Inversion analysis of the shear strength parameters for a high loess slope in the limit state

It is difficult to obtain reliable shear strength parameters for the stability analysis and evaluation of high loess slopes.Hence,this paper determines slope elements and physical parameter of 79 slopes with heights of[40,120]m based on the measured loess slopes in the Ganquan and Tonghuang subregions of northern Shaanxi Province,China.In the limit state of the loess slope(stability factor Fs is 1.0),a fitting equation for the slope height and width is established.Then,the model is developed by stability analysis software-SLOPE/W,and the comprehensive shear strength parameters corresponding to different slope heights of the high slope in the study area are obtained by inversion using the Morgenstern-Price method.The results show that when the height of the slope increases,the cohesion c increases in the soil,and the internal friction angle j decreases.This change is consistent with the characteristics reflected in the composition and physical properties of the slopes,and the comprehensive strength parametric curves are very similar between the Ganquan subregion and the Tonghuang subregion.A landslide that occurred in Miaodian-zaitou of Jingyang County,Shaanxi Province,is selected to verify this inversion method,and the results show that the calculated shear strength parameters of the inversion are consistent with the measured value of the actual slope.     

Shear strength features of soils developed from purple clay rock and containing less than two-millimeter rock fragments

Soil shear strength is an important indicator of engineering design and an essential parameter of soil precision tillage and agricultural machinery and equipment design. Although numerous studies have investigated the characteristics of different soil shear strengths, only a few of these works have paid attention to soils containing considerable quantities of rock fragments. To date, most studies on the effects of rock fragments on the shear strength have paid attention to the role of rock fragments with sizes >2 mm. The effects of rock fragments <2 mm in soil are generally ignored. Similar to rock fragments >2 mm, the presence of rock fragments <2 mm could also change the mechanical properties of soils. Thus, in the present study we evaluated the potential influence of <2 mm rock fragments on soil shear strength via an unconsolidated undrained (UU) triaxial compression test. Our results were as follows: (1) A certain quantity of <2 mm rock fragments presented in purple soils developed from clay rocks; and an appropriate quantity of <2 mm rock fragments could improve the shear strength of soils. (2) The different PSDs of soils containing <2 mm rock fragments mainly caused variations in the internal friction angle of soils. (3) The shear strengths of the two mudstone-developed red-brown and gray-brown purple soils was more sensitive to water than that of the shale-developed coarse-dark purple soil. As the soil water content increased from 9% to 23%, the changes in the cohesion, internal friction angle, shear strength, and the maximum principal stress difference were smaller in the coarse dark purple soil than in the two other soils. We therefore concluded that <2 mm rock fragments in purple soils exerted important effects on soil shear strength. A better understanding of the differences among the shear strength features of purple soils could help improve the design of agricultural machinery and equipment.     

Experimental analysis of shear strength of undisturbed soil in leucaena forest in Jiangjia Ravine,Yunnan, China

Five leucaena trees of similar age were chosen in Jiangjia Ravine of Dongchuan, Yunnan Province, China, near which the soil samples were collected by digging profiles 2m in depth and 1m in width. In each section, soil samples at different depths were taken for direct shear experiments to determine the root amount and mechanical composition. It is found that the cohesion and internal friction angle of the undisturbed soil are related to the root amount, depth, clay content and breccias content. Cohesion correlates negatively with root content, a finding that differs from that of other researchers. In addition, internal friction angle correlates positively with all these factors.     

考虑含水率对人工冻结红黏土力学特性的影响

在冻结法施工中, 冻土的强度及变形特性对冻结壁的稳定性至关重要。为了研究不同含水率对冻结作用下土的强度和蠕变的影响, 以江西红黏土为研究对象, 通过冻结三轴试验, 在-10℃下研究含水率对冻结红黏土强度及蠕变特征的影响。试验结果表明: 16%~32%含水率范围内, 冻结红黏土的抗压强度随含水率的增加先增大后减小; 16%~28%含水率范围内, 随着含水率增大, 其黏聚力逐渐增大, 内摩擦角逐渐减小; 围压为0.2 MPa与0.5 MPa下的蠕变曲线都显示含水率较低时只会出现衰减蠕变阶段和稳定蠕变阶段, 含水率较高时会出现加速蠕变阶段。含水率对红黏土的力学性质影响较大, 研究成果可为江西地区红黏土地层地铁隧道建设人工冻结法施工提供参考。      

