Field testing of shear strength of granite residual soils

The characteristics of residual soils are very different from those of sedimentary soils.Although the strength characteristics of sedimentary soils have been studied extensively,the shear strength characteristics of granitic residual soils(GRS)subjected to the weathering of parent rocks have rarely been investigated.In this study,the shear strength characteristics of GRS in the Taishan area of southeast China(TSGRS)were studied by field and laboratory tests.The field tests consisted of a cone penetration test(CPT),borehole shear test(BST),self-boring pressuremeter test(SBPT),and seismic dilatometer Marchetti test(SDMT).The shortcomings of laboratory testing are obvious,with potential disturbances arising through the sampling,transportation,and preparation of soil samples.Due to the special structure of GRS samples and the ease of disturbance,the results obtained from laboratory tests were generally lower than those obtained from situ tests.The CPT and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)results indicated significant weathering and crustal hardening in the shallow TSGRS.This resulted in significant differences in the strength and strength parameters of shallow soil obtained by the BST.Based on the SDMT and SBPT results,a comprehensive evaluation method of shear strength for TSGRS was proposed.The SBPT was suitable for evaluating the strength of shallow GRS.The material index(ID)and horizontal stress index(KD)values obtained by the SDMT satisfied the empirical relationship proposed by Marchetti based on the ID index,and were therefore considered suitable for the evaluation of the shear strength of deep GRS.

Effects of soil crust on the collapsing erosion of colluvial deposits with granite residual soil

Collapsing erosion is a unique phenomenon commonly observed on the granite residue hillslopes in the tropical and subtropical regions of southern China,characterized by its abrupt occurrence and significant erosion volumes.However,the impacts of soil crust conditions on the erosion of colluvial deposits with granite residual soils have only been studied to a limited extent.To address this issue,this study investigates the impacts of three soil crust conditions(i.e.,without crust,10-minute crust,and 20-minute crust)on gully morphology,rainfall infiltration,and runoff and sediment yield during slope erosion of colluvial deposits with granite residues(classified as Acrisols)in Yudu County,Ganzhou City,Jiangxi Province,China,using simulated rainfall tests and photographic methods.The results showed that as the strength of the soil crust increased,the capacity of moisture infiltration and the width and depth of the gully as well as the sediment concentration and yield ratio decreased;at the same time,the runoff ratio increased.The sediment yield in the without-crust test was found to be 1.24 and 1.43 times higher than that observed in the 10-minute crust and 20-minute crust tests,respectively.These results indicate that soil crusts can effectively prevent slope erosion and moisture infiltration,while providing valuable insights for the management of soil erosion in natural environments.

Water retention behavior and shear strength of artificially cemented granite residual soil subjected to free drying

Artificially cemented soils have been widely used as filling materials in highway and railway construction.The shear strength evolution of filling materials upon moist variation can determine the stability of subgrade and embankments.This study conducted water retention tests,MIP tests,and multi-stage triaxial shear tests on cement-treated granite residual soil(GRS)to determine its water retention curve(WRC)upon free drying,pore structure,and peak shear strength qf,respectively.The water retention behavior and shear strength evolution upon free drying were modeled based on the dual-porosity structure of cement-treated GRS and the effective stress principle,respectively.Results show that the drying-WRC is bimodal and higher cement dosage yields a more severe decrease in the water retention capacity within a specific suction range.For a given confining pressure,the peak shear strength qf increased with increasing cement dosage or suction value s.The peak shear strength qf also solely depends on the suction value in the peak stress state.In addition,the cement-treated GRS has a bimodal pore size distribution curve,and its macro-and micro-void ratios remain almost unchanged after free drying.The bimodal drying-WRC of the cement-treated GRS can be modeled by differentiating the water retention mechanisms in macro-and micro-pores.Moreover,using the macro-pore degree of saturation as the effective stress parameterχ=S_(rM),the q_(f)–p′_(f)relationship(where p′_(f)is the effective mean pressure at failure)under various suction and stress conditions can be unified,and the q_(f)–s relationships at various net confining pressuresσ_(3),net can be well reproduced.These findings can help design subgrade and embankments constructed by artificially cemented GRS and assess their safe operation upon climate change.

