Evaluation of Structural Strength and Parameters of Collapsible Loess
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 21, Issue 6
Abstract
Loess is one of the problematic soils with a worldwide distribution for its collapsibility. To study structural strength and parameters of collapsible loess, a number of double-oedometer tests on intact and remolded loess specimens, sampled from Xinjiang, western China, at different initial moisture contents were conducted. The collapse potential curve can be divided into three stages, and the curve at each stage represents the change of the loess internal structure during the collapse deformation process. Stage I: loess initial structure transforms into the secondary structure; Stage II: damage to the secondary structure; and Stage III: loess structure has been destroyed. Proceeding from the damage to loess anticompression capabilities resulting from soaking, a model is proposed to evaluate the structural strength and parameters of collapsible loess. The variation of loess structural strength with moisture content and vertical pressure is investigated, and the loess structural parameters under different conditions are determined. The results ought to enable geotechnical engineers to evaluate the structural strength, stability, and water sensitivity of collapsible loess.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
Thanks are due to Jing-Zhi Chen, for working with us during the sampling process of the paper. We are also indebted to Han Gao, for her help in revising the manuscript. The journal’s reviewers are also thanked for their thorough review and constructive comments that help sharpen this article. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2017YFC0404804), research grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. U1865104, 51479052, and 41262012), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. B200204032), and the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (No. KYCX20_0442).
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- A0
- compression area of the tested specimen, mm2;
- E
- structural strength, J;
- e0
- initial void ratio;
- f(P)
- collapse potential function depends on the vertical stress;
- hp
- specimen height at the appropriate stress before wetting, mm;
- specimen height at the appropriate stress after wetting, mm;
- h0
- initial specimen height, mm;
- Ic
- collapse potential;
- Icmax
- greatest collapse potential;
- Iult
- ultimate collapse potential;
- ie
- collapse index;
- kp
- gradient of collapse potential curves corresponding to vertical stress;
- mp
- comprehensive structure potential;
- P
- vertical stress, kPa;
- Pi
- vertical stress at a given value, kPa;
- PT
- vertical stress corresponding to Icmax, kPa;
- Pult
- vertical stress corresponding to Iult, kPa;
- S0, Ss, Sr
- deformation of intact soil, saturated soil, and remolded soil at given stress;
- Δec
- change in void ratio resulting from wetting;
- Δhc
- change in inundated intact specimen height under additional stress, mm;
- Δhs
- change in intact specimen height under additional stress, mm;
- Δhsp
- change in specimen height resulting from wetting, mm; and
- δs
- collapse potential.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 21 • Issue 6 • June 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 25, 2019
Accepted: Nov 17, 2020
Published online: Mar 17, 2021
Published in print: Jun 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Aug 17, 2021
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