Zheng, Yanhao;
(2023)
Microstructure evolution of reconstituted clays subject to compression and shearing.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Clay is a very important material widely used in geotechnical engineering. The mechanical behaviours and engineering properties of clay, such as compressibility and shear strength, are largely controlled by the microstructure of clay. In recent years, many studies have been conducted to investigate the microstructure characteristics and micro-behaviour of different clays by means of a variety of advanced techniques. However, the complexity of the whole series of phenomena occurring at the micro-scale, when the clay is subjected to macroscopic mechanics, makes the prediction of the clay macro-behaviour through the modelling of micro-behaviour a major challenge. Most of the existing studies only focus on the microstructure characteristics of clays, and do not link these micro-features with the macroscopic mechanical behaviour of clay. The present research work systematically studies the intrinsic microstructure characteristics of three different reconstituted clays and the main physical processes underlying the mechanical response when they are subjected to compression and shearing, through experimental laboratory testing in combination with detailed microstructure analysis of clay specimens undergoing mechanical testing. With the aim to assess the microstructure evolution and the corresponding micro-scale processes while the clay exhibits the given macro-mechanical behaviour, this thesis reveals the effect of clay microstructure on its macro-mechanical behaviour and establishes the constitutive relationship between clay microstructure and macro-mechanical properties. The correspondence between the microstructure characteristics of three different types of clays and their macro-mechanical behaviour presented in this thesis can prompt a wider use of the constitutive models in practice, since it would support the geotechnical engineer in the selection of the model and the parameter values most appropriate for the clay involved in the design of interest.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Microstructure evolution of reconstituted clays subject to compression and shearing |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2023. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Civil, Environ and Geomatic Eng |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10170769 |
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