Due to the difficulties in sampling, high sensitivity to humidity, and inconvenience in storage, undisturbed loess is prone to changes in its original structure. Therefore, trace amounts of cement and salt are added to remolded soil to simulate the structure of undisturbed loess. The GDS dynamic three-axial test apparatus was used to investigate the influence of dry density, cement content, and confining pressure (CP) on the dynamic distortion characteristics of artificially structured soil. Based on dynamic triaxial tests, the Hardin-Drnevich (H-D) model was established through fitting analysis. The research findings indicate that increased dry density, cement content, and CP can enhance the soil's resistance to distortion. Under dynamic loading, the higher the CP, the smaller the damping ratio of the soil. With a dry density of 1.20 g/cm3 and 2% cement, the dynamic modulus of the artificially structured loess is similar to that of undisturbed loess. With a dry density of 1.60 g/cm3 and 2% cement, the CP is 200 kPa, the soil's dynamic modulus of elasticity (DM-E) peak value is 113.14 MPa, and the damping ratio is 0.258. The good agreement between trial data and the predicted results demonstrates that the H-D hyperbolic model is appropriate for representing the DM-E of artificially structured loess. A three-dimensional model of the dynamic deformation characteristics and microstructure of artificial structural loess under dynamic loads was established. The findings can guide the study of the mechanical properties of loess under dynamic loading.
The deformation characteristics of silty soils under vibrational loads can easily change due to the wetting process, leading to the failure of roadbed structures. Commonly used methods for improving silty soils in engineering often yield unsatisfactory economic and ecological outcomes. As an environment-friendly soil improvement material, Xanthan gum has broad application prospects and is therefore considered a solidifying agent for enhancing silty soil properties in the Yellow River Basin. In this study, a series of tests is conducted using a scanning electron microscope and a dynamic triaxial testing apparatus to investigate the microstructure and dynamic deformation characteristics of unsaturated silty soil with varying xanthan gum contents during the wetting process. The results show that xanthan gum effectively fills voids between soil particles and adheres to their surfaces, forming fibrous and network structures. This modification enhances the inherent properties of the silty soil and significantly improves its stability under dynamic loading. Specifically, with increasing xanthan gum content, the dynamic shear modulus increases while the damping ratio decreases. During the wetting process, as suction decreases, the dynamic shear modulus decreases while the damping ratio increases. Xanthan gum reduces the sensitivity of the dynamic deformation characteristics of the treated silty soil to changes in suction levels. Finally, based on the modified Hardin-Drnevich hyperbolic model, a predictive model for the dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio of treated silty soil is proposed, considering the xanthan gum content. These research findings provide a theoretical basis for the construction and maintenance of water conservancy, slope stabilization, and roadbed projects in the Yellow River Basin. (c) 2025 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/ 4.0/).
Coral sandy soils widely exist in coral island reefs and seashores in tropical and subtropical regions. Due to the unique marine depositional environment of coral sandy soils, the engineering characteristics and responses of these soils subjected to monotonic and cyclic loadings have been a subject of intense interest among the geotechnical and earthquake engineering communities. This paper critically reviews the progress of experimental investigations on the undrained behavior of coral sandy soils under monotonic and cyclic loadings over the last three decades. The focus of coverage includes the contractive-dilative behavior, the pattern of excess pore-water pressure (EPWP) generation and the liquefaction mechanism and liquefaction resistance, the small-strain shear modulus and strain-dependent shear modulus and damping, the cyclic softening feature, and the anisotropic characteristics of undrained responses of saturated coral sandy soils. In particular, the advances made in the past decades are reviewed from the following aspects: (1) the characterization of factors that impact the mechanism and patterns of EPWP build-up; (2) the identification of liquefaction triggering in terms of the apparent viscosity and the average flow coefficient; (3) the establishment of the invariable form of strain-based, stress-based, or energy-based EPWP ratio formulas and the unique relationship between the new proxy of liquefaction resistance and the number of cycles required to reach liquefaction; (4) the establishment of the invariable form of the predictive formulas of small strain modulus and strain-dependent shear modulus; and (5) the investigation on the effects of stress-induced anisotropy on liquefaction susceptibility and dynamic deformation characteristics. Insights gained through the critical review of these advances in the past decades offer a perspective for future research to further resolve the fundamental issues concerning the liquefaction mechanism and responses of coral sandy sites subjected to cyclic loadings associated with seismic events in marine environments.