Hydraulic and volume change behaviors of compacted highly expansive soil under cyclic wetting and drying

The wide engineered application of compacted expansive soils necessitates understanding their behavior under field conditions.The results of this study demonstrate how seasonal climatic variation and stress and boundary conditions individually or collectively influence the hydraulic and volume change behavior of compacted highly expansive soils.The cyclic wetting and drying(CWD)process was applied for two boundary conditions,i.e.constant stress(CS)and constant volume(CV),and for a wide range of axial stress states.The adopted CWD process affected the hydraulic and volume change behaviors of expansive soils,with the first cycle of wetting and drying being the most effective.The CWD process under CS conditions resulted in shrinkage accumulation and reduction in saturated hydraulic conductivity(k sat).On the other hand,CWD under CV conditions caused a reduction of swell pressure while has almost no impact on k sat.An elastic response to CWD was achieved after the third cycle for saturated hydraulic conductivity(k sat),the third to fourth cycle for the volume change potential under the CV conditions,and the fourth to fifth cycle for the volume change potential under the CS conditions.Finally,both swell pressure(s s)and saturated hydraulic conductivity(k sat)are not fundamental parameters of the expansive soil but rather depend on stress,boundary and wetting conditions.

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.

Temporal Microbial Response to Wetting-Drying Cycles in Soils within and Outside the Influence of a Shrub in the Sahel

Piliostigma reticulatum is a native woody shrub found in cropped fields in the Sahel and has been shown to increase crop productivity and soil quality. Frequently occurring drying and rewetting cycles (DRW) may alter the soil quality beneath these shrubs. We investigated the effect of DRW cycles on microbial community in soil beneath and outside the P. reticulatum canopy and the roles of this shrub in the adaptation of the microbial community to abiotic stress. Soils were incubated in a climate controlled chamber for 45 days, after exposure to 10 consecutive days of DRW cycles at 75% of water holding capacity (WHC). Basal respiration, β-glucosidase activity, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and available nitrogen (;) were measured at 2, 30, and 45 days after soil exposed to the DRW cycles. MBC increased significantly two days after the DRW cycles and was greater for soil beneath the shrub canopy compared with soil outside the shrub canopy. PCA analysis based on basal respiration, microbial biomass carbon, available nitrogen, and β-Glucosidase activity resulted in a tight clustering in the beneath shrub soil samples. Soils incubated for more than 30 days after DRW cycles had higher available nitrogen content than soils incubated for less than 30 days. Soil from beneath the shrub canopy significantly improved soil resilience based on β-glucosidase activity. Soil from beneath the shrub canopy also had higher nutrient levels and greater microbial activity even when subjected to DRW cycles, potentially improving the ability of crops to withstand in-season drought when they are adjacent to shrubs. The work should bring our scientific community into a more comprehensive assessment of potential effects of a crop-shrub intercropping that may allow for increased crop yields in semi-arid ecosystems under drought conditions.

Investigation on microstructure evolution of clayey soils: A review focusing on wetting/drying process

Variability in moisture content is a common condition in natural soils.It influences soil properties significantly.A comprehensive understanding of the evolution of soil microstructure in wetting/drying process is of great significance for interpretation of soil macro hydro-mechanical behavior.In this review paper,methods that are commonly used to study soil microstructure are summarized.Among them are scanning electron microscope(SEM),environmental SEM(ESEM),mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)and computed tomography(CT)technology.Moreover,progress in research on the soil microstructure evolution during drying,wetting and wetting/drying cycles is summarized based on reviews of a large body of research papers published in the past several decades.Soils compacted on the wet side of op-timum water content generally have a matrix-type structure with a monomodal pore size distribution(PSD),whereas soils compacted on the dry side of optimum water content display an aggregate structure that exhibits bimodal PSD.During drying,decrease in soil volume is mainly caused by the shrinkage of inter-aggregate pores.During wetting,both the intra-and inter-aggregate pores increase gradually in number and sizes.Changes in the characteristics of the soil pore structure significantly depend on stress state as the soil is subjected to wetting.During wetting/drying cycles,soil structural change is not completely reversible,and the generated cumulative swelling/shrinkage deformation mainly derives from macro-pores.Furthermore,based on this analysis and identified research needs,some important areas of research focus are proposed for future work.These areas include innovative methods of sample preparation,new observation techniques,fast quantitative analysis of soil structure,integration of microstructural parameters into macro-mechanical models,and soil microstructure evolution charac-teristics under multi-field coupled conditions.

