Experimental Research on the Dynamic Shear Modulus and Damping Ratio of Marine Structured Clay

Abstract

The dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio are essential parameters for the dynamic properties of clay. They play significant role in dynamic analysis of soil mass as well as the safety evaluation on site earthquake. In consideration of the specialty of marine structured clay, the resonant column test was used to analyze the Zhanjiang structured clay. From the result, currently the standard recommended values of shear modulus and damping ratio are not applicable to the marine clay. Therefore, it used the Martin-Davidenkov model along with the empirical relationship of damping ratio and shear strain to build the regularity of the shear modulus and damping ratio versus the changes of shear strain. Consequently it proposed the recommended value of the shear modulus G/G max and the damping ratio D for the marine structured clay within the strain range of 5×10−6∼5×10−3. The research findings can provide technical foundation for the engineering design, construction and anti-seismic analysis of Zhanjiang structured clay.