L波段对不同盐类土壤的微波介电特性分析

 土壤盐碱化是世界面临的一大难题。微波遥感探测土壤具有优势,L波段对土壤含水量和含盐量较为敏感。为了分析不同盐类对土壤介电特性的影响,本文利用L波段(1.43 GHz)微波谐振腔测量了我国盐碱土中普遍存在的3种盐类(NaCl,Na₂SO₄,NaHCO₃)土壤样品的介电常数,研究了土壤介电常数与含水量、含盐量和盐种类的关系。得出结论:实部主要由土壤的含水量决定,含盐量对实部的影响无明显规律;虚部值随含水量和含盐量的增加而增大;3种盐类土壤介电常数虚部随含盐量变化呈现不同的递增趋势,在含盐浓度一定的条件下,虚部值是ε″ _NaCI>ε″ _NaHCO3>ε″ _Na2SO4;在某一含盐量点3种盐类土壤虚部随含水量变化的斜率不同,以此能将3种盐类区分。该研究为建立含不同盐类土壤介电常数模型和微波遥感监测土壤盐碱化提供了实验的依据。     

浸泡作用下碎石土剪切强度衰减规律及机理

水库蓄水后, 滑坡体碎石土经受长时期的浸泡, 力学性质发生改变, 从而影响滑坡整体稳定性。为探究浸泡对碎石土力学性质的影响规律, 选取三峡库区马家沟滑坡后缘未经受长期浸泡作用的碎石土进行大型直剪试验, 分析了不同浸泡天数下碎石土的剪切力学性质。试验结果表明: 浸泡40 d后, 碎石土黏聚力下降幅度达39%, 内摩擦角下降幅度为8.3%;碎石土黏聚力在浸泡前期快速下降, 下降速率随浸泡天数增加而降低, 浸泡20 d后, 黏聚力基本达到稳定。为探究碎石土抗剪强度降低的原因和机理, 对粉质黏土(碎石土细粒成分)进行了三轴剪切试验、激光粒度分析及浸出液阳离子分析等试验, 揭示了碎石土抗剪强度的衰减机理为: 浸泡作用下, 碎石土中的粉质黏土发生矿物溶解、离子交换与吸附作用, 土体中大颗粒细化, 胶结作用减弱, 进而导致碎石土整体抗剪强度降低。研究结果对库区碎石土滑坡评价与治理具有一定的指导意义。      

长期静水浸泡对三峡库区滑带土物理-化学-力学性质的影响

三峡水库蓄水使得库岸大量土体长期处于浸泡状态,导致土体软化从而诱发滑坡失稳。为研究长期浸泡对滑坡土体物理-化学-力学性质的影响,以马家沟滑坡原状滑带土为对象开展了浸泡软化试验,通过比较不同浸泡时间滑带土的粒度分布、界限含水率、化学与矿物成分、剪切特性等特征,探讨了滑带土浸泡软化机理。研究结果表明:浸泡过程中滑带土中Ca2+、Mg2+等离子流失较多,但矿物成分无变化;浸泡后滑带土出现阶段性粒度细化现象,液塑限和塑性指数均随黏粒含量增加而增大;随着浸泡时间增加,滑带土应力应变关系在低法向应力下由强软化型变为弱软化型,在高法向应力下由软化型变为硬化型;滑带土抗剪强度参数随着浸泡时间增加呈指数形式降低,黏聚力c降低程度大于内摩擦角φ。研究成果可以为水库滑坡稳定性评价提供理论依据。      

Development and application of an instrument for simulating wetting-drying cycles of expansive soils under loads

Alternating rainfall and evaporation in nature severely impact the shear strength of expansive soils. This study presents an instrument for simulating the effect of wetting–drying cycles on the strength of expansive soils under different loads, and its testing error is verified. With this instrument,direct shear tests were performed on samples experiencing 0-6 cycles under vertical loads of 0 kPa,5 kPa, 15 kPa, and 30 k Pa. The results found that this instrument provides a new method for evaluating the effects of wetting–drying cycles on soils, and this method represents actual engineering conditions more accurately than do preexisting methods. It accurately controls the water content within 1% while simulating the specified loads at different soil depths.Cohesion is significantly affected by wetting–drying cycles, while the friction angle is not as sensitive to these cycles. Decrease in shear strength can be attributed to the fissures in soils caused by wetting–drying cycles. The existence of vertical loads effectively restricts shrinkage fissuring and cohesion attenuation, consequently inhibiting the attenuation of shear strength.     

