Influence of features of natural soft clay on behaviour of embankment

The influence of different features of natural soft clays, namely anisotropy, destructuration and viscosity, on modelling the time-dependent behaviour of Murro embankment was investigated. The newly developed elasto-viscoplastic models were enhanced for determining viscosity parameters in a straightforward way and adopted for the finite element analysis. The same set of common parameters determined from conventional triaxial and oedometer tests was employed for all models, with additional parameters required for representing different soil features. The finite element predictions by using models coupled with BIOT's consolidation theory were compared with each other and with field data for settlement, horizontal displacement and excess pore pressures. In addition, the stress paths under the embankment loading were also compared with each other to improve the understanding of the effect of different soil features. All simulations demonstrate that all three features significantly influence the predictions. As a consequence, accounting for soil features needs to be carefully considered when they are applied to a construction site. © Central South University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011.