Shear behavior of saturated silt under complex unloading paths

The excavation of foundation pit engineering has different unloading effects on the surrounding soil. The existing specifications mainly use the consolidated undrained strength index based on the conventional triaxial tests, which cannot describe the mechanical characteristics of the excavation soil under the unloading path. The triaxial drainage shear tests on the unloading path of saturated silt are conducted, the stress-strain curves for different stress paths are obtained, the effects of unloading ratio, confining pressure and strain level on the secant modulus are analyzed, and a simplified formula proposed for the unloading modulus of saturated silt. The results show that the stress-strain curves of different unloading stress paths all exhibit a strain softening type, and the unloading modulus increases with a decrease in the unloading ratio and an increase in the confining pressure. The peak shear stress of K₀ consolidation lateral unloading path (EB) is higher than that of K₀ consolidation bidirectional unloading path (EC, FD). The influences of the stress paths on the attenuation of the secant modulus vary significantly, with K₀ consolidation bidirectional unloading paths (EC, FD) having the greatest impact on the attenuation of the secant modulus. The strength of the soil at the bottom of the foundation pit is relatively high, and it is less affected by excavation, with a greater capability to resist deformation. In the design of foundation pit engineering, the corresponding secant modulus in different areas of the foundation pit should be considered.