Case Study: Hollow Cylinder Apparatus

Marine soft clay with weak engineering properties, is widely distributed in Southeast China. As the most developed area in China, Zhejiang has a vast transportation infrastructure including highways, roads, railways and airport runways which have been constructed on the marine clay. With long-term vehicle loading, excess settlement tends to occur on the existing infrastructure. In order to reveal these effects on the marine clay caused by vehicle loading, and to predict future settlement, research was undertaken by Wenzhou University.

Vehicle loading is not only a long-term cyclic loading, it is unique in the shape of stress path’s during each cycle. Along with the wheels, approaching and then leaving, the stress components of the soil change in both magnitude and direction. To read the full case study, click here.