Review of Soil Creep Characteristics and Advances in Modelling Research

Abstract

Creep is recognised to be an important physical property of soils, exerting a profound influence on the stability of structures. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the advancements and focal points in soil creep research, the relevant literature was accessed from the Web of Science Core Collection database, totalling 3907 papers (as of 25 March 2024). Statistical analyses on publication volume, keyword co-occurrence, and clustering were conducted using the visualization software VOSviewer (1.6.20). The current hotspots in soil creep research were identified, and a systematic review was undertaken on the influencing factors of soil creep and the corrective methods of creep models. The research findings indicate that the number of papers on creep research exhibits a trend of increase followed by a decrease over time. Developed countries, such as those in Europe and America, initiated research in this field earlier than developing countries like China. Currently, the research focus is primarily centred on creep models. Significant differences exist in the creep deformation of soils under different influencing factors, with soil microstructure, moisture content, and stress path being important factors affecting soil creep deformation. Creep deformation in unsaturated soils primarily considers the influence of matric suction, while indoor creep tests are mainly conducted based on vertical loading, which differs significantly from the stress conditions experienced by soils in engineering construction sites. Currently, adjustments to soil parameters are mainly made through single-factor adjustments involving stress, time, damage, and matric suction to determine creep models under specific influencing factors, and then to modify the models accordingly. However, research on the creep deformation mechanism and creep models under multiple factors is relatively limited. Future research directions are expected to focus on the microscopic scale of creep mechanisms and multi-factor creep models.