模拟堆载作用的黄土边坡土体变形机理试验

通过固结不排水剪试验,研究了堆载作用下不同深度、含水量和围压的原状黄土的变形和破坏特征,并从黄土的微观结构角度分析了产生这一现象的原因,结合黄土边坡特殊的工程地质条件,分析了堆载作用下黄土边坡土体的变形破坏过程。试验结果表明,不同深度、含水量和围压的原状黄土的应力应变曲线和抗剪强度具有不同的特征;特殊的工程地质条件,使黄土坡体的某些部位形成了堆载作用下不利于黄土材料强度保持的含水量和围压的组合,导致了这些部位黄土的变形破坏,进而诱发坡体的变形破坏。     

Effect of cement on the stabilization of loess

Considering the potential use of cementstabilized loess (CSL) as a construction material for structures that are subjected to frequent loess landslides, this paper explores the stabilization and improvement of geotechnical characteristics of loess achieved by the addition of 0%-9% cement by dry weight. Laboratory evaluations investigated the consistency limits, compaction, compressibility, California bearing ratio (CBR), direct shear strength, and unconfined compression strength (UCS) of CSL for different curing stages. A durability index was quantified to estimate the influence of wetting-drying (w-d) cycles on CSL strength, and an optimum cement dosage was also identified. The results reveal that the cohesion of CSL is substantially more sensitive to structure than its friction angle and that cohesion is responsible for shear strength increase after remoulding. The cement proportions have an effective role in the enhancement of compressibility. The development of UCS can be categorized into the early stage (<14 days) and the later stage (>14 days). The increase in strength primarily occurred in the first 14 days. The w-d cycles have a significant influence on the decrease in compression strength. The CBR value increases with increments of additional proportions and compaction times. The relationships of UCS versus the compressibility modulus and UCS versus CBR are established to facilitate the mix design for strength. A rational predictive exponential equation is proposed to predict the durability index for different w-d cycles.     

融雪条件下新疆伊犁谷地黄土-卵砾石接触面残余强度

为研究融雪作用下黄土-卵砾石接触面残余强度,以新疆伊犁谷地某黄土-卵砾石接触面滑坡为例,通过自制模具,制作黄土-卵砾石接触面环剪试样,开展不同含水率黄土-卵砾石接触面环剪试验,并通过扫描电镜（SEM）,从微观结构角度探究水对黄土-卵砾石接触面残余强度的影响。试验结果表明:黄土-卵砾石接触面抗剪强度随着含水率的增加而减小,剪切过程中存在应变软化现象,随着正应力及含水量的增加,应变软化现象越不明显;黄土-卵砾石接触面残余强度随着法向应力的增大而增大,且存在较好的线性关系,符合摩尔库伦强度准则;黄土-卵砾石接触面残余强度参数随着含水率的增加而降低,以含水率w=18%为界（塑限含水率19.1%附近）,当含水率为10%~18%时,残余内摩擦角φ_r变化较小（Δφ_r=5.4°）,当含水率为18%~26%时,残余内摩擦角φ_r变化较大（Δφ_r=9.0°）;微观结构方面,随着含水率的增加,黄土-卵砾石接触面形成软化"泥膜",部分填充了卵砾石凹凸部分,剪切面较为光滑,在剪切过程中,黏粒更加分散,附着在黄土颗粒表面,部分填充孔隙,起润滑作用,降低了残余强度。本文的研究成果可以为新疆伊犁谷地黄土-卵砾石接触面型滑坡形成机理研究及工程防治提供科学参考。      

Characteristics of vibration liquefaction of saturated medium sandy soil with silt

In order to understand and master the dynamic characteristics of sandy soil with different silt contents, the authors carried out many indoor dynamic triaxial tests for five groups of sandy with silt which took from Panjin and Xiamen. Under the conditions of consolidation pressure of 100 kPa, 200 kPa, 300 kPa, stationary vibration frequency H=1 and cyclic loading, the authors found that the effective cohesion increases and the effective internal friction angle decreases with the increase of the silt contents. During the liquefied scope, the cementation and the strength have been increased with the increase of the silt contents.     

High-Speed Ring Shear Tests to Study the Motion and Acceleration Processes of the Yingong Landslide

In this paper, the motion and acceleration process, as well as the mechanism of a high speed and long run landslide are investigated by adopting high speed ring shear test and taking the landslide occurred at Yigong River in Bomi, Tibet on April 9, 2000 as the background. According to the motion characteristics of high-speed and long distance motion landside, the mechanism is studied under different conditions such as shear speed, consolidated drained and consolidated undrained status. Results show that high speed shearing process hinders and delays the dissipation of pore pressure, and drives pore water migrating to shear zone slowly. Both of water content and fine particle content at shear zone are obviously higher than those in other layers; and soil liquefaction occurs at shear zone in the saturated consolidated undrained ring shear tests. The effective internal friction angle of the consolidated undrained soil is much lower than that of the consolidated drained soil under ring shearing. The results also indicate that the shearing speed affecting the strength of soil to some extent. The higher the ring shearing speed is, the lower the strength of soil is. This investigation provides a preliminary interpretation of the mechanism of the motion and acceleration process of the Yigong landslide, occurred in Tibet in 2000.     

