Characteristics of small-strain shear modulus of Zhanjiang clay under influence of inherent anisotropy
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Graphical Abstract
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Abstract
In order to investigate the influence of inherent anisotropy on the small-strain shear modulus of Zhanjiang clay, a series of resonance column tests are carried out on the specimens with α=0°, 22.5°, 45°, 67.5°, and 90° under different confining pressures. The tests results indicate that the ratio of the maximum dynamic shear modulus normalized by the void ratio function Gmax/F(e) of the specimens with different α to Gmax/F(e) of the specimen with 90° (i.e., Kα) decreases with the increasing α under the same confining pressure. When the confining pressure is lower than or higher than the yield stress σk, Kα keeps basically constant or obviously decreases with the increasing confining pressure for the specimen with the same α. When the confining pressure is lower than σk, the increase of the confining pressure hardly affects the influence of the inherent anisotropy on Gmax. When the confining pressure is higher than σk, the increase of the confining pressure weakens the influence of inherent anisotropy on Gmax. As the confining pressure increases, Gmax/F(e) of specimens in different directions shows the law of first increasing and then decreasing, and a turning point occurs when the confining pressure is around σk. Based on the variation law of Gmax/F(e) of specimens in different directions with confining pressure, a characterization method of evolution law of Gmax considering the inherent anisotropy is proposed.
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