Study of the creep behavior of frozen and unfrozen soils started initially from a common standpoint, but since 1970-ties two apparently different directions were taken. In frozen soils, the study of creep and strain rate effects followed mainly the experience gained with ice and high temperature metals, while that in unfrozen soils adopted rather a soil mechanics approach based on the Cambridge Cam-Clay model. However, experimentation shows that, at temperatures close to the fusion, creep and strain rate behavior of frozen and unfrozen clays is very often quite similar in many aspects, especially in the primary creep range. Significant differences appear only when the data are extended up to the creep failure, or to the end of relaxation. The purpose of this paper is to explore basic similarities and differences in the creep and strain-rate behavior of frozen and unfrozen fine-grained soils, and to establish sound geomechanical principles fro the prediction of long term behavior of such frozen soils at temperatures close to the melting point.
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