A 1D model considering the combined effect of strain-rate and temperature for soft soil

Strain-rate and temperature have significant effects on the one-dimensional (1D) compression behavior of soils. This paper focuses on the bonding degradation effect of soil structure on the time and temperature dependent behavior of soft structured clay. The strain-rate and temperature dependency of preconsolidation pressure are investigated in double logarithm plane and a thermal viscoplastic model considering the combined effect of strain-rate and temperature is developed to describe the mechanical behavior of unstructured clay. By incorporating the bonding degradation, the model is extended that can be suitable for structured clay. The extended model is used to simulate CRS (Constant Rate of Strain) tests conducted on structural Berthierville clay with different strain-rates and temperatures. The comparisons between predicted and experimental results show that the extended model can reasonably describe the effect of bonding degradation on the stain-rate and temperature dependent behavior of soft structural clay under 1D condition. Although the model is proposed for 1D analysis, it can be a good base for developing a more general 3D model.