Effects of leachate infiltration and desiccation cracks on hydraulic conductivity of compacted clay

Both cracks in clay liner and the complex composition of landfill leachate might have effects on the hydraulic conductivity of a compacted clay liner. In this study, the hydraulic conductivities of natural clay and bentonite-modified clay with and without desiccation cracks were measured, respectively, using three types of liquids as permeating liquid： 2 500 mg/L acetic acid solution, 0.5 mol/L CaCl2 solution, and tap water. When tap water was adopted as the permeating liquid, desiccation cracks resulted in increases in the average value of hydraulic conductivity： a 25-fold increase for the natural clay and a 5.7-fold increase for the bentonite-modified clay. It was also found out that the strong selfhealing capability of bentonite helped to reduce the adverse impact of cracks on hydraulic performance. In contrast to tap water, simulated leachates（acetic acid and CaCl2 solutions） show no adverse effect on the hydraulic conductivities of natural and bentonite-modified clays. It is concluded that desiccation cracks and bentonite have more significant effects on hydraulic performance than simulated leachates.

Factors Predisposing and Triggering the Phenomenon of Shrinkage-Swelling of Clay Soils in the Urban Center of Diamniadio

The phenomena of shrinkage and swelling of clay induce damage to housing structures every year. Precipitation, climatic changes and drought are the cause of wall cracks due to subsidence or swelling of the supporting soil. This movement alters the balance between the soil and the structures. To explain this defection, the soil is made up of three elements: the solid, the liquid and the gas. Sometimes in a natural way or following a human intervention, one of these elements undergoes an abnormal variation that causes the loss of the balance between land and works. It is in this sense that this article deals on the one hand with the factors of predisposition and triggering of the phenomena of shrinkage-swelling of the clay soils of Diamniadio and on the other hand, the factors of aggravation linked to the lithological heterogeneity and the variation in the thickness of the layers susceptible to shrinkage-swelling. The studies carried out have enabled a deeper understanding of the behavior of expansive soils following their interactions with climate, vegetation, hydrology, hydrogeology, constructions among others, but also the influence of lateral and vertical variations of fine soil facies.

Simulation of Crack Pattern Formation Due to Shrinkage in a Drying Material

Crack patterns observed in nature have attracted the interest of researchers in various fields, and the mechanism of the pattern formation has been investigated. However, the phenomenon is very complicated, and many factors affect the process. Therefore, we are motivated to construct a general simulation code with a simple algorithm. In this study, crack pattern formation due to shrinkage caused by the drying of a wet material was simulated. The process was simplified as follows: tensile force is generated in the model, and a crack is generated when the tension exceeds a critical value. The tensile forces in the x and y directions are independently evaluated. A crack propagates perpendicular to the tension until it reaches another crack or a boundary. Based on this modeling, simulations with a two-dimensional square domain were performed. Consequently, a cross-divided pattern was generated. Assuming zigzag crack propagation, more realistic patterns were obtained. The effects of the boundary and domain size were also considered, and various characteristic patterns were obtained. Furthermore, the orientation dependency was simulated, and 45&#730 declined patterns and rectangularly divided patterns were generated. The model presented in this study is very simplified and is expected to be applicable to various objects.

Quantitative Analysis of Relationships Between Crack Characteristics and Properties of Soda-saline Soils in Songnen Plain, China

The Songnen Plain has a typical soda-saline soil, which often shrinks and cracks under natural conditions during water evaporation. This study aims to analyze the relationships between the crack characteristics and the soil properties of soda-saline soils quantitatively, and attempts to establish prediction models for the main soil properties of soda-saline soils based on the results. In order to achieve these objectives, a desiccation cracking test was conducted using 17 soil specimens with different salinity levels under controlled laboratory conditions. Correlation analysis was then performed between the crack characteristics and the soil properties. The results indicate that the crack characteristics can well represent the surface appearances of cracked soils, they also can well distinguish the salinity levels of soda-saline soils while the clay contents and mineralogical compositions of soils are stable. Among the crack characteristics, crack length has the best relationships with the salinity levels of soda-saline soils. Specifically, the crack length has high correlation(R2 > 0.87) with the electrical conductivity(EC), Na+, CO32– and the salinity, it also has reasonable relationship(R2 > 0.68) with HCO3–, this indicates crack length can be well used for the prediction of these properties of soda-saline soils.

