In general, the behavior of clay represents elastic, plastic, and viscous characteristics. The time-dependency of the viscous behavior has an important effect upon the real stress-strain behavior of the clay. Thus the constitutive equation used to analyze the representative geotechnecal problems in relation with soft clay, such as, foundations for structures, embankments, excavations, slope stability problems, tunnels, should contain the time-dependent viscous charateristics of the soft clay behavior.
In this study, the author made some revisions in the modified Cam-Clay model to analyze the consolidation and excavation behavior of clay deposits considering creep characteristics. The method was verified by predicting the laboratory time-dependent behavior.
The developed finite-element program provided good results in accordance with those of triaxial compressin tests for some level of deviatoric stresses. The application of this creep analysis method to I-95 embankments and Northolt excavation in London clay deposit represented that the analysis results were more comparable to the measured results than those determined by the existing elasto-plastic model.
