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.

Soil-rock mixtures (SRM) from mine overburden form heterogeneous dump slopes, whose stability relies on their shear strength properties. This study investigates the shear strength properties and deformation characteristics of SRM in both in-situ and laboratory conditions. Total twelve in-situ tests were conducted on SRM samples with a newly developed large scale direct shear apparatus (60 cm x 60 cm x 30 cm). The in-situ moist density and moisture content of SRM are determined. Particle size distribution is performed to characterize the SRM in laboratory. The bottom bench has the highest cohesion (64 kPa) due to high compaction over time while the other benches have consistent cohesion values (25 kPa to33 kPa). The laboratory estimated cohesion values are high compared to in-situ condition. It is further observed that for in-situ samples, the moist density notably affects the cohesion of SRM, with cohesion decreasing by 3 to 5 % for every 1 % increase in moist density. At in-situ condition, internal friction angles are found to be 1.5 to 1.7 times compared to laboratory values which is due to the presence of the bigger sized particles in the SRM. The outcomes of the research are very informative and useful for geotechnical engineers for slope designing and numerical modeling purpose.

Soil-rock mixtures in fault fracture zones are composed of rock blocks with high strength and fault mud with low strength. In this paper, in order to study the mechanical properties of the soil-rock mixture with non-cohesive matrix, a large-scale laboratory triaxial compression test with a specimen size of 500 mmx1000 mm is conducted, combined with numerical simulation analyses based on the two-dimensional particle flow software PFC2D. The macroscopic mechanical response and mesoscopic fracture mechanism of soil-rock mixtures with varying rock block proportions, block orientation angles and matrix strengths are studied. The results indicate the following: (1) When the proportion is less than 30%, the shear characteristics of the mixture are similar to those of its non-cohesive matrix. When the proportion is in the range of 30-70%, the internal friction angle and cohesion increase rapidly, and the softening characteristics of the mixture become more apparent. When the proportion exceeds 70%, the aforementioned effect slows. (2) The strength of the mixture is positively correlated with its matrix strength, and the influence of the matrix strength on the loading curve of the mixture is related to the block proportion. (3) When the block orientation angle is 0 degrees, the cohesion and internal friction angle are slightly greater than those at an angle of 90 degrees. Based on the above, for the soil-rock mixture with non-cohesive matrix, a strength prediction model based on the block proportion is given when the block orientation angle and matrix strength are consistent.