Research on soil salt transfer under freeze-thawing condition

Soil salt transformation plays an important role in the freeze-thawing process,which is also one of basic problems of cryopedology. The very special law is made up of the two time salt-moisture transfer under freeze-thawing condition. Based on the latest research at home and abroad,through the investigation of soil moisture-salt change in the freeze-thawing process,the conclusion is made that the soil water potential gradient is the main driving force of soil salt movement and the factors are of quantities. The research shows that,when freezing,temperature drops,salt and moisture move towards frozen layer. All make the salinity content of the frozen layer increase significantly. In the thawing process,salinity and moisture in the soil move up again with evaporation and makes the salt second migration.     

基于CT扫描的黄土孔隙结构特征研究

孔隙特征作为反映黄土微观结构的重要特征之一, 直接影响黄土的水敏性、渗透性和强度等物理力学性质。为了研究水力耦合作用下黄土微观孔隙结构特征, 使用CT技术对天然原状、原状饱和与重塑黄土的初始结构以及不固结不排水剪切试验后的土体结构进行了扫描, 通过建立黄土三维结构模型, 分析了剪切试验前后孔隙结构的演变特征。结果表明: 饱和与重塑作用使天然原状黄土的大孔隙减少, 剪切作用使天然原状黄土和重塑黄土发生剪切破坏, 原状饱和黄土发生压缩破坏, 局部孔隙率增加。天然原状黄土与原状饱和黄土在剪切前后均表现为微孔和小孔数量较多, 其孔隙倾角主要分布在50°~90°之间, 解释了黄土亚稳态结构形成的主要原因。扰动作用使重塑黄土的孔隙尺寸分布均匀, 且重塑黄土与原状饱和黄土在水力作用下更易失稳屈服。揭示了黄土剪切变形破坏的微观结构主要表现为粒间胶结物的溶解、孔隙的坍塌与填充以及颗粒旋转、破碎和滑移。试验结果可为黄土剪切强度降低和湿陷机理研究提供依据。      

Grain size distribution of soils within the Cordillera Blanca,Peru: An indicator of basic mechanical properties for slope stability evaluation

This paper presents results of a study on the mechanical properties of sandy and gravely soils within the Cordillera Blanca, Peru. The soils were divided into groups according to their origin （glacial, fluvial, or debris flow）. The grain size distribution of forty three soil samples was used to classify the soils according to the scheme of the Unified Soil Classification System （USCS）. These distributions have then been used to estimate shear strength and hydraulic properties of the soils. There are clear differences between the soils which reflect their divergent origins. The glacial soils normally fit within one of two distinctive groups according to the proportion of fines （Group A, 7%-21.5%; Group B, 21%-65%）. The estimation of shear strength at constant volume friction angle and peak shear strength of the glacial sediments with low content of fines was made using published data relating to the measured shear strength characteristics of soils with similar origins and grain size distributions. The estimated values were supported by measurements of the angle of repose taken from fourteen samples from two moraines and by shear tests on samples from one locality. The results of the grain size distribution werealso used to estimate the average hydraulic conductivity using the empirical Hazen formula which results were verified by field infiltration tests at two localities.     

Determination Method for Shear Strength Parameters of Rock-Soil Mixtures Using Close-Range Photogrammetry and 3-D Limit Equilibrium Theory

Using a combination of close-range photogrammetry and three-dimensional(3-D) limit equilibrium theory, a determination method for the shear strength parameters of rock-soil mixture is presented. A close-range photogrammetry method is used for measurement of the 3-D terrain of the experimental target. Auto CAD Lisp and EXCEL VBA are used to perform 3-D limit equilibrium analysis of the stability of sliding mass and perform backanalysis of shear strength parameters. The presented method was used to determine the shear strength parameters of rock-soil mixtures at the Liyuan Hydropower Station. The 3-D terrain of sliding surface could be measured notably well using of closerange photogrammetry. The computed results reveal that the cohesion and friction angle of rock-soil mixtures were 3.15 k Pa and 29.88o for test A, respectively, and 4.43 k Pa and 28.30o for test B, respectively, within the range of shear strength parameters, as determined by field and laboratory tests. The computation of shear strength parameters is influenced by the mesh grid number, especially the cohesion of the rock-soil mixture. The application of close-range photogrammetry can reduce the siteworks and improve the computational efficiency and accuracy.     

