Temperature-dependent elastic shear modulus of a saturated lateritic clay

The thermo-mechanical behaviour of saturated clays and sands has been studied by many researchers, considering that it is useful in many geotechnical problems, such as the analysis of energy foundations and the effects of climate change on earth structures. Despite the fact that temperature is known to affect the yielding and volume change behaviour of soils, the effects of temperature on the elastic shear modulus (G0) of soils are rarely studied. In this study, a temperature-controlled oedometer equipped with bender elements was developed. It was used to investigate the effects of temperature on G0 of a compacted lateritic clay at saturated conditions. The G0 was measured at 5 and 40°C during loading and unloading in the stress range of 30 to 400 kPa. Four tests were conducted in which two different initial densities (95% and 85% of maximum dry density (MDD) were considered. The results will be interpreted and discussed with reference to the elastoplastic modelling of thermo-mechanical soil behaviour.