ABSTRACT
Structure, which is described as the combination of the soil fabric and interparticle bonding, is a result of clay mineralogy, depositional environment and post-depositional processes. Bonded soils have often stiffer elastic response than unbonded materials (Graham & Li 1985). Moreover, they exhibit greater peak strength than the equivalent unbonded soil (Leroueil & Vaughan 1990) and have additional resistance to yielding. Destructuration of these bonds as a result of plastic straining may lead to dramatic collapse settlements in high sensitivity clays, such as Canadian or Scandinavian quick clays, but even a moderate sensitivity can have major impact on soft soil response.
