The Effect of Hydraulic History on Shear Strength of Silt
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 23, Issue 9
Abstract
Weathering processes such as dry–wet (DW) cycles affect the hydromechanical properties of soils for earthen sites, in which significant proportions of the cross section could be influenced by climatic weathering, such as basal erosion of earthen sites. This study investigated the effects of the hydraulic history of silt samples that were subjected to nine DW cycles for ≤270 days on their mechanical properties. The results indicated that the proposed method of DW cycles was appropriate when determining soil strength profiles in earthen sites through soil column experiments. The mechanical properties of silt samples that were subjected to the same drying water content (w) under the same consolidation stress were significantly different when they had different hydraulic histories. When the wetting w was lower than the shrinkage limit, the silt in the upper soil layer that experienced lower wetting w generated a higher shear strength than samples that were not subjected to DW cycles. In contrast, silt samples in the lower soil layer that had been exposed to a higher wetting w than the shrinkage limit yielded a lower shear strength than the initial specimen. The hydraulic histories had a threshold effect on the strength profile of silt, where this was caused by the coupled effect of a stronger connection between its particles and the propagation of microcracks due to the DW cycles that intensified the heterogeneity of the strength profile of silt. These findings could help better understand basal erosion formation in earthen sites and protect our cultural heritage.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank the Funding Program for Young Backbone Teachers in Colleges and Universities of Henan Province (No. 2019GGJS142, No. 2020GGJS136), Postgraduate Education Reform and Quality Improvement Project of Henan Province (YJS2022SZ16), the Basic Research Project of Henan Provincial Key Scientific Research Project (20ZX009) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51509274).
References
Abbas, M. F., T. Y. Elkady, A. A. Aldrees, and A. A. Shaker. 2020. “Impact of stress path on hydraulic and mechanical behavior of compacted Al-Qatif clay.” Transp. Geotech. 26: 100417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2020.100417.
Azizi, A., K. Ashutosh, M. I. Lingwanda, and D. G. Toll. 2020. “The influence of rates of drying and wetting on measurements of soil water retention curves.” E3S Web Conf. 195: 03005. https://doi:101051/e3sconf/202019503005.
Azizi, A., G. Musso, and C. Jommi. 2019. “Effects of repeated hydraulic loads on microstructure and hydraulic behaviour of a compacted clayey silt.” Can. Geotech. J. 57 (1): 100–114. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2018-0505.
Castellanos, B. A., T. L. Brandon, I. Stephens, and L. Walshire. 2013. “Measurement of fully softened shear strength.” In Geocongress 2013: Stability and Performance of Slopes and Embankments III, Geotechnical Special Publication 231, edited by C. Meehan, D. Pradel, M. A. Pando, J. F. Labuz, 234–244. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Castellanos, B. A., T. L. Brandon, and D. R. Vanden Berge. 2016. “Correlations for fully softened shear strength parameters.” Geotech. Test. J. 39 (4): 20150184. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ20150184.
Fleureau, J.-M., J.-C. Verugge, P. J. Huergo, A. G. Correia, and S. Kheirbek-Saoud. 2002. “Aspects of the behavior of compacted clayed soils on drying and wetting paths.” Can. Geotech. J. 39: 1341–1357. https://doi.org/10.1139/ t02-100.
GB (Guobiao Standards). 1999. Standard for soil test method. GB/T 50123-1999. Beijing: Ministry of Construction.
Goh, S. G., H. Rahardjo, and E. C. Leong. 2013. “Shear strength of unsaturated soils under multiple drying-wetting cycles.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 140 (2): 06013001. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0001032.
Gonzalez, Y. T., V. Schaefer, and D. K. Rollins. 2021. “Factors controlling the fully softened shear strength: a statistical assessment.” In Technical Sessions of the Int. Foundations Congress & Equipment Expo, Geotechnical Special Publication 326, edited by C. El Mohtar, S. Kulesza, T. Baser, and M. D. Venezia, 10–14. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Han, L. Y., Q.-Q. Zhang, Z.-C. Zhang, J.-Y. Jia, Y.-H. Wang, T. Huang, and Y. Cheng. 2021. “Drought area, intensity and frequency changes in China under climate warming, 1961–2014.” J. Arid Environ. 193: 104596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104596.
Ladd, R. S. 1978. “Preparing testing specimen using under compaction.” Geotech. Test. J. 1 (1): 16–23. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ10364J.
Likos, W. J., and N. Lu. 2004. “Hysteresis of capillary stress in unsaturated granular soil.” J. Eng. Mech. 130 (6): 646–655. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)0733-9399(2004)130:6(646).
Liu, P., H. Y. Zhang, M. Zhang, X. D. Wang, Q. L. Guo, and L. Y. Zhao. 2012. “Research status and perspective on consolidation techniques for conserving the earthen architecture sites in China.” Appl. Mech. Mater. 209–211: 9–17. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.209-211.9.
