Strength Characteristics and Micropore Structures of Residual Soil with Different Suctions
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 22, Issue 4
Abstract
This paper presents micro–macro behaviors of unsaturated residual soils within high suctions. A series of unsaturated soil specimens was prepared using the saturated-saline-solution-based vapor equilibrium technique, considering different initial dry densities. The strength of these specimens was tested under high suction using the direct shear test. Micropore structures for residual soil tests were analyzed using mercury intrusion porosimetry and scanning electron microscopy. The macromechanical strength of residual soil under direct shearing and unconfined compressing conditions was improved by increasing the suctions and densities. And, the level of pore volume distribution measured in microscale on unsaturated residual soil was greatly dependent on matric suction and specimen density. Moreover, soil–water characteristic curves greatly decreased and trended to flat in the high-suction condition (more than 50 MPa).
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Acknowledgments
This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52178352 and 51808407), the Plan Project of Science and Technology of Wenzhou (Grant No. ZS2021001), and the Basic Scientific Research Project of Wenzhou (Grant No. R2020013)
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 22 • Issue 4 • April 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 5, 2021
Accepted: Nov 18, 2021
Published online: Feb 2, 2022
Published in print: Apr 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jul 2, 2022
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