Saturated silt is prone to liquefaction and deformation under earthquake action

which can lead to severe damage to structures built on it. In natural conditions

saturated silt often experiences initial static shear stress . To explore the impact of initial shear stress on the liquefaction characteristics of saturated silt

a series of cyclic torsional shear tests were conducted on liquefied silt

treating it as a fluid. The experimental results showed that the initial shear stress had a significant impact on the relationship curve of the shear stress-strain rate of saturated silt. When the initial shear stress   equals zero

the pattern of the relationship curve transitions from the shape of an ellipse to the shape of a dumbbell as the number of loading cycles N increases. The pattern of the relationship curve successively appears as the shape of a sickle

ellipse

and hammer with increasing initial shear stress . Meanwhile

the initial shear stress has a significant influence on the development of the apparent viscosity  and the average flow coefficient of the saturated silt. As the initial shear stress increased

the-N curve decreased first and then increased

while the development speed of the -N curve showed a trend from fast to slow. Additionally

the excess pore water pressure ratio  at the solid-liquid phase transformation state first decreased and then increased as the initial shear stress increased. When the initial shear stress reached 5 kPa

the excess pore water pressure ratio of the saturated silt was the lowest.