Influence of Shear on Permeability of Clayey Soil

Abstract

The variation of stress–strain state induces changes in the permeability of clayey soil and then affects the properties of seepage and consolidation. In previous studies, variations of the permeability of soil in shear process were mainly neglected, and there were no reasonable descriptions of the permeability in such a condition. To study the variation of the hydraulic conductivity of clayey soil in shear process, new triaxial seepage equipment was designed by changing the conventional triaxial apparatus. Based on a series of tests under different confining pressures carried out by this equipment, the influences of the stress–strain state of clayey soil on hydraulic conductivity were investigated. Furthermore, a mathematical model for the hydraulic conductivity of clayey soil under the condition of large shear deformation was proposed. The comparison between the seepage test results and the calculated values of the proposed model indicates that the mathematical model can calibrate the effects of the void ratio and the mesostructure on the hydraulic conductivity of soil in shear process very well.