An archive of data from Resonant Column and Cyclic Torsional Shear Tests performed on Italian Clays

A large data-set of index and dynamic parameters measured from resonant column (RC) and cyclic torsional shear(CTS) tests on 170 undisturbed isotropically consolidated fine-grained specimens deriving from 90 sites in Central and Northern Italy is made available. Tests were all performed over the past 20 years at the Geotechnical Laboratory of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department of the Florence University using the same apparatus and following the same standardized procedures. The experimental data are organized in an excel file (named as “Italian_Clays_Archive.xlsx”). For each tested sample, the main physical, index and dynamic properties measured are archived with the code number of the sample (No) in the sheet named as “Dataset” as well as any information available about the borehole from which the sample has been taken. The list and the meaning of the symbols used can be found in the sheet named as “Legend”. Other sheets containing borehole stratigraphy are named as “XX-ST” (where “XX” stands as the bore-hole code, BH) and they can be recalled directly from the “Dataset” sheet. Note that stratigraphy is given in its original format, when available. However, depth and thickness of each layer can be easily deduced by the figure provided and the soil lithology is well represented by the symbol used that are those generally adopted internationally. Finally, the sheets named as "YY-CTS-STEPZ" (where “YY” and “Z” stand as the sample code, No, and the step number, respectively) contain the shear stress and strain values measured after CTS tests at different steps (i.e. amplitudes of the cyclic dynamic torsional loading applied) during the 1st, 5th, 15th, 20th and 25^th.and/or and/or the corresponding shear modulus and damping ratio calculated from the same cycles. The selected samples were taken mostly in Holocene and Pleistocene fluvio-lacustrine soil deposits at depths ranging from 1 m to 75 m below ground level and they mainly consist of normally and over-consolidated clayey silts or clays (1 < OCR < 9.4) of medium-to-high plasticity (4 < PI < 84), with very low-to high consistency (-1< Ic < 1.9) and initial void ratio, e₀, ranging between 0.175 and 2.456. The database also includes some samples of organic clays of low consistency, very high water content and void ratio and low unit weight. The initial (small strain) values of shear modulus, G₀, and damping ratio, D₀, range between 21 MPa and 292 MPa and between 0.8% and 5.1%, respectively. The smallest and the largest shear strain values induced by RC and CTS tests are 1.9x10^-5 % and 6.3x10^-1%, respectively.