A strength criterion for frozen clay considering the influence of stress Lode angle

Abstract

To investigate the influence of stress Lode angle on frozen soil, a series of directional shear tests was conducted on artificial frozen clay at three temperatures (–6, –10, and –15 °C) and five stress Lode angles (θσ = –30°, –16.1°, 0°, 16.1°, and 30°) using a hollow cylindrical apparatus. An elliptical function was proposed according to the strength envelope evaluation with the mean principal stress (p) in the p–q plane. In addition, generalized nonlinear strength theory (GNST) was introduced in the π plane to describe the evolution of the strength envelope with increasing mean principal stress. Then a strength criterion for frozen clay in three-dimensional principal stress space was proposed by combining strength functions in the p–q and π planes. The temperature effect was also introduced into the strength criterion. The proposed strength criterion can predict the multi-axial strength characteristics of frozen clay and reveal the influence of the stress Lode angle.