Creep and relaxation behavior of highly organic soil

Abstract

Because of the limited land area in Japan, many structures are built on peat and/or highly organic soft ground. . These soils are well known for exhibiting large settlement and secondary compression during and after construction. Preloading is suitable for ground improvement of peat and highly organic soil, as well as clay. The author has performed a series of laboratory loading and/or unloading creep tests that simulate actual preloading method for peat and silty clay which samples collected in Japan. Previously, the author reported that the characteristics of long-term creep settlement after unloading (rebound ratio, rate of secondary compression and re-settlement point) are affected by the over consolidation ratio, preloading time and plasticity index [1], [2]. In this paper, the experimental data from loading and/or unloading creep tests and stress relaxation tests are used to further explore the behavior of highly organic soil.