Strain-Dependent Shear Stiffness of Cement-Treated Marine Clay

Abstract

This paper proposes a framework for describing the modulus degradation behavior of cement-treated soft clay. The results show that effect of the mix ratio on the modulus degradation behavior can be captured through the unconfined compressive strength only, rather than through two parameters (e.g., void ratio and cement content) as used in existing models. The parameters for describing the modulus degradation behavior can be evaluated directly by appropriate plots of the data without any iteration. Fitted expressions are also given which relate these parameters to the unconfined compressive strength. The effect of the mean effective stress becomes significant when it is higher than the primary yield stress. Similarly, the effect of overconsolidation increases with increasing overconsolidation ratio. Both parameters can be incorporated into the expressions for the reference strain, α, and normalized degraded modulus. These expressions allow the effect of mix ratio, mean effective stress, and overconsolidation to be comprehensively described. Together, the proposed models provide a complete framework for describing the effect of mix ratio, mean effective stress, and overconsolidation on the modulus degradation behavior of cement-treated soil.