Lu, N., and W. J. Likos. 2004. Unsaturated soil mechanics. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Romero, E., A. Gens, and A. Lloret. 1999. “Water permeability, water retention and microstructure of unsaturated compacted Boom clay.” Eng. Geol. 54 (1–2): 117–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-7952(99)00067-8.
Romero, E., G. D. Vecchia, and C. Jommi. 2011. “An insight into the water retention properties of compacted clayey soils.” Geotechnique 61 (4): 313–328. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2011.61.4.313.
Shear, D. L., H. W. Olsen, and K. R. Nelson. 1992. Effects of desiccation on the hydraulic conductivity versus void ratio relationship for a natural clay. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Suits, L. D., T. C. Sheahan, C. N. Khoury, and G. A. Miller. 2012. “Influence of hydraulic hysteresis on the shear strength of unsaturated soils and interfaces.” Geotech. Test. J. 35 (1): 103616. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ103616.
Sun, D. A., W. Sun, and L. Xiang. 2010. “Effect of degree of saturation on mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils and its elastoplastic simulation.” Comput. Geotech. 37 (5): 678–688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2010.04.006.
Sun, D. A., J. Zhang, Y. Gao, and D. C. Sheng. 2016. “Influence of suction history on hydraulic and stress-strain behavior of unsaturated soils.” Int. J. Geomech. 16 (6): D4015001. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000602.
Sun, W. J., G. Wei, Y. J. Cui, and D. A. Sun. 2017. “Microstructure evolution in silty soil during drying.” Chin. J. Rock Mech. Eng. 36 (10): 2544–2550. https://doi.org/10.13722/j.cnki.jrme.2017.0418.
Tang, C. S., Q. Cheng, T. Leng, and B. Shi. 2020. “Effects of wetting-drying cycles and desiccation cracks on mechanical behavior of an unsaturated soil.” Catena 194: 104721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.104721.
Tang, C. S., D. Y. Wang, B. Shi, and J. Li. 2016. “Effect of wetting-drying cycles on profile mechanical behavior of soils with different initial conditions.” Catena 139: 105–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2015.12.015.
Tollenaar, R., L. V. Paassen, and C. Jommi. 2017. “Small scale evaporation tests on a clay: Influence of drying rate on a clayey soil layer.” Can. Geotech. J 55 (3): 437–445. https://doi.org/10.1139/ cgj-2017-0061.
Tse, E. Y. M., and C. W. W. Ng. 2008. “Effects of drying and wetting cycles on unsaturated shear strength.” In Proc., 1st European Conf. on Unsaturated Soils, 481–486. Leiden, Netherlands: CRC Press/Balkema.
Tu, Y. L., X. R. Liu, Z. L. Zhong, S. Wang, Z. J. Wang, and W. Ke. 2017. “Experimental study on strength and deformation characteristics of silty clay during wetting-drying cycles.” Rock Soil Mech. 38 (12): 3581–3589. https://doi.org/ 10.16285/j.rsm.2017.12.024.
Wang, X. D., Q. Pei, Q.-L. Guo, Z.-P. Li, Y.-W. Wang, and J. Z. Zhao. 2019. “Stress mechanism for the rammed layer interfaces of earthen heritage sites with different treatments.” J. Cult. Heritage 39: 110–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2019.03.010.
Wang, X. D., B. Zhang, Q. Pei, Q. L. Guo, W. W. Chen, and F.-J. Li. 2020. “Experimental studies on sacrificial layer in conservation of earthen sites.” J. Cult. Heritage 41: 74–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2019.07.003.
Xu, X. T., L. J. Shao, J. B. Huang, X. Xu, D. Q. Liu, Z. X. Xian, and W. B. Jian. 2021. “Effect of wet-dry cycles on shear strength of residual soil.” Soils Found. 61 (3): 782–797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sandf.2021.03.001.
Yang, L. Y. 2020. “Analysis on the characteristics of temperature change in Zhengzhou from 1990 to 2017.” J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 1549 (2): 022048. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1549/2/022048.
Zhang, J. W., Y. Han, X. J. Wang, and H.-L. Bian. 2021. “Experimental investigation of the dynamic characteristics of treated silt using lignin: Case study of Yellow River Flood Basin.” Int. J. Geomech. 21 (5): 04021056. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0002018.
Zhang, Q.-Y., W.-W. Chen, and W.-J. Fan. 2020. “Protecting earthen sites by soil hydrophobicity under freeze–thaw and dry–wet cycles.”’ Constr. Build. Mater. 262 (2): 120089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.120089.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 23 • Issue 9 • September 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 29, 2022
Accepted: Mar 25, 2023
Published online: Jun 23, 2023
Published in print: Sep 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Nov 23, 2023
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.