Abstract
Identifying the spatial distribution of deformation and shear band characteristics is important for accurately modeling soil behavior and ensuring the safety of nearby geotechnical structures. However, most research on the shear behavior of soils has focused on granular soil and clay-rich rocks, with little focus on clayey soil, and the entire shearing process from the initial state to failure has not been observed. This study evaluated the spatial distribution and evolution of deformation in clayey soils from the initial state to the post-failure state and the shear band characteristics. Plane strain tests were performed on normally consolidated and over-consolidated clay specimens, and digital images were captured through a transparent side wall for particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis. PIV was performed to evaluate the displacement and deformation of soil particles. The results show that the shear-strain behaviors of two clays during the shearing process could be divided into four stages: initial, peak, softening, and steady state. Shear bands were observed to form in the softening stage, and the shear band slopes were compared to values in the literature. These results can be used to characterize shear bands in clay as well as predict failure behavior and guide reinforcement at actual sites with soft ground.
Highlights
Soil failure occurs with the formation and development of one or more shear bands [1].Applying a load to a soil element causes spatially non-uniform deformation that gradually focuses on a specific shear band [2]
A thin and transparent membrane was used, so that the image patterns generated for digital image analysis (DIA) could be observed
For the normally consolidated (NC) clay, the vertical load was applied at a deviatoric stress of
Summary
Soil failure occurs with the formation and development of one or more shear bands [1].Applying a load to a soil element causes spatially non-uniform deformation that gradually focuses on a specific shear band [2]. Soil failure occurs with the formation and development of one or more shear bands [1]. When the load exceeds the soil element’s shear strength, progressive failure (i.e., shear failure) occurs along the shear band where the deformation is concentrated. The soil behavior during this shear failure greatly influences the stability of nearby geotechnical structures. It is important to identify the spatial distribution of deformation and the shear band characteristics from the initial state to the post-failure state (i.e., throughout the shearing process). This allows geotechnical engineers to accurately model the ground and evaluate the behavior of nearby geotechnical structures
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