Creep Versus Transient Loading Effects in Geotechnical Problems

摘要

As already observed, when cyclic environmental loading is taken into consideration, it becomes crucial to account for both huge numbers of cycles and very long periods of time. Very often in geotechnics, distinguishing between displacements/settlements due to cyclic loading and viscous effects becomes quite difficult but in many problems, if the main issue is to quantify the accumulation of strains with time, this is essential. Moreover, in some cases, when frequencies characterizing the loading are quite high, the two phenomena are also strictly coupled and can influence each other. Therefore, in this chapter, a very practical problem (the evaluation of displacements along an unstable slope) is first broached. Subsequently the theory of standard visco-plasticity is briefly presented and an approach based on multiple mechanism visco-plasticity is discussed.