State-dependent flow instability of a silty loess

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The flow instability of intact and reconstituted silty loess recovered from the loess plateau of China are studied under undrained monotonic loading using conventional triaxial tests; flow instability has been postulated as the primary cause for loess flowslides. The experimentally determined critical state lines of intact and reconstituted silty loess appear to be non-linear and the flow behaviours are state-dependent with non-unique instability lines. The effect of structure of intact silty loess can either impede or facilitate the onset of flow instability depending on the state of the soil. A previously proposed modified state parameter is employed to better characterise the flow behaviours of silty loess, with a revised range and corresponding descriptors.