Structured Cam Clay Model with Cementation Effect

Abstract

In this paper, the theoretical framework of the Structured Cam Clay (SCC) model is extended to describe the behaviour of cemented clay. An operative mean effective stress parameter for soils with cohesion/cementation is introduced to include the influence of cementation on the strength and the deformation of cohesive soils. For simplicity, the removal of cementation is assumed to take place during the process of the rearrangement of soil particles to form the final critical state of deformation. Based on experimental observation, a simple destructuring function is proposed for the removal of cementation structure; especially, for artificially strongly-cemented clays. The model is suitable for describing the behaviour of clays in reconstituted, naturally structured, and artificially cemented states under monotonic loading or with simple stress reversal. The revised model is then employed to simulate the behaviour of cemented clays with various degrees of cementation and confining stresses. It is seen that main features of the complicated behaviour of cemented clays can be represented reasonably well by the model. Some studies on model parameters are also presented.