Mesoscopic measurement of damage and shear bands of granite residual soil using Micro-CT and digital volume correlation

The mesomechanics of geotechnical materials are closely related to the macromechanical properties,especially the mesoscale evolution of shear bands,which is helpful for understanding the failure mechanism of geotechnical materials.However,there is lack of effective quantitative analysis method for the complex evolution mechanism of threedimensional shear bands.In this work,we used X-ray computed tomography(CT)to reconstruct volume images and used the digital volume correlation(DVC)method to calculate the three-dimensional strain fields of granite residual soil samples at different loading stages.The trend of the failure surface of the shear bands was obtained by the planar fitting method,and the connectivity index was constructed according to the projection characteristics of the shear bands on the failure trend surface.The results support the following findings:the connectivity index of the shear band increases rapidly and then slowly with increasing axial strain,which is characterized by a near'S'curve.As the stress reaches the peak value,the connectivity index of the shear bands almost exceeds 0.7.The contribution of the new shear band volume to the connectivity of the shear bands becomes increasingly small with increasing axial loading.Affected by quartz grains and stress at the initial stage,the dip angle gradually and finally approaches the included angle of the maximum shear stress from the discrete state with increasing axial loading.The tendency and dip angle of the resulting shear bands are dynamic,and the tendency slightly deflects with increasing loading.

Effects of dry-wet cycles on three-dimensional pore structure and permeability characteristics of granite residual soil using X-ray micro computed tomography

Due to seasonal climate alterations,the microstructure and permeability of granite residual soil are easily affected by multiple dry-wet cycles.The X-ray micro computed tomography(micro-CT)acted as a nondestructive tool for characterizing the microstructure of soil samples exposed to a range of damage levels induced by dry-wet cycles.Subsequently,the variations of pore distribution and permeability due to drywet cycling effects were revealed based on three-dimensional(3D)pore distribution analysis and seepage simulations.According to the results,granite residual soils could be separated into four different components,namely,pores,clay,quartz,and hematite,from micro-CT images.The reconstructed 3D pore models dynamically demonstrated the expanding and connecting patterns of pore structures during drywet cycles.The values of porosity and connectivity are positively correlated with the number of dry-wet cycles,which were expressed by exponential and linear functions,respectively.The pore volume probability distribution curves of granite residual soil coincide with the χ^(2)distribution curve,which verifies the effectiveness of the assumption of χ^(2)distribution probability.The pore volume distribution curves suggest that the pores in soils were divided into four types based on their volumes,i.e.micropores,mesopores,macropores,and cracks.From a quantitative and visual perspective,considerable small pores are gradually transformed into cracks with a large volume and a high connectivity.Under the action of dry-wet cycles,the number of seepage flow streamlines which contribute to water permeation in seepage simulation increases distinctly,as well as the permeability and hydraulic conductivity.The calculated hydraulic conductivity is comparable with measured ones with an acceptable error margin in general,verifying the accuracy of seepage simulations based on micro-CT results.

Use of X-ray computed tomography to study structures and particle contacts of granite residual soil

A small problem about soil particle regularization and contacts but essential to geotechnical engineering was studied.The soils sourced from Guangzhou and Xiamen were sieved into five different particle scale ranges(d<0.075 mm,0.075 mm≤d<0.1 mm,0.1 mm≤d<0.2 mm,0.2 mm≤d<0.5 mm and 0.5 mm≤d<1.0 mm)to study the structures and particle contacts of granite residual soil.The X-ray micro computed tomography method was used to reconstruct the microstructure of granite residual soil.The particle was identified and regularized using principal component analysis(PCA).The particle contacts and geometrical characteristics in 3D space were analyzed and summarized using statistical analyses.The results demonstrate that the main types of contact among the particles are face-face,face-angle,face-edge,edge-edge,edge-angle and angle-angle contacts for particle sizes less than 0.2 mm.When the particle sizes are greater than 0.2 mm,the contacts are effectively summarized as face-face,face-angle,face-edge,edge-edge,edge-angle,angle-angle,sphere-sphere,sphere-face,sphere-edge and sphere-angle contacts.The differences in porosity among the original sample,reconstructed sample and regularized sample are closely related to the water-swelling and water-disintegrable characteristics of granite residual soil.

