In-situ Determination of Undrained Stress-strain Behavior of Sensitive Clays with the Pressuremeter

Abstract

A theory originally proposed by Gibson and Anderson (1961) has been extended to enable a direct determination of the whole undrained stress-strain curve of the clay from the pressure-expansion curve obtained in a conventional pressuremeter test.When applied to some pressuremeter tests carried out in Leda clay in the Ottawa area, the method enabled us to determine the undrained stress-strain behavior of the clay up to axial strains of about 20%. It is thought that, when properly performed, the test is able to furnish the data on the undrained stress-strain and strength properties of sensitive clays comparable to the laboratory test results obtained on block samples. Its particular feature is that it also furnishes a true picture of the post-peak strength decrease in terms of shear strain which is usually difficult to obtain by any other type of test.