Possible controlling factors in the development of seasonal sand wedges on the Ordos Plateau,North China

Wedge-like structures filled with silty sand penetrate Quaternary fluvial and aeolian sediments and, in places, Tertiary bedrock on the Ordos Plateau, North China. The wedges reflect thermal contraction cracking of either permafrost or seasonal frost during the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Wedges of about 1 m in depth form polygonal nets of 2-3 m in diameter(type B). They contrast with wedges of 3-4 m in depth that form polygons of 10-15 m in diameter(type A).This review focuses upon the highly variable size of the inferred polygon nets and discusses the problem of differentiating between seasonally and perennially frozen ground, or between seasonal frost and permafrost.

Effect of biochar type on infiltration,water retention and desiccation crack potential of a silty sand

Biochar is a carbon-rich material obtained after thermochemical conversion of biomass under no oxygen environment.The effect of biochar amendment on soil properties,such as water retention,infiltration and desiccation crack potential was studied in the recent years.However,the effect of biochar or feedstock type on these properties is not explicit.This study investigates the effect of two different(in terms of feedstock)types of biochar on the water retention,infiltration and desiccation crack-ing behavior of compacted silty sand.Water retention characteristics,infiltration rate and the progression of desiccation cracks were measured after compacting soil amended with 5-10%(w/w)biochar produced from water hyacinth(WHB)and mesquite.Measurements were also taken for an unpyrolyzed material coir pith(CP,sourced from coconut husk)-amended soil for comparing the results of biochar-amended soil.The results show that the amendment of 5%to 10%biochar increased the maximum water holding capacity(θs),air entry value(AEV)and water content at 1500 kPa(θ1500)of the soil,whereas decreased the infiltration rate and peak crack intensity factor(CIF)of the soil.Moreover,the application of CP increased the infiltration rate.The amendment of WHB showed the highest increment in AEV andθ1500 and the highest decrement in infiltration rate and CIF compared to the other amendments.Based on the results,it is advisable to use the WHB-amended soil in bioengineered structures that could promote the growth of vegetation by higher water retention and could reduce the potential of leachate formation by decreasing water infiltration and desiccation crack potential.

Exploring an eco-friendly approach to improve soil tensile behavior and cracking resistance

Soil tensile strength is a critical parameter governing the initiation and propagation of tensile cracking.This study proposes an eco-friendly approach to improve the tensile behavior and crack resistance of clayey soils.To validate the feasibility and efficacy of the proposed approach,direct tensile tests were employed to determine the tensile strength of the compacted soil with different W-OH treatment concentrations and water contents.Desiccation tests were also performed to evaluate the effectiveness of W-OH treatment in enhancing soil tensile cracking resistance.During this period,the effects of W-OH treatment concentration and water content on tensile properties,soil suction and microstructure were investigated.The tensile tests reveal that W-OH treatment has a significant impact on the tensile strength and failure mode of the soil,which not only effectively enhances the tensile strength and failure displacement,but also changes the brittle failure behavior into a more ductile quasi-brittle failure behavior.The suction measurements and mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)tests show that W-OH treatment can slightly reduce soil suction by affecting skeleton structure and increasing macropores.Combined with the microstructural analysis,it becomes evident that the significant improvement in soil tensile behavior through W-OH treatment is mainly attributed to the W-OH gel's ability to provide additional binding force for bridging and encapsulating the soil particles.Moreover,desiccation tests demonstrate that W-OH treatment can significantly reduce or even inhibit the formation of soil tensile cracking.With the increase of W-OH treatment concentration,the surface crack ratio and total crack length are significantly reduced.This study enhances a fundamental understanding of eco-polymer impacts on soil mechanical properties and provides valuable insight into their potential application for improving soil crack resistance.

Development and Evolution of the Size of Polygonal Fracture Systems during Fluid-Solid Separation in Clay-Rich Deposits

In continental and oceanic conditions, clay-rich deposits are characterised by the development of polygonal fracture systems（PFS）. PFS can increase the vertical permeability of clay-rich deposits（mean permeability ≤10-16 m2） and are pathways for fluids. On continents, the width of PFS ranges from centimeters to hundreds of meters, while in oceanic contexts they are up to a few kilometers large. These structures are linked to water-solid separation during deposition, consolidation and complete fluid squeeze of the clay horizon. During the last few decades, modeling of melt migration in partially molten plastic rocks led to rigorous quantifications of two-phase flows with a particular emphasis on 2D and 3D induced flow structures. The numerical modeling shows that the melt migrates on distances almost equal to a few times the compaction length L that depends on permeability and viscosity. Consequently, polygonal structures in partially molten plastic rocks are resulted from the melt-rock separation and their sizes are proportional to L. Applying these results to fluid-solid separation in clay-rich horizons, we show that（1） centimetric to kilometric PFS are resulted from the dramatic increase of L during compaction and（2）, this process involves agglomerates with 100 μm to 1 mm size.