Experimental study and verification on tensile strength of remolded clay

The tensile strength of clay is an important factor in determining the stability of soil slope. Due to the fragmentation of soil, the understanding of the tensile strength of clay is not clear. In this study, the uniaxial tensile test of remolded clay is carried out to analyze the influence of water content and tensile rate on the tensile strength of remolded clay based on the self-designed direct tensile test device. The test results show that: (1) The tensile strength of remolded clay increases first and then decreases with the increase of water content, as the other conditions (such as tensile rate) remain stable. The peak tensile strength occurs near the optimal water content. (2) The tensile strength of remolded clay increases with the increase of tensile rate, as other conditions such as water content remain unchanged. (3) In the water content range (18%–24%) of this study, the remolded clay undergoes plastic deformation under uniaxial tension, and shows softening failure law after reaching the peak tensile strength. (4) The discrete element simulation method is used to analyze and verify the results obtained from the above experiments. The results of this study can be used for the stability analysis of soil slope and the calculation and design of slope protection.