An improved Mesri creep model for unsaturated weak intercalated soils

The weak intercalated soils in redbed soft rocks of Badong formation have obvious creep characters. In order to predict the unsaturated creep behaviors of weak intercalated soils, an unsaturated creep model was established based on the unsaturated creep tests of weak intercalated soils by using GDS triaxial apparatus. The results show that the creep behaviors of intercalated soils are apparent and significantly affected by matric suction. Based on this, an empirical Mesri creep model for intercalated soils under varying matric suctions was built. The fitting results show that the parameters Ed and m of this model are in good power relations with matric suction s and stress level Dr, respectively. An improved Mesri creep model was established involving stress-matric suction-strain-time, which is more precise than the Mesri creep model in predicting the unsaturated creep behaviors of weak intercalated soils.