The salt concentration of the pore solution can alter the micro-pore and particle structure of soil, thereby affecting its engineering properties. To investigate the compression characteristics of marine soil under different salt concentrations, one-dimensional compression and SEM scanning tests were conducted on marine reconstituted clay from the Yellow Sea with varying NaCl concentrations (0-5%). The effects of NaCl concentration on the compression characteristics and microstructure of marine sedimentary clay were analyzed. The results indicate that: (1) Compressibility increases up to a NaCl concentration of 2.5%, after which it declines. At 2.5% NaCl threshold concentration, the coefficient of compression, compressibility index, and consolidation coefficient reach their peak values, and the response becomes more pronounced with increasing compression pressure. During the secondary compression stage, as pore water is expelled, the impact of NaCl concentration on compressibility diminishes, while the rebound characteristics remain unaffected by NaCl concentration; (2) SEM analysis reveals that at a NaCl threshold concentration of 2.5%, the pore fractal dimension, particle fractal dimension, pore anisotropy, and particle anisotropy reach their maximum values, with the most complex shape and pores and particles aligning in the same direction. When the concentration is less than 2.5%, the soil exhibits narrow pores and rounded particles upon compression. When the concentration exceeds 2.5%, the microstructure changes in the opposite direction, confirming the particle rearrangement mechanism driven by surface contact under moderate salinity. At the threshold concentration of 2.5%, a balance between electrostatic forces and attractive forces enables stable surface-to-surface contacts, maximizing compressibility. The findings of this study provide valuable references for the foundation design of marine geotechnical engineering in specific sea areas, thereby enhancing the safety and reliability of related projects.

Offshore wind turbines are subjected to long-term cyclic loads, and the seabed materials surrounding the foundation are susceptible to failure, which affects the safe construction and normal operation of offshore wind turbines. The existing studies of the cyclic mechanical properties of submarine soils focus on the accumulation strain and liquefaction, and few targeted studies are conducted on the hysteresis loop under cyclic loads. Therefore, 78 representative submarine soil samples from four offshore wind farms are tested in the study, and the cyclic behaviors under different confining pressures and CSR are investigated. The experiments reveal two unique development modes and specify the critical CSR of five submarine soil martials under different testing conductions. Based on the dynamic triaxial test results, the machine learning-based partition models for cyclic development mode were established, and the discrimination accuracy of the hysteresis loop were discussed. This study found that the RF model has a better generalization ability and higher accuracy than the GBDT model in discriminating the hysteresis loop of submarine soil, the RF model has achieved a prediction accuracy of 0.96 and a recall of 0.95 on the test dataset, which provides an important theoretical basis and technical support for the design and construction of offshore wind turbines.

Drainage is a common practice in geotechnical engineering concerning dredged marine soils. Current drainage techniques, including surcharge preloading, vacuum preloading, and combined vacuum-surcharge preloading, have been proven to be effective in soft soil treatment, but are also criticized for their high energy consumption. This paper made a brief review on existing drainage techniques and proposed some prospects for the next-generation techniques in response to the public concern of sustainability. It is found that all conventional preloading techniques have been well studied from tests to modeling, and improved vacuum preloading tends to be used in combination with other techniques. Drainage techniques with lower energy consumption can be realized either by using renewable energy or designing biomimetic devices. The paper is expected to provide a comprehensive while concise report on recent advances in drainage techniques for dredged marine soils and in the meanwhile give an insight into the further development towards a more sustainable future.

Offshore wind power is a hot spot in the field of new energy, with foundation construction costs representing approximately 30% of the total investment in wind farm construction. Offshore wind turbines are subjected to long-term cyclic loads, and seabed materials are prone to causing stiffness degradation. The accurate disclosure of the mechanical properties of marine soil is critical to the safety and stability of the foundation structure of offshore wind turbines. The stiffness degradation laws of mucky clay and silt clay from offshore wind turbines were firstly investigated in the study. Experiments found that the variations in the elastic modulus presented L-type attenuation under small cyclic loads, and the degradation coefficient fleetingly decayed to the strength progressive line under large cyclic loads. Based on the experimental results, a random forest prediction model for the elastic modulus of the submarine soil was established, which had high prediction accuracy. The influence of testing the loading parameters of the submarine soil on the prediction results was greater than that of the soil's physical property parameters. In criticality, the CSR had the greatest impact on the prediction results. This study provides a more efficient method for the stiffness degradation assessment of submarine soil materials in offshore wind farms.

Dredged marine soils are increasingly recognized as a valuable resource amidst growing environmental concerns and the need for sustainable waste recycling. This study presents an innovative soil stabilization technique combining recycled aggregate (RA) and magnesium oxide (MgO) with a dual focus on enhancing soil properties and promoting carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration. The stabilizing effects of RA and MgO were evaluated independently and synergistically under varied curing conditions and durations, with microstructural and mechanical properties analysed using scanned electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and uniaxial tests. Carbonation experiments quantified CO2 fixation potential, with the formation of hydration and carbonation products, along with dynamic moisture content and pH conditions, playing a significant role in enhancing the structural reinforcement of the soil. The combined RA-MgO treatment achieved superior mechanical stability (1.28-3.02 MPa) and a CO2 sequestration capacity of up to 11 g/kg without compromising performance. This study highlights the dual environmental and structural benefits of utilizing RA and low-content MgO for marine soil stabilization, offering a sustainable pathway to reduce carbon emissions, promote waste recycling, and support resilient infrastructure development.

