Modelling Temperature and Strain Rate Dependent Behavior of Clays: One Dimensional Consolidation

The behavior of natural clays during one dimensional consolidation is influenced strongly by strain rate as well as temperature. This is evidenced, in particular, by the series of Constant Rate of Strain (CRS) oedometer tests performed on clay from Berthierville, Canada. The preconsolidation pressure is a function of both strain rate and temperature. The viscous behavior of the natural clay skeleton as well as the characteristics of the permeability are discussed in this paper, based on the experimental results obtained on Berthierville clay. An elasto-thermo-viscoplastic constitutive model is also developed to reproduce the one dimensional behavior of natural clays at different strain rates and temperatures. An effective stress based finite element method is applied to the experimental results of consolidation. The simulated results were found to agree well with the experimental ones.