Abstract
This paper describes the characteristics of shear modulus at small strain in a normally consolidated region of peat and organic clay. When the seismic response of the ground is analyzed, the shear modulus at small strain (G0) of soil is an important parameter. However, previous studies on peat in this area are fewer than on inorganic soils such as sand and clay. Therefore, it is impossible to obtain a highly accurate G0 for peat. Due to the above, although some large earthquakes in Hokkaido, Japan, have caused great damage to earth structures on peat, the results of seismic response analysis cannot be expected to be highly credible under the current conditions. Therefore, a series of cyclic torsional shear tests were conducted on normally consolidated samples with a wide range of physical properties, from organic clay to fibrous peat, and the influence of effective confining pressure and physical index on G0 was studied.
