Cyclic Shear Strength of Clay under Simple Shear Condition

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to investigate the cyclic shear behavior of clay, in particular the simple shear conditions. In general, cyclic triaxial tests are performed to evaluate the deformation and the strength characteristics of clay. However, the direction of cyclic loading in triaxial tests is different from the direction of cyclic shear loading in the natural ground. In the present study, therefore, a cyclic simple shear test apparatus has been newly developed and various cases of cyclic simple shear tests have been performed using reconstituted clay and intact natural clay. From the test results, the cyclic shear behavior of clay, which is useful for constitutive modeling, could be precisely obtained. Furthermore, it has been found that the cyclic shear strength of clay can be determined with only the vertical effective stress.