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Mechanical properties of soft soils experiencing lateral unloading under initial excess pore water pressure

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Abstract

The mechanical properties of soft soils were investigated through triaxial lateral unloading tests under different initial excess pore water pressures and confining pressures. The lateral unloading stress–strain, strength parameters, and initial unloading moduli of soft soils are presented and discussed in this study. The results show that soft soils abruptly undergo unloading failure. The lower confining pressure and the higher initial excess pore water pressure can result in intensive unloading failure behavior. The unloading strength of soft soils linearly decreases as the initial excess pore water pressure increases. The stress–strain curve is characterized as strain hardening. The cohesion and initial unloading moduli of soft soils drastically reduce when the initial excess pore water pressure exceeds 20 kPa. The conclusions obtained in this study can provide a theoretical reference for the design and numerical analysis of underground spaces in soft soils.

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Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 51908097, the Scientific and Technological Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission under Grant No. KJ1713327 and No. KJ1600532, the State Scholarship Fund under Grant CSC No. 201708505131, Chongqing University of Science and Technology Research Program under Grant No. ck2017zkyb013 and ck2017zkyb010, School of Civil Engineering and Architecture under Grant No. JG201703 from Chongqing University of Science and Technology, and Chongqing Research Program of Basic Research and Frontier Technology by Chongqing Science and Technology Commission under Grant No. cstc2015jcyjA90012 and cstc2019jcyj-msxmX0258.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China

    Wei Huang & Junjie Li

  2. Chongqing Key Laboratory of Energy Engineering Mechanics & Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Chongqing, 401331, China

    Wei Huang

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, 39217, USA

    Kejun Wen, Shihui Liu, Yang Li & Farshad Amini

  4. Department of Student Affairs Management, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China

    Xuemei Fu

  5. Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN, 37209, USA

    Lin Li

Authors
  1. Wei Huang
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  2. Kejun Wen
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  3. Junjie Li
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  4. Xuemei Fu
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  5. Shihui Liu
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  6. Yang Li
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  7. Lin Li
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  8. Farshad Amini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kejun Wen.

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Responsible Editor: Zeynal Abiddin Erguler

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Huang, W., Wen, K., Li, J. et al. Mechanical properties of soft soils experiencing lateral unloading under initial excess pore water pressure. Arab J Geosci 13, 718 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05734-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05734-8

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