Effect of SAP on Properties of High Performance Concrete under Marine Wetting and Drying Cycles

The internal curing effect of superabsorbent polymer(SAP) on the properties of high performance concrete(HPC) under marine wetting and drying cycles(WD cycles) was investigated. Compressive strength, hydration and chloride migration were experimentally investigated and the results were evaluated by compasison with those under fresh water curing(FW). Water absorption and porosity were also evaluated only under WD cycles. The results showed the important influence of wetting and drying cycles on the properties of SAP modified HPC properties. Carefully designed, SAP minimized the long-term compressive strength of HPC under marine WD cycles. The hydration rate was faster in the initial curing, but became lower as compared with that cured in FW. In addition, SAP improved the long-term water absorption resistance and chloride migration resistance of HPC under marine WD cycles. The examination of the porosity showed a lower increase of the volume of capillary pores in SAP modified HPC under long term WD cycles compared with that without SAP. Therefore, internal curing by SAP could improve the durability properties of HPC under marine WD cycles.

Effect of cyclic drying and wetting on engineering properties of heavy metal contaminated soils solidified/stabilized with fly ash

Solidification/stabilization （S/S） is one of the most effective methods of dealing with heavy metal contaminated soils. The effects of cyclic wetting and drying on solidified/stabilized contaminated soils were investigated. A series of test program, unconfined compressive strength （UCS） test, TCLP leaching test and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） test, were performed on lead and zinc contaminated soils solidified/stabilized by fly ash. Test results show that UCS and the leaching characteristics of heavy metal ions of S/S contaminated soils are significantly improved with the increase of fly ash content. UCS of S/S soils firstly increases with the increase of the times of drying and wetting cycles, after reaching the peak, it decreases with it. When the pollutant content is lower （1 000 mg/kg）, the TCLP concentration first slightly decreases under cyclic drying and wetting, then increases, but the change is minor. The TCLP concentration is higher under a high pollutant content of 5 000 mg/kg, and increases with the increase of the times of drying and wetting cycles. The results of scanning electron microscopy （SEM） test are consistent with UCS tests and TCLP leaching tests, which reveals the micro-mechanism of the variations of engineering properties of stabilized contaminated soils after drying and wetting cycles.

Grain yield and water use efficiency of super rice under soil water deficit and alternate wetting and drying irrigation

This study investigated if super rice could better cope with soil water deficit and if it could have better yield performance and water use efficiency （WUE） under alternate wetting and drying （AWD） irrigation than check rice. Two super rice cultivars and two elite check rice cultivars were grown in pots with three soil moisture levels, well watered （WW）, moderate water deficit （MWD） and severe water deficit （SWD）. Two cultivars, each for super rice and check rice, were grown in field with three irrigation regimes, alternate wetting and moderate drying （AWMD）, alternate wetting and severe drying （AWSD） and conventional irrigation （CI）. Compared with that under WW, grain yield was significantly decreased under MWD and SWD treatments, with less reduction for super rice than for check rice. Super rice had higher percentage of productive tillers, deeper root distribution, higher root oxidation activity, and greater aboveground biomass production at mid and late growth stages than check rice, especially under WMD and WSD. Compared with CI,AWMD increased, whereasAWSD decreased grain yield, with more increase or less decrease for super rice than for check rice. Both MWD and SWD treatments and eitherAWMD orAWSD regime significantly increased WUE compared with WW treatment or CI regime, with more increase for super rice than for check rice. The results suggest that super rice has a stronger ability to cope with soil water deficit and holds greater promising to increase both grain yield and WUE by adoption of moderate AWD irrigation.

