Laboratory Investigation of the Effect of Initial Dry Density and Grain Size Distribution on Soil–Water Characteristic Curves of Wide-Grading Gravelly Soil

Wide-grading gravelly soils are often encountered in debris flow source areas. To perform stability analyses under rainfall conditions, the soil–water characteristic curves (SWCC) are significant. However, the studies for SWCC of wide-grading gravelly soils are rare. In order to investigate the effects of initial dry density and grain size distribution on the SWCCs of wide-grading gravelly, a large-scale osmotic column, allowing the measurement of both volumetric water content and matric suction at various levels, was fabricated for a series of osmotic column tests. The test data were best-fitted to Van Genuchten equation using a least-squares algorithm and found that both the initial dry density and grain size distribution had a greater effect on the SWCCs. An increase in the initial dry density resulted in an increase in water retention capacity. The air entry value and residual volumetric water content increased linearly with increases in the initial dry density, whereas the maximum slope of SWCC decreased linearly with increases in the initial dry density. The air entry value and residual volumetric water content increased linearly with increases in the fine content (particle diameter <0.075), whereas the maximum slope increases linearly with increases in the effective size, d ₁₀.     

Effect of Soil–Water Characteristic Parameters on Saturation Line and Stability of Slope

Rainfall infiltration is the main factor that causes slope instability. To study the effect of hydraulic parameters on the final saturation line and stability of slopes, a numerical slope model is established with a saturated–unsaturated seepage analysis method. Analysis results show the following, (1) When parameter a increases, the effective rainfall duration decreases linearly, and the ultimate safety factor increases gradually; when parameter m increases, the effective rainfall duration increases linearly, and the ultimate safety factor decreases linearly; when parameter n increases, both the effective rainfall duration and the ultimate safety factor decrease first and then remain stable. (2) When the saturated permeability coefficient decreases, the effective rainfall duration presents a crescent trend, and the ultimate safety factor decreases first and then remains the same after rainfall intensity exceeds the saturated permeability coefficient of soil. (3) When rainfall intensity is less than the saturated permeability coefficient of soil, the location of the final saturation line rises as the saturated permeability coefficient decreases and is thus independent of parameters a, m, and n.     

Soil–Water Characteristic Curves Obtained for a Colluvial and Lateritic Soil Profile Considering the Macro and Micro Porosity

This study aims to determine and to model the relationship of matric suction versus water content, known as soil?Cwater characteristic curve (SWCC), for a tropical soil profile at the southeastern Brazil. This soil profile consists of a colluvial, lateritic silty clay, with thickness of about 6.5?m. The filter paper and pressure plate techniques were used to determine the SWCC. Specimens were trimmed from the undisturbed soil samples collected along soil profile depth and submitted to drying paths. Impregnated thin-layer plates and a petrographic microscope were used to examine the structure and mineralogical composition of the soil samples. Mercury intrusion porosimetry tests were performed on some soil samples to obtain the frequency histogram of the pores. SWCC with bimodal pore-size distribution were obtained by the filter paper technique and SWCC with unimodal pore-size distribution were obtained by the pressure plate technique. The SWCC showed values of air-entry ranging from 1 to 3?kPa, depending on the technique used, resembling soils with macroporosity, as the lateritic soils. Combining both techniques, the SWCC could be fitted by a model that takes into consideration soils with macro and microporosity.     

Study on Soil and Water Loss Characteristic of the Railway Construction in Mountain Area

The factor of human project activity is often the immediate cause resulting in soil and water loss. The Baoji-Lanzhou second railway in construction is an example. The soil and water loss law caused by earth and stone mountain railway engineering construction in the northwestern China is studied systematically and that caused possibly by the road bed project, the road moat project, the field project, the tunnel project and the service road project in construction is probed. At the same time, the type, the intensity and influencing factor of soil and water loss in the northwest mountain railway construction are also studied.     

Studyon Soil and Water Loss Characteristic of the Railway Construction in Mountain Area

The factor of human projectactivity is often the immediate cause resulting in soil and water loss． The Baoji-Lanzhou second railway inconstruction is an example．The soil and water loss law caused by earth and stone mountain railway engineering construction in the northwestern China is studied systematically and that caused possibly by the road bed project，the road moat project，the field project，the tunnel project and the service road project inconstruction is probed．At the same time，the type，the intensity and influencing factor of soil and water loss in the northwest mountain railway construction are also studied．     

Cyclic Swell–Shrink Behaviour of a Compacted Expansive Soil

Laboratory cyclic swell–shrink tests were carried out on compacted expansive soil specimens to study in detail the effect of changes in shrinkage pattern on the swell–shrink behaviour of compacted expansive soils. Compacted soil specimens were allowed to swell and either shrank fully or partially shrank to several predetermined heights in each cycle. The tests were carried out at a surcharge pressure of 50 kPa. The test results revealed that shrinkage of compacted saturated soil specimens to predetermined height in each shrinkage cycle provides similar conditions as that of the controlled suction tests with an increasing number of swell–shrink cycles. The water content of soil specimens and hence soil suction was found to remain nearly constant for each pattern of shrinkage. For soil specimens equilibrated to a given swell–shrink pattern, suction at the end of shrinkage cycles was changed from a higher suction to a lower suction, and also from a lower to a higher suction. The experimental results showed that there may be an immediate equilibrium state attained by the soil in terms of swell–shrink potential if suction at the shrinkage cycles was less than the past suction; otherwise, the equilibrium state was accompanied by fatigue of swelling. The volumetric deformation of the soil specimen subjected greater shrinkage was found to be much larger than the corresponding vertical deformation. The compressibility index of microstructure, κ_m, was determined for several shrinkage patterns. It is shown that κ_m is heavily influenced by suction at the end of shrinkage cycles.     

The Effects of Water Content and Dry–Wet Cycles of Weak‐Interlayer Soil on Stability of Clastic Rock Slope

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - The goal of this paper was to study the effect of water content change of weak interlayer soil on the stability of clastic rock slope. Direct shear tests...     

Evaluation of Engineering and Cement–Stabilization Parameters of Clayey–Sand Mixtures under Soaked Conditions

Clay soils, especially clay soils of high or very high swelling potential often present difficulties in construction operations. However, the engineering properties of these clay soils can be enhanced by the addition of cement, thereby producing an improved construction material. Higher strength loss of cement stabilized clay soils after soaking in water is attributed to water absorbing capacity of the clay fraction (e.g. montmorillonite). Kaolinite and illitic soils are largely inert and resist to water penetration. These clays generally develop satisfactory strengths resulting to low strength reduction [Croft, 1967]. The swelling clays such as bentonite soaked in water, due to environmental conditions, result to volume increase causing macro and micro-fracturing in engineering structures. These fractures accelerate water penetration and consequently cause greater strength loss [Sällfors and Öberg-Högsta, 2002]. The water intrusion during soaking creates swelling and disrupts the cement bonds. The development of internal and external force systems in soil mass, due to soaking conditions, establish the initiation of slaking. Internal force system of a stabilized clayey soil consists of the resultant stresses established by the bonding potential of a cementing agent and the swelling potential of a clay fraction. In an effort to study this influence of soaking conditions and final absorbed water content on the stabilization parameters (cement, compaction, curing time), both unconfined compressive strength and slaking (durability) tests were carried out on two different cement stabilized clayey mixtures consisted of active bentonite, kaolin and sand.     

Investigation on frost heave of saturated–unsaturated soils

Acta Geotechnica - Frost heave is a process of coupled heat–water–mechanics, which refers to heat transfer, water migration, water–ice phase change, deformation, etc. The...     

Influence of Relative Density on Static Soil–Structure Frictional Resistance of Dry and Saturated Sand

Soil–structure frictional resistance is required while designing foundation systems and retaining walls. Although much more attention has been paid in recent years regarding soil–structure interaction for dynamic loading, highly conservative values of the static frictional resistance between soil and structure are used in design. Not much emphasis has been given lately to evaluate static frictional resistance between soil and structure. In this study, a well graded sand, as per USCS classification system, was prepared in the laboratory at different relative densities and moisture contents i.e. dry and saturated, and frictional resistances of those soils were measured. Those soil samples were also sheared against wood, concrete, and steel blocks and corresponding soil–structure frictional resistances were measured. Moreover, similar experiments were performed for saturated and loose poorly graded sand (SP), silty sand (SM) and poorly graded sand with silt (SP–SM). The study result shows that the difference between frictional resistance of soil and skin friction depends on the type of soil, relative density and the moisture content. Interestingly, shear envelopes for soil–soil and soil–structure shearing resistance exhibited curvature. The traditionally adopted soil–structure frictional resistance values adopted by various geotechnical manuals were found to be highly conservative.     

Research on Climate Feedback of Human Water Use and Its Impact on Terrestrial Water Cycles —Advances and Challenges

The terrestrial water cycle is the mutual transformation of surface and near-surface water, which controls the supply of fresh water resources. It is affected by human activities, solar radiation and gravity, as well as climate and environmental conditions. Inter-basin water transfer, irrigation, crop cultivation and harvesting, exploitation of groundwater water and other human activities lead to the change of spatial and temporal distribution of soil moisture, the underground water level, surface albedo, surface evaporation, as well as water and energy exchange between land surface and atmosphere. Human water use generates important feedback on the climate and changes the processes of the terrestrial water cycle significantly. The spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation in China is uneven. In addition, human activities further exacerbate the fragility of water resources and the contradiction between supply and demand, posing a serious challenge to the sustainable development of social economy. Therefore, understanding the laws and mechanisms of terrestrial water cycle change is very important for water resources utilization and human sustainable development. From the perspective of climate change and human activities, this paper summarized the impact of human activities on terrestrial water cycle and the progress of climate feedback research. It is urgent to consider the evolution of terrestrial water cycle and its climate under the dual impact of natural and human activities, and develop the large-scale land surface hydrological models and climate models with human water use, crop planting and irrigation, lateral groundwater flow. From the perspective of a fully coupled system, we need quantitatively to assess the climate feedback of human water use and its impact on the terrestrial water cycle process, and to explore its mechanism. We need to distinguish the contribution of human water activities and global climate change to the evolution of terrestrial water cycle in the context of climate change, and to propose water resources management strategies to address climate change.     

Laboratory Investigation of the Influence of Geotextile on the Stress–Strain and Volumetric Change Behavior of Sand

This paper presents the results of triaxial tests conducted for the investigation of the influence of geotextile on both the stress–strain and volumetric change behavior of reinforced sands. Tests were carried out on loose sand. The experimental program includes drained compression tests on samples reinforced with different values of both geotextile layers (1 ≤ Ng ≤ 3) and confining pressure (\(\upsigma_{\text{c}}^{\prime }\)) varying from 50 to 200 kPa. Tests show that the contribution of geotextile is negligible until an axial strain threshold that range between 2.5% for a confining pressure of 50 kPa to lower than 1% for 100 and 200 kPa confining pressure. At higher values of ε_a, geotextile induces a quasi-linear increase in the stress deviator (q) and volume contraction in the reinforced sand. Tests show a negligible influence of the number of geotextile layers (Ng) on the contribution of geotextile to both stress–strain and volumetric change, when normalized with Ng. Tests also show that the contribution of geotextile to the stress–strain mobilization augments with the increase in the confining pressure, while its contribution to the volume contraction decreases with the increase in the confining pressure. The reinforced soil becomes contracting in the case of 2 and 3 geotextile layers.     

