Abstract: Both obvious structure and deformation–strength characteristics of the solid waste(red mud) in Aluminium industry are studied .A series of consolidated drained triaxial shear tests is conducted on saturated samples of red mud under both intact and disturbed states. The relationship between the deformation–strength characteristics and structure is analysed using the method of soil mechanics. The effects of axial strain and confining pressure on structural parameter are investigated. The study indicates that: (1) For the saturated red mud inactive to water, the better relationship between deformation–strength characteristics and structure can be obtained by using the quantitative structural parameter defined by the ratio of and ( )r which are the difference between major principal stress and minor principal stress respectively for intact and disturbed samples in different strains. (2) The structural parameter mainly changes with the consolidation confining pressure and shear stress in small strain. (3) The deformation–strength characteristics of red mud is not directly relevant to consolidation stress and age during forming it ,but that is relevant to the structure induced under chemical and physical actions.

Key words: red mud, triaxial test, deformation, shear strength, structure