Wet and Dry Season Effects on Select Soil Nutrient Contents of Upland Farms in North Bank Region of the Gambia

The study was conducted in three villages of North Bank Region of the Gambia in 2013 and 2014. We examined wet and dry season effects on select soil nutrient contents of upland farms in North Bank Region of the Gambia. The objective was to evaluate changes in soil nutrient contents in both wet and dry seasons. Soil samples were collected from three RCBD upland fields with three replications at a depth of 0 - 15 cm and analyzed for pH, Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), and soil moisture content. The gravimetric method of moisture estimation was used. The results showed that soil moisture content, soil TN, and soil pH are significantly different (P < 0.05) during the two seasons. There was no significant difference in SOC between the two seasons in the study area. The study concluded that soil nutrients were more readily available during the wet season than during the dry season probably because there is more soil moisture available in the wet season that facilitates soil nutrient release. The study concludes that soil moisture has to be available in order for some select soil nutrients to be released for plant uptake.

Characteristics of In-Situ Soil Water Hysteresis Observed through Multiple-Years Monitoring

A soil water retention curve (SWRC) is an essential soil physical property for analyzing transport and retention of water in a soil layer. A SWRC is often described as a single-valued function that relates the soil water potential ψ to volumetric water content θ of the soil. However, an in-situ ψ − θ relation should show soil water hysteresis, though this fact is often neglected in analyses of field soil water regimes while long-term in-situ soil water hysteresis is not well characterized. This study aimed at probing and characterizing in-situ ψ − θ relations. The developments of large hysteresis in the in-situ ψ − θ relations were observed only a few times during the study period of 82 months. Any of the large hysteretic behaviors in the ψ − θ relations began with an unusually strong continual reduction in ψ. The completion of a hysteresis loop required a recorded maximum rainfall. Because the study field had very small chances to meet such strong rainfall events, it took multiple years to restore the fraction of soil water depleted by the unusually strong continual reduction in ψ. While wetting-drying cycles had occurred within a certain domain of ψ, hysteretic behaviors tended to be so small that the in-situ ψ − θ relation can be approximated as a single-valued function of θ(ψ). These observed patterns of the in-situ ψ − θ relations were characterized by kinds of difference in dθ/dψ between a drying process and a wetting process at a given ψ. Thus, more amounts of experimental facts about wetting SWRCs in parallel with drying SWRCs should be needed for correct modelling, analyzing, and predicting soil water regimes in fields. It is also necessary to increase our understandings about the long-term trends of occurrences of extreme weather conditions associated with possible change in climate.

Effects of Periodical Soil Drying and Leaf Water Potential on the Sensitivity of Stomatal Response to Xylem ABA

The study on the changes of stomatal sensitivity in relation to xylem ABA during periodical soil drying and the effect of leaf water status on the stomatal sensitivity has confirmed that xylem ABA concentration is a good indicator of soil water status around roots and the relation between xylem ABA concentration and predawn leaf water potential remained constant during the three consecutive soil drying cycles based on the slopes of the fitted lines. The sensitivity of stomata to xylem ABA increased substantially as the soil drying cycles progressed, and the xylem ABA concentration needed to cause a 50% decrease of stomatal conductance was as low as 550 nmol/L in the next two soil drying cycle, as compared with the 750 nmol/L ABA in the first cycle of soil drying. The results using the split_root system showed that leaf water deficit significantly enhanced the stomatal response to xylem ABA and the xylem ABA concentration needed to cause a 50% decrease in stomatal conductance was 2 to 4 times smaller in the whole_root_drying treatment than those in the semi_root_drying treatment. These results suggested that the sensitivity of stomata to xylem ABA concentration is not a fixed characteristic.

