Abstract
This paper presents the results and analysis of a laboratory investigation of the behavior of lightly overconsolidated compressible Chicago glacial clays over a wide strain range. Each specimen was trimmed from high quality block samples taken from an excavation in Evanston, Illinois. Specimens were instrumented with three sets of bender elements and local LVDTs. After K0 consolidation to the in situ vertical effective stress of the block, drained stress probe tests were conducted. Results of bender elements tests obtained prior to stress probing show that compressible Chicago glacial clay initially is cross anisotropic. Propagation velocities measured by bender elements in axial direction after K0 reconsolidation and drained creep agrees well with the in situ shear wave velocity measured by seismic cone penetration tests. Results of drained stress probe tests are analyzed in terms of shear, volumetric and coupled stiffness, stiffness degradation, and direction of loading. The significant variability of shear, bulk and cross-coupling response depending on stress path direction and strain level provide experimental evidence that the Chicago clays are incrementally nonlinear at the strain levels investigated.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 012001QGT |
Pages (from-to) | 178-188 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering |
Volume | 136 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2010 |
Keywords
- Anisotropy
- Bender element
- Chicago clay
- Clays
- Cross anisotropy
- Experimentation
- Experiments
- Limit state
- Sampling
- Stiffness
- Stress strain relations
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Environmental Science
- Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology