The SEM Analysis of Rock-Soil Mini-Structure after Saturation

In reservoir areas, due to the change of water environment, the properties of rock/soil change. Therefore, it is necessary to study the changed rock/soil properties due to watering and develop necessary forecasting models. In this study, saturation experiments were performed in the laboratory using rock/soil samples from a bank-slope located in the Three Gorges Reservoir and water samples from the Yangtze River. By SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) analysis, the mini-structures of undisturbed samples were studied. It shows that the mini-structure of rock/soil changes after a 9-day saturation period in flowing water. Before saturation, the soil structure was of good integration and mainly composed of piled and accumulated prothallus. After saturation, the structure changes to be flocculent and there are many scattered prothallus which connect to each other mainly by edges and angularities. Compare to the unsaturated samples, there are more pores in the saturated samples caused by corrosion.