干湿循环作用下剑麻纤维加筋膨胀土的抗裂作用及影响因素

为研究干湿循环作用下纤维加筋膨胀土的抗裂效果,分别开展了素土和剑麻纤维加筋膨胀土的干湿循环试验,并采用图像处理技术提取试样表面裂隙参数,分析了剑麻纤维含量及长度、干湿循环次数、试样含水率对裂隙发育的影响.结果表明:1)剑麻纤维加筋膨胀土具有较好的抗裂性能,且剑麻纤维的掺入对膨胀土的裂隙率和裂隙平均宽度影响较大,相较于素土试样,最优加筋土试样的裂隙率和裂隙平均宽度均比素土试样减小了约1/2.2)纤维长度相同时,随着纤维含量的增大,裂隙率、裂隙总长度、裂隙平均宽度和分形维数均呈先减小后增大的趋势,且纤维含量为0.4%时各参数值最小;纤维含量相同时,纤维长度对各裂隙参数影响不大.3)随着干湿循环次数的增加,加筋土和素土试样裂隙参数均呈逐渐增大趋势,但纤维加筋土裂隙率和裂隙平均宽度的增大幅度均比素土小;从第5次干湿循环开始,各裂隙参数增长趋缓.4)单次脱湿过程中,试样含水率由20%降至10%时,裂隙急剧发育,且素土裂隙的发育对含水率的变化更加敏感,含水率低于10%时,随着含水率的减小,试样裂隙率变小并趋于稳定;相同含水率条件下,剑麻纤维加筋土具有更好的抗裂性能.5)剑麻纤维加筋膨胀土的抗裂机理主要表现在两方面,一方面是剑麻纤维的掺入增大了膨胀土的渗透系数,促进了试样内水分的均匀分布,减小了试样各处的胀缩差异;另一方面纵横交错的剑麻纤维约束了聚集体之间大孔隙的收缩.

干湿循环下木质素改良粉土抗剪强度特性

为克服粉土强度低、干湿循环性能差的特点,同时解决固体废弃物木质素的资源化利用的问题,将木质素掺入粉土中,形成木质素改良粉土。为研究木质素改良粉土抗剪强度特性及干湿循环性能,对经历干湿循环后的木质素改良粉土进行直接剪切试验和X射线衍射试验,研究了木质素掺量0、2%、5%、8%、12%、15%和干湿循环0、1、2、3、4次对改良土抗剪强度特性的影响。结果表明:掺入木质素可以显著提升粉土的抗剪强度及干湿循环性能;一定干湿循环次数下,改良土的抗剪强度及黏聚力随着木质素掺量的增加先增大后降低,内摩擦角随着木质素掺量的增加先快速增大后基本不变;当木质素掺量为8%时,改良土的抗剪强度、黏聚力和内摩擦角最高。改良土的抗剪强度、黏聚力和内摩擦角均随着干湿循环次数的增加而降低,当木质素掺量为0时,纯土试样经过1次干湿循环即崩解,强度损失率为100%;当木质素掺量为8%时,改良土的强度损失率最低,黏聚力及内摩擦角的降低幅度均较低。X射线衍射试验表明,木质素掺量为8%时,石英、方解石、白云石含量最高,黏土矿物含量较高,钠长石含量最低,这是造成改良土强度及干湿循环性能提升的直接原因。结果显示,当木质素掺量为8%时,改良土在提高抗剪强度及干湿循环性能方面具有明显优势。研究结果可为实际施工设计提供理论支撑。

团聚体级配对固废改良膨胀土耐久性的影响

通过工业固废改良膨胀土团聚体的搅拌破碎试验以及破碎土的耐久性试验,揭示了团聚体尺寸效应对改良效果的影响,并分析了其影响机理.结果表明:掺入铁尾矿砂和电石渣能加速土团聚体在搅拌过程中的破碎;大粒径团聚体内部膨胀土的改良效果较差,容易产生裂隙;粒径大于15 mm的团聚体含量越高,试样的耐久性越差;相对于电石渣改良土,复合改良土的耐久性更好;对于应用于底基层的电石渣改良土和复合改良土,建议控制粒径大于15 mm土团聚体的含量分别小于2.5%和21.8%.