黑方台地区马兰黄土渗透特性及结构损伤试验研究

持续引水灌溉改变了马兰黄土的结构, 降低了土体的抗剪强度, 导致黑方台地区黄土滑坡频繁发生, 严重影响着当地居民生命和财产安全。为了明析马兰黄土的渗透过程, 取黑方台马兰黄土为研究对象, 分别开展核磁共振(NMR)试验及扫描电镜(SEM)试验, 以解释此类黄土在不同初始含水率及不同干密度下的渗透特性及结构损伤微观特征。研究结果表明: 入渗速率与土体初始含水率呈负相关关系, 土体初始含水率越高, 其充水微小孔隙增加速率越慢, 充水中大孔隙增加速率越快; 入渗速率与土体干密度呈负相关关系, 且会率先形成高含水率区域, 土体干密度越大, 其充水微小孔隙增加越慢, 充水中大孔隙增加越快。入渗前后对比发现, 试样初始含水率越高, 微小孔隙增加比例越小, 颗粒间接触方式变化越不明显; 干密度越大的试样不同孔隙体积基本按等量变化, 接触面积明显减少, 形成更多的架空孔隙, 连通性较好, 具有较好的储水能力。入渗后试样原本的致密结构丧失, 颗粒破碎严重, 部分细长状颗粒向似椭圆状颗粒演化, 颗粒间接触方式变为点边接触, 粒间胶结作用遭受损伤破坏, 甚至部分团粒中颗粒分离、脱落, 使得土体强度丧失, 最终导致滑坡发生。研究结果可为黄土滑坡的防治提供依据。      

Effect of clay content to the strength of gravel soil in the source region of debris flow

The production of runoff in the source area of a debris flow is the consequence of a reduction in soil strength. Gravel soil is widely distributed in the source region, and the influence of its clay content on soil strength is one of the important questions regarding the formation mechanism of debris flows. In this paper, the clay content in gravel soil is divided into groups of low clay content(1%, 2, 5%), moderate clay content(3.75%, 5.00%, 6.25%, 7.5%) and high clay content(10.0%, 12.5%, 15%). Tests of the unconsolidated undrained shear strength and consolidated drained shear strength were performed. The unconsolidated undrained shearing(UU) experiment simulates the rapid shear failure of loose gravel soil under the conditions of brief heavy rainfall. The consolidated drained shearing(CD) experiment simulates creep failure of consolidated sediment during extended rainfall. The pore water pressure first increased and then decreased as the clay content increased, and the increase in pore pressure was relatively high in the gravel soil sample when the clay content is in the range of 3.25-7.50%, and stress in the gravel soil is relatively low for a moderate clay content. Gravelly soils with a moderate clay content are moreprone to debris-flow initiation. This paper presents a mathematical formula for the maximum shear stress and clay content of gravel soil under two conditions. The key processes whereby the soil fails and triggers a debris flow—volume contraction of soil, expansion of clay soil, and rise of pore pressure―cause reductions in the soil friction force and enhancement of the water content in the clay particles, and subsurface erosion of soil reduces the soil viscosity, which eventually reduces the soil strength so that the soil loses its stability, liquefies and generates a debris flow.     

Study on original ecological tridimensional slope vegetation

No matter from the perspective of slope protection, landscape effect and construction cost, or from the perspective of ecological benefit, the development of original ecological tridimensional vegetation has become the inevitable trend for slope vegetation in pursuit of protecting ecological condition, decreasing soil erosion, maintaining ecological balance and beautifying environment of slope. The concept of original ecological tridimensional slope vegetation is proposed in this paper, and the original ecological tridimensional slope vegetation is studied through theoretical analysis and experiments. Specifically, the mechanical effect of slope vegetation in reinforcing the cohesion and shear strength of soil mass is firstly discussed, and then experiments are performed to study the water interception and containing function of slope under various vegetation conditions. Moreover, the relation between soil moisture and cohesion, the relation between root distribution density and cohesion, and the relation between root distribution density and soil shear strength are also studied based on experiments. Finally, based on field observation, the soil erosion states of slope under various vegetation conditions are comparatively studied. It is found that the original ecological tridimensional slope, which combines grass,shrub and tree, can generate comprehensive slope protection effects, and hence strengthen the slope protection ability and bring multiple slope protection benefits. Thereby, the theoretical foundation for developing original ecological tridimensional slope vegetation is established.