The dynamic characteristics of saturated remolded loess under cyclic load

Due to the joint development characteristic and macropore structure of loess,it is easy to cause structure collapse under earthquake or artificial vibration.The study on the loess disaster effect and its mechanism under earthquake action is insufficient due to its complexity.Hence,to study the deformation and mechanical properties more accurately,the dynamic characteristics of saturated remolded loess under cyclic dynamic load were tested using a GDS dynamic triaxial instrument in this paper.The test results show that strain and pore water pressure increase gradually at different rates with the development of vibration,and there is an obvious inflection point in the time-history curve of both.When the number of vibrations(N)exceeds this point,the strain increases rapidly,and pore water pressure tends to be stable.Under the action of large amplitude and low-frequency dynamic load,the strain and pore water pressure increase rapidly with fewer vibrations and the deviator stress(q)decreases rapidly,while the sample achieves damage faster with the increase of amplitude.During the application of a dynamic load,the effective stress(p)gradually decreases and its rate of change slows down.Finally,when the saturated remolded loess is subjected to a constant-amplitude dynamic load,the combination of large amplitude and low frequency leads to the failure of the sample in the shortest time.

Characteristics, Impacts and Risks of Dammed Lakes Induced by Debris Flows at the Wenchuan Earthquake Areas

After the Wenchuan Earthquake, many large-scale debris flows blocked rivers, generated dammed lakes, and produced outburst flood at the seriously hit areas. This paper mainly discussed the formation, outburst, impacts and risks of debris flow dammed lakes. The field investigation showed that the dammed lakes were created by debris flows from gullies and hill-slopes as well as the combination of debris flow and landslides, and also distributed along rivers step-by-step. The height of dams and the length of dammed lakes along river channel varied from 4 m to 18 m and from 400 m to 5000 m, respectively, and the reservoir capacity of dammed lakes were from 1.5 × 105 m3 to 3 × 106 m3. Due to geomorphological impact, dammed lakes commonly partially outburst along their front of debris flow deposition dams (1/4 - /3 outburst) or the suture between debris flow and landslide, and hardly completely outburst. Moreover, the subsequent debris flows continuously increased the magnitude and height of dams, not only increasing the stability of a single dam, but also improving the risks of outburst flood induced by intensive rainstorm. Dammed lakes produced steep rage in the sites of dams with the 4% - 9% of slope and rapidly raised river channel in the upstream due to a mass of alluvial sediment. As a result, the landscapes of step-dams and step-lakes dominate driver channels, significantly increasing the hazards of floods. Then the hazards, impacts and risk of debris flow dammed lakes along Min River from Dujiangyan to Wenchuan were analyzed. In order to mitigate dammed lakes induced by debris flows, the identification model of debris flow blocking rivers, the process of the formation, outburst and evolvement of dammed lakes, and the model of risk assessment for step-dammed lakes were strongly suggested to explore, and be used at the rivers of Min, Yuzi, Caopo, Longxi, Mianyuan, Jian, Shiting, Baishui and Jushui.

Gully erosion and expansion mechanisms in loess tablelands and the scientific basis of gully consolidation and tableland protection

Gully erosion is serious in the tableland area of the Loess Plateau due to high-intensity human activities and extreme rainfall, which cause serious soil loss and an increasing tableland shrinkage rate. Severe gully erosion has exerted a notable negative impact on local agriculture, human life and socioeconomic development. In recent decades, progress has been made in soil and water conservation with the goal of reducing soil erosion and protecting loess tableland, but basic research on gully consolidation and tableland protection(GCTP) is lacking, especially regarding the mechanisms of gully erosion and expansion in loess tableland under the interactive impacts of hydrodynamics and human activities. In addition, there is a lack of a deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms of soil-water disasters and controlling factors of unreasonable GCTP projects.Currently, the problems of headcut erosion and tableland fragmentation remain serious. Based on this situation, the Dongzhi tableland, the largest tableland on the Loess Plateau, was adopted as an example, and we studied gully erosion and expansion mechanisms in the loess tableland and the scientific basis of GCTP projects. We obtained a series of novel findings, including the following:(1) vertical joints are widely developed in loess and impose a controlling effect on tableland edge erosion;(2) rapid urbanization and road network expansion intensify headcut erosion and are the main reasons for severe erosion and tableland shrinkage in the Dongzhi tableland;and(3) unreasonable drainage of surface runoff and a rise in the groundwater level are the key factors affecting GCTP project stability. Moreover, the mechanisms and modes of erosion disasters in the project driven by these two factors were explained. The systematic remediation idea of retention, storage, drainage and consolidation for the GCTP project was introduced, and the core is water control, which emphasizes the combination of soil and water conservation and geohazard prevention measures. As a systematic remediation project, GCTP in loess tableland requires multidisciplinary and multimethod approaches and multiple measures involving ecology, soil and water conservation, geology and engineering to ensure project feasibility and sustainability.

Initiation Mechanism of Loess Mudflows by Flume Experiments

The structure of loess is loose,and the shear strength of loess drops sharply after contact with water.Therefore,loess mudflows have become a common geological disaster on the Chinese Loess Plateau.In order to study the initiation mode and mechanism of loess mudflows,in this study,seven sets of flume experiments were designed by controlling the slope angle and rainfall intensity.The results show that(1)when the slope angle is between 10°and 20°,there are two initiation mechanisms of loess mudflows:mudflow(large scale)and retrogressive toe sliding,and mudflow(small-scale)and retrogressive toe sliding.(2)The main method by which water infiltrates into the soil accumulation is mainly vertical infiltration,which is not affected by the slope angle and the seepage direction of the accumulation soil.(3)The liquefaction of loess is the root cause of loess mudflows.Water infiltrates into the area with an uneven density and a large amount of water accumulates in this area.Thus,the water content of the loess increases and the pore water pressure increases quickly and cannot dissipate in time,so the loess liquefies and the liquefacted area continues to spread and become larger.Thus,loess mudflows(large scale)occur.The increase in pore water pressure was captured in the seven sets of experiments.However,the order of the rising positions in the accumulation were different.This requires us to carry out tracking of the particle displacement inside the soil and the spatial changes in the internal structure of the soil in future research.

Identification of landslide spatial distribution and susceptibility assessment in relation to topography in the Xi＇an Region, Shaanxi Province, China

Landslides are among the most serious of geohazards in the Xi＇an Region, Shaanxi, China, and are responsible for extensive human and property loss. In order to understand the distribution of landslides and assess their associated hazards in this region, we used a combination of frequency analysis, logistic analysis, and Geographic Information System （GIS） analysis, with consideration of the spatial distribution of landslides. Using the GIS approach, the five key factors of surface topography, including slope gradient, topographic wetness index （TWI）, height difference, profile curvature and slope aspect, were considered. First, the distribution and frequency of landslides were considered in relation to all of the five factors in each of three sub-regions susceptible to landslides （Qin Mountain, Li Mountain, and Loess Tableland）. Secondly, each factor＇s influence was deter- mined by a logistic regression method, and the relative importance of each of these independent variables was evaluated. Finally, a landslide susceptibility map was generated using GIS tools. Locations that had recorded landslides were used to validate the results of the landslide susceptibility map and the accuracy obtained was above 84%. The validation proved that there is sufficient agreement between the susceptibility map and existing records of landslide occurrences. The logistic regression model produced acceptable results （the areas under the Receiver Operating Characteristics （ROC） curve were 0.865, 0.841, and 0.924 in the Qin Mountain, Li Mountain and Loess Tableland）. We are confident that the results of this study can be useful in preliminary planning for land use, particularly for construction work in high-risk areas.