Mechanical Behavior of Structured Clay and Its Simulation

Abstract

The mechanical behavior of natural sedimentary clay and cement-mixed clay is different from the comparable behavior of the reconstituted sample as the consequence of structuration induced over the geological period due to natural conditions or rather quickly due to the addition of chemical bonding in fabrics. In this paper, the mechanical behavior of such structured clays as highlighted by reduced compressibility, higher stiffness and higher strength was carefully examined in the laboratory. In comparing the elastic shear modulus at very small strains, G between each structured clay and the reconstituted sample, the clay structure was evaluated quantitatively by metastability index MI(G) proposed by Shibuya. The stress-strain and strength behavior when subjected to undrained shear in compression was also simulated by the so-called super/subloading yield surface (SYS) Cam clay model proposed by Asaoka et al.