干湿循环作用下融雪剂对玻璃纤维水泥土力学性能影响的试验研究

为研究在干湿循环作用下不同种类融雪剂对玻璃纤维水泥土力学性能的影响,制备浓度为0.2mol/L的醋酸钾、氯化镁和硫酸钠溶液作为融雪剂溶液,将养护后的无纤维水泥土和有纤维水泥土试块在不同种类的融雪剂溶液中浸泡3d,然后将试块取出放入烘干箱内分别进行8~10次干湿循环。进而分析融雪剂类型、干湿循环次数对试块表面破坏状态、强度和质量等的影响。试验结果表明:经过10次干湿循环后,醋酸钾融雪剂溶液对试块质量和强度的影响程度小于氯化镁溶液和硫酸钠溶液,说明醋酸钾融雪剂对水泥土侵蚀作用较小;试块表面裂纹随着干湿循环次数的增加逐渐增多加深,在经历相同干湿循环次数后,有纤维水泥土试块的裂纹发展程度、质量损失率和强度损失率均低于无纤维水泥土试块,说明通过添加玻璃纤维可有效提高水泥土抗干湿循环和融雪剂侵蚀的能力。

铁离子作用下膨胀土干湿循环裂隙演化机制

为探究重金属Fe 3+作用下膨胀土干湿循环裂隙演化机制,以不同浓度Fe 2(SO 4)3溶液作用的饱和膨胀土为对象,开展干湿循环裂隙试验、扫描电镜(SEM)试验与X射线衍射(XRD)试验,研究Fe 3+作用下膨胀土干湿循环裂隙、微观结构和矿物成分的演化规律及机制。结果表明:相同干湿次数下,随Fe 3+浓度增加,土体裂隙面积率下降;随干湿次数增加,相同浓度土体裂隙面积率总体上升;Fe 3+作用下,粒间孔隙波动性微变,黏土矿物晶体结构损伤,晶层间距减小;干湿作用后,粒间孔隙剧增,土体结构破坏,晶体损伤加剧。总结出Fe 3+作用下膨胀土干湿循环裂隙演化机制为:水分子在土体内反复迁移,劣化土体结构,形成拉应力,导致裂隙产生;Fe 3+则在一定程度上缩小颗粒间距,增强抗拉强度,降低拉应力,抑制了裂隙发育。

巴东组泥岩重塑土湿胀特性宏细观跨尺度研究

针对泥岩地区高速铁路路基上拱问题,以郑万高速铁路沿线巴东组泥岩风化土为研究对象,开展不同初始含水率、干密度、上覆荷载及干湿循环次数条件下泥岩重塑土湿胀特性宏细观试验。基于多因素从宏细观角度对泥岩膨胀性进行了试验验证,对维护膨胀土区域工程稳定性有一定借鉴作用。结果表明:泥岩重塑土无荷膨胀率随着初始含水率的增加线性减小,随着初始干密度的增加呈指数增长;上覆荷载作用抑制了泥岩重塑土的膨胀变形;干湿循环作用下,泥岩重塑土膨胀率及吸水量均随干湿循环次数的增多而总体上先增加后减小,强度劣化,泥岩内部结构由致密变为疏松,矿物颗粒吸水膨胀,试样内部大尺寸孔隙逐渐形成。

干湿循环对自密实水泥土力学特性影响研究

为了探究干湿循环对自密实水泥土力学性能的影响规律,通过试验对比分析了不同水泥掺量下的自密实水泥土在不同干湿循环次数下的无侧限抗压强度,探讨了自密实水泥土的外观破损程度和强度劣化规律,并根据强度衰减规律,建立循环次数与劣化后强度的经验公式。研究发现干湿循环作用下自密实水泥土第j次循环后的强度衰减率是第1次强度衰减率的j^(0.3)倍;自密实水泥土应力-应变曲线峰值强度会随着循环次数的增加逐渐降低,试样的破坏类型由脆性破坏变成塑性破坏。

