Hysteresis Model for Soft Cohesive Soils under Combinations of Static and Cyclic Shear Loads

Abstract

The application of large-amplitude cyclic shear loads on soft soils results in large strains after a certain number of cycles. These strains are highly dependent on static shear load and cause stress–strain relationships with various characteristics that are difficult to model. Moreover, the characterization of suitable cyclic behavior in soft soils should include the effects of soil degradation, load history, and excess pore pressure. This article presents a model that is based on the mathematical theory of hysteresis. This model considers the response of soft cohesive soils under combinations of static and cyclic shear loads with large strains. In addition, the resulting model reproduces the shapes and values of the stress–strain laws that were obtained from simple shear tests on cohesive soil samples.