| Challenging the myth of 1-dimensional consolidation of tills and glaciated soils. Glaciated soils are encountered routinely in geotechnical engineering practice. Although these soils are profoundly affected by (indeed primarily formed by) shear, this process is ignored in our assessment of present state. This research program aims to study geomechanical property anisotropy in the context of the geological process of formation (i.e., subglacial shearing) The main objective of this research project is to investigate the effects of subglacial shearing on the geotechnical properties of glaciated soils. A new test method, the lateral stress oedometer, was developed specifically for this purpose. With this apparatus, it was possible to identify the rotated and anisotropic principal stress/stiffness axes of glaciated soils from two continents and to relate the present state to the geological stress history. These results suggest that all geomechanical parameters (shear strength, compressibility, hydraulic conductivity) may be anisotropic as a result of glacial shearing). Further research will aim at quantifying these anisotropic properties and assessing how this anisotropy may affect the performance of structures constructed on or in these materials. |
