The reasonable value of good gradation characteristic parameters is key in designing and optimising soil-rock mixed high fill embankment materials. Firstly, the DJSZ-150 dynamic-static large-scale triaxial testing instrument was used for triaxial compression shear tests on compacted skeleton structure soil-rock mixture standard specimens. The changes in strength and deformation indicators under different gradation parameters and confining pressure were analysed. Then, based on the Janbu empirical formula, relationships between parameters K, n, and (sigma 1-sigma 3)ult and the coefficient of uniformity Cu and coefficient of curvature Cc were explored. Empirical fitting formulas for Duncan-Chang model constants a and b were proposed, establishing an improved Duncan-Chang model for soil-rock mixtures considering gradation characteristics and stress states. Finally, based on significant differences in particle spatial distribution caused by gradation changes, three generalised models of matrix-block stone motion from different particle aggregation forms were proposed. Results indicate the standard specimen's strength and deformation indicators exhibit significant gradation effects and stress-state correlations. The improved Duncan-Chang model effectively simulates the stress-strain relationship curve under different gradations and confining pressure, with its characteristics explainable based on the matrix block stone motion generalised model.
Geopolymer lightweight cellular concrete (GLCC) combines the advantages of geopolymer and LCC but also suffers from the inherent deficiency of low strength, which can be improved by introducing suitable reinforcing materials such as fibers. This paper investigated the mechanical properties and microstructure of fly ash-slag-based GLCC reinforced with glass fibers (GLCCRGF), aiming to reveal the strengthening mechanism of glass fibers. The effects of different fiber contents (0.0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, and 1.2%), fiber lengths (3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 mm), and fiber-blending methods (G-R, G-W, and G-S) on the mechanical properties of GLCCRGF were analyzed. The results showed that the fiber incorporation had no significant or even negative effect on the compressive strength but significantly improved the splitting tensile strength. The optimal results of fiber content, fiber length, and fiber-blending method are 0.6%, 9 mm, and G-R, respectively. From the microstructure perspective, optical tests were conducted to explore the evolution rules of pore size, pore shape factor, and fractal dimension of pore distribution of GLCCRGF. The results showed that the incorporation of glass fibers (0.6%, 9 mm, and G-R) improved the pore characteristics and contributed to more uniform pore distribution. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to observe the micromorphology of the skeleton structure of GLCCRGF. The SEM results showed excellent interfacial bonding between glass fibers and the geopolymer matrix. Due to good bonding quality and crack-bridging effect, the presence of glass fibers enhanced the strength and crack resistance of the matrix.