Experimental Study on Direct Shear Creep Characteristics and Long-Term Strength of Red Layer Sliding Zone Soil in Southern Hunan

Abstract

The creep characteristics of red layer sliding soil under the condition of different vertical loads and water contents were studied through a series of direct shear creep tests. Tests results showed that the water infiltrated to the sliding zone along the fissure of red layer sliding belt due to the crush of red layer sliding rock, leading to softening of sliding zone and acceleration of shear creep. When the shear stress reached the limit of long-term shear strength, sliding soil was broken suddenly with small vertical loads (50 kPa and 100kPa), while the sliding soil presented as a constant acceleration creep with enough vertical loads (200 kPa and 300 kPa). The inflection point in shear stress-shear displacement isochronous curve corresponded to the long-term strength of the soil.