Abstract
To gain a better understanding of the undrained deformation characteristic of saturated marine clay soil subjected to vehicle cyclic traffic load, a sophisticated dynamic triaxial was used to conduct a variety of undrained one-way compression cyclic experiments with variable confining pressure (VCP) as well as constant confining pressure (CCP). The results indicate that, compared to CCP test results, VCP is helpful to raise the axial resilient modulus (Mr) and restrain the permanent plastic strain ( ε a p ) development of the specimens. By normalization analysis of the measured data of Mr and ε a p , the virtually unique correlation between normalized average resilient modulus, normalized permanent axial strain after 1,000 loading cycles, and normalized mean normal stress is established, respectively, regardless of the values of CSR. Additionally, the VCP influence on ε a p is quantified and fitted by a power law function, which can be used for subsoil deformation prediction and provides new insights into the mechanics of strain accumulation under undrained cyclic loading conditions.
Highlights
Excessive subgrade deformation as a consequence of vehicular traffic has been one of the main causes of damage to transport infrastructures and financial losses which are founded on the deep soft clay area of southeast (SE) China [1]
Resilient modulus and strain accumulation models obtained from cyclic triaxial tests can be used for the prediction of soil stiffness and permanent deformation subjected to traffic loading, which should be addressed in pavement design [9,10,11,12,13,14]
In most of the cyclic triaxial tests in the literature, the confining pressure was maintained constant, and the traffic repeated load was characterized as a separate one-sided cyclic axial compression stress
Summary
Excessive subgrade deformation as a consequence of vehicular traffic has been one of the main causes of damage to transport infrastructures (such as motorways, railways, and airport runways) and financial losses which are founded on the deep soft clay area of southeast (SE) China [1]. E generation of axial strain in subsoil during repeated loading can be classified into resilient strains and permanent strains It is the combination of these two components that determines the design and lifetime serviceability of a pavement [2]. Resilient modulus and strain accumulation models obtained from cyclic triaxial tests can be used for the prediction of soil stiffness and permanent deformation subjected to traffic loading, which should be addressed in pavement design [9,10,11,12,13,14]. In most of the cyclic triaxial tests in the literature, the confining pressure was maintained constant, and the traffic repeated load was characterized as a separate one-sided cyclic axial compression stress. To assess the VCP effect on the drained cyclic triaxial behavior of unbound granular materials (UGMs), RondoN et al [16] presented an experimental study of the drained
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