Abstract: The stressstrain characteristics of soils are affected by many factors, among which the stress path is one of them. The study of mechanical characteristics of the soft clay under different stress paths that it is a great significance to resolve engineering problems under different conditions. The mechanical properties of the soft clay are related to the complex stress paths experienced under different working conditions. This article reviews the research status on static characteristics, dynamic characteristics and constitutive relation of the soft clay under complex stress paths and summarizes the previous results and elaborates some areas needed to further research.

Key words: stress path, soft clay, stress-strain relationship, mechanical characteristics, constitutive relationship