Cyclic Response of Reconstituted Low Plasticity Silt

Foundation failures observed over saturated silt-clay mixtures during past earthquakes clearly indicate the need for a profound understanding of the behavior of such soils under seismic loading. Although the mechanisms dominating the response of fine grained soils under seismic loading are known to be different from those of sandy soils, the behavior of low plasticity silt and clay is still under discussion. An experimental research program, still in progress, has been undertaken to investigate the cyclic behavior of low plasticity fine grained soils for developing useful guidelines for the assessment of seismic response. Samples of low plasticity silt, initially consolidated to stress levels above preconsolidation stress, have been tested systemically under monotonic and cyclic loading for isotropic and anisotropic stress conditions. To eliminate the sample variability inherent to the naturally deposited soils and to control the circumstances, the specimens were reconstituted by means of the slurry deposition technique in the study. The preliminary results from cyclic triaxial testing on reconstituted low plasticity silt specimens are presented. The liquefaction susceptibility of the silt was examined via comparisons to the existing empirical criteria in literature