The effect of shearing rate and slope angle on the simple shear response of marine clays

The response of submarine slopes to seismic or storm loading has become an important element in the risk assessment for offshore structures and local tsunami hazard. Evaluation of submarine slope stability requires characterization of soil behavior and relies on the selection of appropriate parameter values. Although the traditional simple shear device has been used to investigate cyclic loading effects on marine clay, it does not allow for complex loading conditions which often contribute to the failure on submarine slopes. Understanding the interaction between the initial shear stress, the slope angle, and the multi-directional shaking due to earthquakes or storm loading is an important aspect to understanding the failure mechanisms of submarine slope failures. The initial static driving force on the slope is combined with the dynamic loading by storms and earthquakes to create complex loading paths. Therefore, the ability to apply complex stress or strain paths is important to fully study the shear response of marine clays on submarine slopes. A new multi-directional simple shear device developed at Texas A&M University allows loading along three independent axes, two perpendicular horizontal directions to allow any stress or strain paths in the horizontal plane, and a third in the vertical direction. This device is used to investigate the response of Gulf of Mexico marine deposits to different loading conditions. To study the effect of slope angle on the shear response of the soil, samples are subjected to a shear stress during consolidation, Kα consolidation. One-dimensional monotonic and cyclic shearing of Ko consolidated specimens is used to simulate level ground conditions, whereas sloping surfaces were simulated using Kα consolidation for both monotonic and cyclic tests. The effects of shearing rate on the soil response are investigated using strain controlled tests at varying frequencies.