Accurate evaluation of cumulative strains in marine soils under long-term cyclic loading is essential for the design and safe operation of offshore wind turbines. This study proposes an enhanced machine learning model to predict the cumulative strain in marine soils subjected to cyclic loading. Cumulative strains of marine soils from five offshore wind farms under long-term cyclic loading were tested. Four prediction models for cumulative strains were developed and evaluated based on test results using the Back Propagation Neural Network (BP-NN), Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) models, each combined with the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. The prediction model with the highest accuracy was further analyzed using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method. Results show that the RF and XGBoost algorithms have higher prediction accuracy, with R2 values above 0.99, compared to the BP-NN and SVR models. Furthermore, dynamic triaxial test parameters significantly influence the cumulative strain predictions more than the soil properties. This study provides a more efficient method for cumulative strain assessment of marine soils under long-term cyclic loading.

Constructing infrastructure on soft soils demands the implementation of ground improvement. This study proposed an eco-friendly method of stabilizing marine soil using a calcium carbide residue (CCR)-activated coal gangue (CG) geopolymer derived from industrial waste. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the mechanical properties, durability performance, and stabilization mechanisms of stabilized marine soils under multiple wetting-dry cycles. The results highlighted the effectiveness of CG-CCR geopolymer by a content of 15% to achieve satisfactory strength gain over the engineering requirements. However, the largest decrease in strength (71.89%) was observed when the initial water content was beyond 1.5 times the liquid limit (LL). The optimum solution was proposed to have a geopolymer content of 15% or an initial water content of 1.25 & sdot;LL to exhibit the highest resistance to strength decay after 12 cycles. Compared with water intrusion, mass loss had a more significant effect on soil strength deterioration. The formation of noncrystalline or amorphous-phase reaction products effectively filled intergranular pores and reduced the void space between soil particles, improving the mechanical properties. The CG-CCR geopolymer was demonstrated to offer a promising solution for soil improvement in geotechnical engineering and waste reduction in industry as a soil stabilizer.

In recent years, the exploration of seabed has been intensified, but the submarine soils of silt and sand in the Yellow Sea area have not been well investigated so far. In this study, the physical and mechanical properties of silt and sand from the Yellow Sea were measured using a direct shear apparatus and their microstructures were observed using a scanning electron microscope. The test results suggest that the shear strength of silt and sand increases linearly with the increase of normal stress. Based on the direct shear test, the scanning electron microscope was used to observe the surface of sand. It is observed that the surface becomes rough, with many V-shaped cracks. Many particles appear on the surface of the silt structure and tend to be disintegrated. The X-ray diffraction experiment reveals that the sand and silt have different compositions. The shear strength of sand is slightly greater than that of silt under high stress, which is related to the shape of soil particles and the mineral composition. These results can be a reference for further study of other soils in the Yellow Sea; meanwhile, they can serve as soil parameters for the stability and durability analyses of offshore infrastructure construction. In this study, the physical and mechanical properties of silt and sand from the Yellow Sea are measured and microscopically explored. image The physical and mechanical properties of silt and sand from the Yellow Sea are measured and microscopically explored. After the direct shear test, it is found that the surface of sand becomes rough, with many V-shaped cracks. Many particles of the silt structure appear on the surface and tend to disintegrate. The X-ray diffraction experiment reveals that the compositions of sandy and silty soils are different.

Offshore wind power construction is currently experiencing rapid growth worldwide, with China leading in the number of offshore wind turbines. Approximately 60 % to 70 % of these turbines are situated in the offshore area of the South Yellow Sea, Jiangsu Province. Despite its frequent exposure to waves and earthquakes, this region lacks comprehensive studies on the dynamic characteristics of local marine soils, which hinders the development of marine engineering design. This study addresses this gap by conducting a series of tests on marine silty sand using a combination of resonant column and dynamic triaxial tests. The investigation examined various dynamic parameters at both small and large strain scales, taking into account the soil ' s relative density, dynamic loading frequency, and cyclic stress ratio (CSR). The experimental results revealed that the attenuation of dynamic shear modulus aligns well with the classic H -D model. Moreover, the damping ratio exhibited an increase with cyclic loading until reaching a peak value at dynamic shear strains between 0.5 % and 0.8 %, followed by a rapid decrease due to liquefaction. Additionally, the failure behavior of the marine silty sand was found to be more sensitive to relative density than dynamic loading frequency under undrained shearing condition. The critical CSR for soil with a relative density of 73 % was approximately 0.18. Whereas for soil with a relative density of 53 %, it was about 0.12. The experimental findings provide valuable insights and parameters for the design of offshore engineering in this area.