Empirical Method for Evaluating Resilient Modulus of Saturated Silty Clay under Cyclic Loading

Abstract

Resilient modulus of soil is crucial for the design of a structure on a foundation subjected to a cyclic loading (e.g., traffic load or machine vibration load). This paper conducted a series of dynamic triaxial tests of saturated silty clay, considering the influence of the factors of cyclic stress ratio (CSR), static deviatoric stress ratio (SDR), and overconsolidation ratio (OCR) on the resilient modulus and dynamic damping ratio of the soil. A cyclic loading with a form of half sine wave was used to model the traffic loading. The results showed that the soil was prone to failure under a higher SDR, even though the applied CSR was less than the critical CSR. The saturated silty clay performed a strain softening behavior and its dynamic properties deteriorated significantly when higher CSR and SDR and lower OCR were involved. Based on the test results, an empirical method with a form of exponential function was proposed to evaluate the resilient modulus of the soil, considering the combined effects of CSR and SDR and OCR. The proposed method was verified through a comparison with the test results in this study and from literatures, and some recommendations for its application were offered.