  Hydro-mechanical anisotropy of clay soils in response to deformation or
deposition history is related to the micromechanics of plate-like clay
particles and their orientations. In this letter, we examine the relationship
between microstructure, deformation and moisture content in kaolin clay using a
technique based on neutron scattering. This technique allows for the direct
characterisation of the microstructure within representative samples using
traditional measures such as the orientation density function and soil fabric
tensor. From this information, evidence for a simple relationship between
components of the deviatoric strain tensor and the deviatoric fabric tensor
emerged. This relationship provides a physical basis for future anisotropic
constitutive models based on the micromechanics of these materials.
