Consolidation effects of a saturated red clay subjected to temperature loading with different amplitudes

The consolidation effects of a saturated red clay subjected to temperature loading with different amplitudes are studied. The specimens subjected to different confining pressures (i.e., σ₃=50, 100, 150, 200 kPa) are firstly consolidated at a primary temperature of 20℃ and then are heated to different higher temperatures (i.e., 40℃, 50℃, 60℃, 70℃ and 80℃) under undrained and drained conditions at the desired temperature. The test results show that the peaks of the pore pressure induced by heating increase with the increase of the amplitudes of the thermal loading, and the ratios of the pore pressure to the confining pressure decrease with the increase of the confining pressure when the temperature of specimens reaches the same desired value, while the pore pressure increases actually. Under drained conditions, the volumetric strain increases with the increase of the amplitudes of thermal loading and decreases as the confining pressure increases. Besides, in the case of the same thermal loading and confining pressures, the thermal consolidation volumetric strains of the red clays are commonly greater than those of a saturated silty clay with low plasticity index.