An empirical formula for the accumulative deformation of saturated clay under different cyclic loading frequencies

Abstract

Road and subway tunnels in soft clay soils subjected to traffic loading often cause lager settlement. It can pose danger to the surrounding buildings and structures. Hence, it is necessary for engineers to correctly predict the long-term deformation of saturated clay foundations under cyclic loading. In this paper, a series of dynamic triaxial tests were carried out on Nanning clay to investigate the effect of loading frequency and cyclic stress on axial strain accumulation of clay under undrained condition. Results show that loading frequency has a great effect on the axial strain accumulation of clay. Based on the experimental results, an empirical formula for calculating the accumulated deformation of saturated clay under cyclic loading was presented.