Effect of Strain Rate on the Strength Characteristics of Soil–Lime Mixture

The effects of rate of strain on strength and deformation characteristics of soil–lime were investigated. Five strain rates (0.1, 0.8, 2.0, 4.0 and 7.0 %/min), five lime contents (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 %) by dry soil weight and three cell pressures (100, 200 and 340 kN/m²) were carried. Triaxial tests, under unconsolidated condition, were used to study the effect of strain rate on strength and initial modulus of elasticity of soil and soil–lime mixture after two curing periods 7 and 21 days, respectively. A total of 405 triaxial specimens have been tested, where 225 specimens have been tested with first curing period (7 days). The testing program includes nine specimens for each strain rate, and each lime content was carried out, including natural soil with zero lime content. Another set of triaxial tests with a total of 180 specimens for the second curing period (21 days) was prepared at optimum moisture content, and the corresponding maximum dry density was also tested. The effects of strain rate and curing period on each of stress–strain behavior, type of failure, deviator stress at failure, cohesion and angle of internal friction and initial modulus of elasticity were studied thoroughly for the natural soil as well as soil–lime mixtures. For natural soil, the test results showed that the undrained shear strength, the initial modulus of elasticity and the cohesion increase significantly as the strain rate increase, while for soil–lime mixture at different curing periods, the undrained shear strength, initial modulus of elasticity and the cohesion increases to a maximum and then decreases as the strain rate and lime content increase. Also, the same variables and angle of internal friction increase with increasing curing period.     

“Ecohydrology of Water controlled Ecosystems—Soil Moisture and Plant Dynamics”评介

水文学是众多地学分支中发展最快的学科之一，约40年前水文学开始成为一门研究流域水流运动物理规律的专门学科，30年前人类开始认识到水是控制全球气候的主要因素之一，三态水之间的转化和循环成为研究热点，在近10年内，人类进一步认识到：水循环强烈影响着氮、碳等元素的循环，陆地生物圈内水资源的可获得性控制着植物的生长、氮元素的提升以及碳蓄积速率，植被因素和水文循环开始同时受到气候、水文以及生态学研究组织的高度重视，水文学发展到了生态水文学阶段。生态水文学自诞生之日起就在朝着两个不同的方向发展：一类是由生态学家发起的集中于植被对微气候响应的研究，另一类是由水文学家发起的不同复杂程度的水文模型与植物模型耦合研究。如此看来生态水文学进一步的发展必将是：前者会不断增加观测试验的分类程度，而后者则会逐渐提高模型的复杂程度，两个方向交叉的可能性将很小。但Ignacio Rodriguez-hurbe与Amilcare Porporato吸收了成熟的非线性科学思想以及早期发展的降水模型随机理念，提出了一种在解释各种生物物理过程时既能保证其简单性又不失系统非线性本质的低维模型，为生态水文学的两个发展方向找到了一个交叉点，也为该学科创造了一个全新的学科增长点。     

Preliminary Investigation on the Causes of Odd Vibration of Buildings in Guilin City—a Study on the Resonance between Buildings and the Underlying Soil Layer

A residential building in Guilin City, China, underwent an up-and-down vibration with an amplitude of 2 cm. By eliminating several causes such as earthquake, wind and construction, in combination with the unique karst geological conditions of Guilin, it was inferred that the effect of turbulent karst water is the main contributor to the occurrence of this vibration. Therefore, a geophysical survey was undertaken on the vibration zone and its surroundings. The resutls suggest that the soil in the upper part of the karst grooves shows conspicuous traces of disturbance and the water content has low resistance. A comprehensive analysis indicates that there is a karst strong runoff zone beneath the area. According to the water level and water temperature data collected automatically by the instrument, it can be concluded that the groundwater level had changed significantly twice during this period, so it was determined that the denudation of groundwater strong runoff causes the overlying soil layer to collapse, forming a soil-water soft-flow material with mixed phase. Since the building in this area was supported by friction piles, the groundwater-soil soft-flow material with mixed phase has intense plasticity, and the up-and-down vibration resulted in the change of the friction piles, which caused the up-and-down vibration of the building structure.