Experimental investigation of creep behavior of loess under different moisture contents

摘要

The creep behavior of loess under different moisture content and pressure conditions has been investigated. For this purpose, triaxial creep tests were conducted by using a soil rheological triaxial testing machine. The results show that the creep behavior of loess is significant at high moisture levels, and that less time-dependent deformation occurs at high confining pressures. The creep failure mechanism of loess was analyzed on the basis of the micro-structure of the original loess and its typical creep failure characteristic. Finally, a new two-element creep model is proposed for describing the deformation of loess during creep based on fractional calculus and continuum damage mechanics. Through the validation of fitting, it is shown that the theoretical model properly depicts the creep properties of loess and thus provides an excellent description of the overall creep deformation phases of loess.