干湿循环对机制砂改良膨胀土力学与变形特性影响

在膨胀土中加入不同掺量的机制砂进行物理改良,对土样开展0~5次的干湿循环试验以分析土样的裂隙发育规律,并将干湿循环1、3、5次后的土样进行直接剪切试验及收缩和膨胀试验,探究经过干湿循环后土样的强度衰减和收缩膨胀特性。结果表明:机制砂可有效抑制膨胀土的裂隙发育,在机制砂掺量为10%时抑制效果最好,能较好抑制改良土裂隙集中发育,且在10%掺量下改良土的抗剪强度衰减幅度最小,收缩和膨胀特性方面也表现最佳。本试验验证了机制砂可延缓膨胀土在干湿循环过程中的裂隙发育和抗剪强度衰减,并且能改良土样的收缩膨胀变形特性,改良效果受机制砂掺量影响,综合考虑各项因素,机制砂掺量应控制在10%以内。

不同频度和强度的干湿循环对花岗岩红壤固结强度的影响

南方频繁干湿交替环境是影响土体结构强度演化的重要因素。为系统探究干湿循环频度和强度对赣州花岗岩红壤固结强度的影响,本研究通过进行不同强度和频度干湿循环条件下的快速固结试验,确定干湿循环效应对固结强度变化的影响机制。结果表明:1)孔隙比随着荷载压力的增大呈现先快速减小后趋于平稳趋势,干湿循环加剧花岗岩红壤的压缩变形;2)土壤瞬时沉降量和主固结沉降量均随着干湿循环频度和强度作用增强而逐渐增加;3)花岗岩红壤干湿循环后的压缩系数在0.8~1.0之间,呈现高压缩性,且随着频度的增加压缩系数逐渐增大,7次循环后缓慢增加并趋于稳定;干湿循环频度和强度增加条件下固结系数均呈现连续下降趋势,使土体强度降低;4)干湿循环频度对固结系数和压缩系数变化作用最为显著(F=4102.71,P<0.001;F=508.40,P<0.001)。研究结果说明季节性降雨干旱引发的干湿循环效应显著影响土体的固结强度,加剧岩土体失稳崩塌的风险。

干湿循环下花岗岩残积土胶结物溶蚀-微结构演化规律与力学行为

花岗岩残积土中的游离氧化铁粒间胶结作用使其具有高结构性和水敏性.因此,在干湿循环过程中,粒间胶结氧化物被溶蚀,残积土表现出结构崩解重组和复杂的剪切变形特性.为进一步研究干湿循环过程中花岗岩残积土中游离氧化铁溶蚀造成的土体组构变化及其对力学性能弱化的影响,进行一系列的宏微观试验以揭示不同干湿循环次数(0、1、2、4)下残积土的复杂力学特性.研究结果表明,随着干湿循环次数的增加,花岗岩残积土的应力-应变关系将由弱应变硬化型逐渐转变为应变软化状态.微观分析表明游离氧化铁会促使黏土颗粒胶结形成团聚体,随着干湿循环的进行其含量逐渐降低最终趋于稳定.此外,原状残积土粒度分布(PSD)曲线呈现明显的双峰,然后在干湿循环或去除氧化铁后转变为单峰曲线.反复干湿循环会削弱残积土的胶结结构特性,进而导致土体出现明显的软化特征.在剪切过程中,残积土首先表现出剪切收缩特性,随后出现明显的扩张趋势.随着干湿循环次数增加,残积土的有效黏聚力逐渐减小,但有效内摩擦角呈现逐渐增加的趋势.干湿循环过程中花岗岩残积土复杂的力学性能特点是不可逆的体积收缩和胶粒含量的变化以及微裂缝发展之间的耦合效应.