A Simple Effective Stress Approach for Modeling Rate-Dependent Strength of Soft Clay

Abstract

This paper proposes a simple effective stress method for modeling the strain rate-dependent strength behavior that is experienced by many fine-grained soils in offshore events when subjected to rapid, large strain, undrained shearing. The approach is based on correlating the size of the modified Cam-Clay yield locus with strain rate, i.e., yield locus enlarging or diminishing dependent on the strain rate. A viscometer-based method for evaluating the needed parameters for this approach is provided. The viscometer measurements showed that strain rate parameters are largely independent of water content and agree closely with data from a previous study. Numerical analysis of the annular simple shear situation induced by the viscometer shows remarkable agreement with the experimental data provided the remolding-induced strength degradation effect is accounted for. The proposed method allows offshore foundation installation processes such as dynamically installed offshore anchors, free-falling penetrometer, and submarine landslides to be more realistically analyzed through effective stress calculations.