Constitutive behavior of Port-Said Clay under seismic and small strain static conditions

Abstract

Abstract Port-Said Clay is very soft to firm clay deposited in the delta of an old tributary of the Nile at the east of Port-Said, Egypt. Despite the detailed characterization carried out for Port-Said Clay, no tests were carried out to measure its seismic or small strain properties except for some measurements for clays in offshore Egypt. In this paper, the maximum shear modulus, modulus reduction ratio and damping ratio of Port-Said Clay are predicted by utilizing available measurements for clays in offshore Egypt and other similar soft clay deposits. These measurements, along with the characteristic properties of Port-Said Clay and well-established empirical correlations, are utilized in this study to recommend correlations and/or charts that predict the seismic and small strain properties of Port-Said Clay. The study also suggests a modification to some existing correlations and delivers the required parameters for seismic and small strain modeling of Port-Said Clay.