Deep-Sea Sediment Creep Mechanism and Prediction: Modified Singh–Mitchell Model Under Temperature–Stress–Time Coupling

Feng, Yan; Chen, Qiunan; Wu, Lihai; Liu, Guangping; Tang, Jinhu; Wang, Zengliang; Xu, Xiaodi; Chen, Bingchu; Liu, Shunkai

doi:10.3390/jmse14020133

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Deep-Sea Sediment Creep Mechanism and Prediction: Modified Singh–Mitchell Model Under Temperature–Stress–Time Coupling

by

Yan Feng

^1,2,

Qiunan Chen

^1,2,*,

Lihai Wu

^1,2,

Guangping Liu

^1,3,

Jinhu Tang

^1,2,

Zengliang Wang

^1,2,

Xiaodi Xu

^1,2

,

Bingchu Chen

^1,2 and

Shunkai Liu

^1,2

¹

College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China

²

Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Geotechnical Engineering Stability Control and Health Monitoring, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China

³

National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Marine Mineral Resources Exploration Equipment and Safety Technology, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(2), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020133

Submission received: 19 November 2025 / Revised: 30 December 2025 / Accepted: 6 January 2026 / Published: 8 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Section Ocean Engineering)

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Abstract

With the advancement in deep-sea resource development, the creep behavior of deep-sea remolded sediments under coupled temperature, confining pressure (σ₃), and stress effects has become a critical issue threatening engineering stability. The traditional Singh–Mitchell model, limited by its neglect of temperature effects and prediction of infinite strain, struggles to meet deep-sea environmental requirements. Based on low-temperature, high-pressure triaxial tests (with temperatures ranging from 4 to 40 °C and confining pressures ranging from 100 to 300 kPa), this study proposes a modified model incorporating temperature–stress–time coupling. The model introduces a hyperbolic creep strain rate decay function to achieve strain convergence, establishes a saturated strain–stress exponential relationship, and quantifies the effect of temperature on characteristic time via coupling through the Arrhenius equation. The modified model demonstrates R² values > 0.96 for full-condition creep curves. The results show several key findings: a 10 °C increase in temperature leads to a 30–50% growth in the steady-state creep rate; a 100 kPa increase in confining pressure enhances long-term strength by 20–30%. 20 °C serves as a critical temperature point. At this point, strain amplification reaches 2.1 times that of low-temperature ranges. These experimental findings provide crucial theoretical foundations and technical support for incorporating soil creep effects in deep-sea engineering design.

Keywords: deep-sea remolded sediments; creep; temperature–stress–time coupling; modified Singh–Mitchell model; triaxial creep test

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MDPI and ACS Style

Feng, Y.; Chen, Q.; Wu, L.; Liu, G.; Tang, J.; Wang, Z.; Xu, X.; Chen, B.; Liu, S. Deep-Sea Sediment Creep Mechanism and Prediction: Modified Singh–Mitchell Model Under Temperature–Stress–Time Coupling. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14, 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020133

AMA Style

Feng Y, Chen Q, Wu L, Liu G, Tang J, Wang Z, Xu X, Chen B, Liu S. Deep-Sea Sediment Creep Mechanism and Prediction: Modified Singh–Mitchell Model Under Temperature–Stress–Time Coupling. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2026; 14(2):133. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020133

Chicago/Turabian Style

Feng, Yan, Qiunan Chen, Lihai Wu, Guangping Liu, Jinhu Tang, Zengliang Wang, Xiaodi Xu, Bingchu Chen, and Shunkai Liu. 2026. "Deep-Sea Sediment Creep Mechanism and Prediction: Modified Singh–Mitchell Model Under Temperature–Stress–Time Coupling" Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 14, no. 2: 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020133

APA Style

Feng, Y., Chen, Q., Wu, L., Liu, G., Tang, J., Wang, Z., Xu, X., Chen, B., & Liu, S. (2026). Deep-Sea Sediment Creep Mechanism and Prediction: Modified Singh–Mitchell Model Under Temperature–Stress–Time Coupling. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 14(2), 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020133

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Deep-Sea Sediment Creep Mechanism and Prediction: Modified Singh–Mitchell Model Under Temperature–Stress–Time Coupling

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