantly the stability of unlined SASS tunnels.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2006.03a
• /
• pp.402-413
• /
• 2006

Strength evaluation of soft soils is a formidable task because of difficulties in sampling, specimen preparation and setting in triaxial cells. In undrained triaxial testing, sampling disturbance, verticality of specimen and bedding effect give a great influence on shear strength measurements. In the other hand, shear wave measurements of specimens are less influenced by these factors. In this research, the bender elements were attached top cap and base pedestal of triaxial cell and shear wave velocities were measured. To initiate a methodology to evaluate shear strength indirectly by measuring shear wave velocity, a relationship between shear strength and shear wave velocity was developed with kaolinite specimens consolidated in the laboratory. Undrained shear strength turns out to increase linearly with shear wave velocity. Stress-strain curves can also be predicted with a hyperbolic model and shear wave measurements.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.19-37
• /
• 2012

This paper presents the results of analytical and numerical analyses of the effects of performing a pressuremeter test or driving a pile in clay. The geometry of the problem has been simplified by the assumptions of plane strain and axial symmetry. Pressuremeter testing or installation of driven piles has been modelled as an undrained expansion of a cylindrical cavity. Stresses, pore water pressures, and deformations are found by assuming that the clay behaves like normally consolidated modified Cam clay. Closed-form solutions are obtained which allow the determination of the principal effective stresses and the strains around the cavity. The analysis which indicates that the intermediate principal stress at critical state is not equal to the mean of the other two principal stresses, except when the clay is initially isotropically consolidated, also permits finding the limit expansion and excess pore water pressures by means of the Almansi finite strain approach. Results are compared with published data which were determined using finite element and finite difference methods.

• Geotechnical Engineering
• /
• v.12 no.5
• /
• pp.17-26
• /
• 1996

The undrained behavior of Asan marine soil was investigated by using an automated triaxial testing device. The stress-strain behavior at the preand postfailure state of marine soil under undrained compression and eatension conditions was compared with the behavior of pure silt, pure clay and the overall behavior of Asan marine soil was predicted with the modified Camflay model and the bounding surface model. The marine soil sampled in Asan bay area was clayey silts with 70oA silt-30% clay content and the testing samples were prepared in both undisturbed and remolded conditions. All samples are normally consolidated with 400 kPa of effective mean confining pressure and each sample is unloaded to 200, 100, 67 kPa, respectively. And then the shear test was performed with different confining pressure. According to experimental results, there exists an unique failure line whose slope is lower than silt's and higher than clay's. It is identified that the undrained shear strength of normally consolidated samples increases after crossing the phase transformation line because of volume dilation tendency which is not seen in clay. Overconsolidated samples show different soil behavior compared with pure silt due to its tendency of change in volume. It is also found that the overall behavior of Asan marine soil cannot be predicted precisely with the modified Cam-clay model and the bounding surface model.