Influences of different modifiers on the disintegration of improved granite residual soil under wet and dry cycles

The disintegration of granite residual soil is especially affected by variations in physical and chemical properties. Serious geologic hazards or engineering problems are closely related to the disintegration of granite residual soil in certain areas. Research on the mechanical properties and controlling mechanisms of disintegration has become a hot issue in practical engineering. In this paper, the disintegration characteristics of improved granite residual soil are studied by using a wet and dry cycle disintegration instrument, and the improvement mechanism is analyzed. The results show that the disintegration amounts and disintegration ratios of soil samples treated with different curing agents are obviously different. The disintegration process of improved granite residual soil can be roughly divided into 5 stages:the forcible water intrusion stage, microcrack and fissure development stage, curing and strengthening stage, stable stage, and sudden disintegration stage. The disintegration of granite residual soil is caused by the weakening of the cementation between soil particles under the action of water. When the disintegration force is greater than the anti-disintegration force of soil, the soil will disintegrate. Cement and lime mainly rely on ion exchange agglomeration, the inclusion effect of curing agents on soil particles, the hard coagulation reaction and carbonation to strengthen granite residual soil. Kaolinite mainly depends on the reversibility of its own cementation to improve and strengthen granite residual soil. The reversibility of kaolinite cementation is verified by investigating pure kaolinite with a tensile, soaking, drying and tensile test cycle. Research on the disintegration characteristics and disintegration mechanism of improved granite residual soil is of certain reference value for soil modification.

Evolution of cracks in the shear bands of granite residual soil

The evolution of shear bands and cracks plays an important role in landslides.However,there is no systematic method for classification of the cracks,which can be used to analyze the evolution of cracks in shear bands.In this study,X-ray computed tomography(CT)is used to observe the behavior of granite residual soil during a triaxial shear process.Based on the digital volume correlation(DVC)method,a crack classification method is established according to the connectivity characteristics of cracks before and after loading.Cracks are then divided into six classes:obsolete,brand-new,isolated,split,combined,and compound.With evolution of the shear bands,a large number of brand-new cracks accelerate the damages of materials at the mesoscale,resulting in a sharp decrease in strength.The volume of brandnew cracks increases rapidly with increasing axial strain,and their volume is greater than 50%when the strain reaches 12%,while the volume of compound cracks decreases from 54%to 21%.As cracks are the weakest areas in a material,brand-new cracks accelerate the development of shear bands.Finally,the coupling effect of shear bands and cracks destroys the soil strength.

Flow-slide characteristics and failure mechanism of shallow landslides in granite residual soil under heavy rainfall

Affected by typhoons over years, Fujian Province in Southeast China has developed a large number of shallow landslides, causing a long-term concern for the local government. The study on shallow landslide is not only helpful to the local government in disaster prevention, but also the theoretical basis of regional early warning technology. To determine the whole-process characteristics and failure mechanisms of flow-slide failure of granite residual soil slopes, we conducted a detailed hazard investigation in Minqing County, Fujian Province, which was impacted by Typhoon Lupit-induced heavy rainfall in August 2021. Based on the investigation and preliminary analysis results, we conducted indoor artificial rainfall physical model tests and obtained the whole-process characteristics of flow-slide failure of granite residual soil landslides. Under the action of heavy rainfall, a granite residual soil slope experiences initial deformation at the slope toe and exhibits development characteristics of continuous traction deformation toward the middle and upper parts of the slope. The critical volumetric water content during slope failure is approximately 53%. Granite residual soil is in a state of high volumetric water content under heavy rainfall conditions, and the shear strength decreases, resulting in a decrease in stability and finally failure occurrence. The new free face generated after failure constitutes an adverse condition for continued traction deformation and failure. As the soil permeability(cm/h) is less than the rainfall intensity(mm/h), and it is difficult for rainwater to continuously infiltrate in short-term rainfall, the influence depth of heavy rainfall is limited. The load of loose deposits at the slope foot also limits the development of deep deformation and failure. With the continuous effect of heavy rainfall, the surface runoff increases gradually, and the influence mode changes from instability failure caused by rainfall infiltration to erosion and scouring of surface runoff on slope surface. Transportation of loose materials by surface runoff is an important reason for prominent siltation in disaster-prone areas.

Dynamic stress accumulation model of granite residual soil under cyclic loading based on small-size creep tests

The creep behaviors of granite residual soil with pre-stress of 100 kPa was investigated by a series of small size creep tests. Three different types of strain curves were obtained at different stress levels. Based on creep characteristics of the granite residual soil under different stress levels, a creep model of the granite residual soil was established by rheological theory, and related parameters of the model were determined according to the experimental data at the same time. Further on, based on the established creep model, a theoretical model of dynamic stress accumulation in the granite residual soil under cyclic loading was deduced. It is found that there is a threshold of dynamic stress accumulation in this theoretical model. The dynamic stress accumulation laws of the granite residual soil are different under different cyclic loading stress. Finally, with the dynamic stress accumulation laws in the small-size samples of granite residual soil under different cycle loading studied and the experimental results comparing with the theoretical results, it verifies the validity of the theoretical model.

