Abstract
The small strain stiffness described by shear wave velocities was used to reveal the characteristics of soil structure. Bender element tests were performed on triaxial compression test samples to determine the shear wave velocity and maximum shear modulus of Zhanjiang structured clay and remolded clay, which could allow the stress–strain responses to be obtained concurrently. The results showed that the degradation of the shear modulus of the remolded clay was achieved by a reduction of the effective mean stress, while that of the structured clay was influenced by both the effective mean stress and structural damage. It was also determined that the difference between shear modulus calculated by effective mean stress and that calculated by shear wave velocity was caused by structural damage. Hence, the maximum shear modulus of structured clay is reasonably connected to soil structure, assessing the degradation of shear modulus can reveal the progression of structural damage, then the evolution of structural damage and stiffness degradation of structured clay during triaxial shearing is established.
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