Influence of groundwater drawdown on excavation responses e A case history in Bukit Timah granitic residual soils

Performances of a braced cut-and-cover excavation system for mass rapid transit （MRT） stations of the Downtown Line Stage 2 in Singapore are presented. The excavation was carried out in the Bukit Timah granitic （BTG） residual soils and characterized by significant groundwater drawdown, due to dewatering work in complex site conditions, insufficient effective waterproof measures and more permeable soils. A two-dimensional numerical model was developed for back analysis of retaining wall movement and ground surface settlement. Comparisons of these measured excavation responses with the calculated performances were carried out, upon which the numerical simulation procedures were calibrated. In addition, the influences of groundwater drawdown on the wall deflection and ground surface settlement were numerically investigated and summarized. The performances were also compared with some commonly used empirical charts, and the results indicated that these charts are less applicable for cases with significant groundwater drawdowns. It is expected that these general behaviors will provide useful references and insights for future projects involving excavation in BTG residual soils under significant groundwater drawdowns.

Evaluation of Coefficient of Permeability on Contaminated Granitic Residual Soil

This paper reports laboratory research carried out on natural and contaminated granitic residual soil from Covilha region （Portugal） to evaluate the coefficient of permeability in accordance with Darcy＇s law. The soils are contaminated with hydrocarbon （Benzene Toluene Etilbenzene and Xilenes elements） and leached of urban solid waste. The specimens remained saturated and the consolidation and swelling are substantially completed at different effective confining pressures （25 to 400 kPa） before the measurements are performed at different hydraulic gradient to determine the effect of the void ratio, fabric and contamination of soil.

Influence of crack characteristics on the morphological development of Benggang and hydrological processes

Benggang is a special type of soil erosion,which widely distributes in the granite residual soil area of southern China.Owing to the influence of local climate and topography,shallow cracks having different morphological characteristics are easily formed on the slope surface.These shallow cracks damage the surface structure of the slope and accelerate water infiltration,making it easier to cause severe soil and water loss.However,the mechanism of Benggang process is still unclear,especially for slopes with different shallow crack characteristics.In this study,granite residual soil was collected from Benngang erosion area in Yudu County,Jiangxi Province,southern China.Three experimental treatments with slope surface crack rates of 0%,5.23%,and 11.70%were performed.Simultaneous monitoring of moisture content and soil temperature in the slope were carried out during rainfall,and the characteristics of preferential flow were monitored with different crack rates.Morphological development and evolution process of Benggang with different crack rates were studied.Results show that high surface crack rate of the shallow surface on the slope accelerated the development of shallow gully erosion,leading to premature occurrence of gully erosion.As the shallow crack rate increased from 0%to 5.23%and 11.70%,the width-depth ratio of the rills at the slope bottom increased from 0.69 to 1.02 and 1.16,respectively.At the same time,a correlation between moisture and temperature data was observed for the process of water-heat coupled migration.The upper soil temperature of slope decreased quickly due to preferential flow.The simultaneous monitoring of soil moisture and temperature can effectively track preferential flow and indicate the water movement.Temperature data was a more sensitive indicator of the seepage paths of preferential flow compared to moisture data.

Landslide susceptibility mapping using the infinite slope,SHALSTAB,SINMAP,and TRIGRS models in Serra do Mar,Brazil

Slope failure triggered by heavy rainfall is very common in tropical and subtropical regions and a cause of major social and economic damage.Landslide susceptibility maps can be generated using geographical information systems(GIS)and limit equilibrium slope stability models coupled or not to hydrological equations.This study investigated the efficacy of four models used for slope stability analysis in predicting landslide-susceptible areas in a GIS environment.The selected models are the infinite slope,the shallow slope stability model(SHALSTAB),the stability index mapping(SINMAP),and the transient rainfall infiltration and grid-based regional slope-stability(TRIGRS).For comparisons,the authors(a)included the infinite slope equation in all models,(b)clearly defined input parameters and failure triggering mechanisms for each simulation(soil depth,water table height,rainfall intensity),(c)determined appropriate values for each model to obtain stability levels that represented similar hydrogeotechnical conditions,and(d)considered upper-third areas of landslide scars to estimate the reliability of susceptibility maps using validation indices.An intense rainfall event occurred in Serra do Mar,Brazil in January 2014 triggered hundreds of landslides and was used for back analysis and evaluation of the slope stability analysis models.When rainfall intensity is not considered,the four models produced very similar results.The most reliable landslide susceptibility map was generated using TRIGRS and considering the granite residual granite soils geological-geotechnical unit,subjected to a rainfall intensity of 210 mm for 2 h under unsaturated conditions.