This study evaluates dykes stability of bauxite residue storage facility using limit equilibrium (LEM) and finite element methods (FEM), considering diverse construction phases. In LEM, steady state seepage is simulated using piezometric line while factor of safety (FOS) is determined by Morgenstern-Price method using SLOPE/W. In FEM, actual loading rates and time dependent seepage is modelled by coupled stress-pore water pressure analysis in SIGMA/W and dyke stability is assessed by stress analysis in SLOPE/W, referencing SIGMA/W analysis as a baseline model. Both the analysis incorporated suction and volumetric water content functions to determine FOS. FEM predicted pore pressures are validated against in-situ piezometer data. The results highlight that coupled hydro-mechanical analysis offers accurate stability assessment by integrating stress-strain behaviour, pore pressure changes, seepage paths, and dyke displacements with time. It is found that inclusion of unsaturated parameters in Mohr-Coulomb model improved the reliability in FOS predictions.

Offshore structures typically experience multiple storms during their service life. The soil around the foundations of offshore structures is subjected to cyclic loading during storm and reconsolidates between storms. Therefore, it is essential to understand the fundamental soil behaviour under episodic cyclic loading and reconsolidation to evaluate the long-term serviceability of offshore foundations. This paper presents experimental results of a comprehensive suite of cyclic DSS tests on a normally consolidated silty clay. The tests explore the soil response under different cyclic loading patterns (e.g., one-way or two-way), different cyclic amplitudes and number of cycles. A theoretical model, which combines the conventional cyclic contour diagram approach and principles of the critical state soil mechanics, is proposed and validated for predicting the cyclic soil response during undrained cyclic loading and hardening after reconsolidation. The model proposed in this paper paves a critical step for developing long-term soil-structure interaction models that are fundamentally linked to soil element level responses.

Fissured loess slopes along the railway in the Loess Plateau frequently suffer from disintegration disasters under the coupled effects of rainfall and train vibrations, causing soil collapse that covers tracks and severely threatens railway safety. To reveal the disaster mechanisms, this study conducted water-vibration coupled disintegration tests on fissured loess using the self-developed EDS-600 vibration disintegration apparatus, based on the measured dominant vibration frequencies (12-46 Hz) of the Lanzhou-Qinghai Railway. The influence patterns of vibration frequency (f) and fissure type (t) on disintegration rate (S), disintegration velocity (V), and disintegration velocity growth rate (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\alpha_{f - t}$$\end{document}) were systematically investigated, with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) employed to uncover microstructural evolution mechanisms. Results indicate that vibration frequency and fissure type significantly accelerate disintegration: V reaches its maximum at f = 20 Hz, and under the same frequency, V increases with the growth of fissure-water contact area. Under two fissures and f = 20 Hz, V increases by 225% compared to the without vibration and fissures scenario, with the \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\alpha_{f - t}$$\end{document} value peaking at 137.23% and the synergistic effect index exceeding the single-factor superposition value by 45.99%. Microscopically, water-vibration coupling disrupts clay mineral cementation, reconstructs pore networks, and forms dominant seepage channels, leading to reduced interparticle bonding strength, heterogeneous water film distribution, and stress concentration, thereby inducing fractal propagation of secondary fissures and shortening moisture absorption and softening stages. Combined with unsaturated soil mechanics theory, the study reveals a cross-scale progressive failure mechanism involving simultaneous degradation of matric suction, cementation force, and macroscopic strength. A theoretical framework integrating vibration energy transfer, seepage migration, and structural damage is established, along with a quantitative relation linking vibration frequency, fissure parameters, and disintegration velocity. This provides multi-scale theoretical support for disaster prevention and control of railway slopes and foundations in loess regions.

Almost all of the existing testing methods to determine elastic modulus of the soil or aggregate for pavement design involve the application of repetitive loads applied at a single point. This approach falls short of representing the conditions that are observed when the wheel of a vehicle rolls over the surface. This study presents a new methodology, in which light weight deflectometer (LWD) is used to apply three adjacent sequential loads repetitively to replicate a multipoint loading of the surface. The elastic modulus values obtained from these multipoint LWD tests were compared against the repetitive single point LWD test results. The multipoint LWD test elastic modulus values were consistently lower than the values obtained from the single point LWD tests. The single point LWD tests showed an increase in elastic modulus with increased load repetition. The multipoint LWD results did not show an increase in the elastic modulus as a function of repetitive loading. This study showed that damping ratio values provide guidance to explain differences in the elastic modulus with an increased number of load repetitions. In repetitive single point tests, the applied load caused initial compaction, and in multipoint LWD tests, it caused disturbance in the ground. With increased load cycles, the ground reached a stabilized condition in both tests. The methodology presented in this study appeared to minimize the unintended compaction of the ground during the single point LWD tests to determine the elastic modulus.

Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) are increasingly employed for surrogate modelling of soil behaviour. Existing surrogate models for unsaturated soil only account for seepage in rigid soil, neglecting the complex coupling between deformation and seepage in unsaturated soil. This study develops a new surrogate model for hydro-mechanical coupling in unsaturated soil using the PINN approach. Dimensionless governing equations, including mass balance and force balance equations, are derived and adopted for physical constraints. With absence of explicit constitutive relations, this new surrogate model utilises sparse measured data to identify pore water pressure, effective stress and deformation in unsaturated soil. Separate neural networks are employed to facilitate efficient back-propagation for coupled problem involving multiple outputs. The newly developed model is then applied to simulate two cases with sparse measurements in unsaturated soil. The results illustrate that the newly developed surrogate model successfully learns the elasto-plastic constitutive relation of suction-induced volume change from experimental data. Meanwhile, model predictions regarding both water flow and stress distribution align within the 95 % confidence interval of theoretical values, demonstrating interpretability of PINN model. Furthermore, by adhering to physical constraints, the relative error in predicting soil deformation from neural networks significantly reduces from 49 % to less than 10 %. These findings suggest PINN model with separate networks is capable to simulate unsaturated soil considering both deformation and seepage, even with sparse measured data and incomplete physical constraints.

Plant roots improve the stability of collapsing walls and prevent their collapse; they are thus important for controlling the degree of Benggang erosion in southern China. The vegetation species on the collapsing walls are diverse, and the interaction of the root systems with soil affects the stability of the collapsing walls. Most recent studies have only examined the effects of single plants. In order to investigate the effects of the roots of different vegetation types on the shear strength of soil in collapsing walls and their interaction mechanisms of action, this study was conducted using the roots of the herb Dicranopteris dichotoma and the shrub Melastoma candidum. A direct shear test of indoor remodeled soil was carried out by varying water content (15%, 25%) and herb to shrub root ratio (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100). The results showed that the shear strength (96.09 kPa) and cohesion (49.26 kPa) of root-containing soil were significantly higher than plain soil (91.77 kPa, 42.17 kPa), and the highest values were obtained when herb to shrub root ratio was 100:0 (113.27 kPa, 62.85 kPa). Here, tensile tests and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the tensile force and tensile strength of the roots of Dicranopteris dichotoma were weaker but effective for maintaining soil stability because of their abundance roots, which could achieve a stronger bond to soil. Simultaneously, herbaceous roots have a small diameter, the Root Area Ratio (RAR) of the roots is larger under the same mass condition, which can better contact with soil and the mechanical properties of roots are fully utilized. Therefore, the soil shear strength is higher and can better resist external damage when herbaceous roots accounts for a larger proportion. The results of this research have implications for the selection and allocation of ecological measures for prevention and control of Benggang.

The recession of a sandy bluff was investigated in a controlled laboratory wave flume, replicating the complex interactions between hydrodynamic forcing, sediment transport processes, and bluff slope stability. A comprehensive monitoring approach measured water levels, pore water pressures, moisture content, and detailed bathymetric-topographic data, providing a thorough understanding of the governing mechanisms and their interrelationships within the beach-bluff system. Bluff recession occurred through notch formation at the bluff toe, followed by a series of minor and major episodic bluff failures. Pore-water pressure variations within the bluff were closely linked to morphological changes on the beach and the bluff's instability. The final beach profile exhibited distinct characteristics: near the shoreline, it was steeper than the equilibrium beach profile due to the sediment supplied by bluff recession. Cross-spectral analysis between water level fluctuations and pore water pressure signals revealed a strong coupling between incident wave energy and pore water pressure responses within the beach-bluff system. The rapid rise in saturation, along with the formation and expansion of the notch, contributed to bluff instability and episodic failure events.

Jet grouting is a geotechnical consolidation technique commonly used to improve soil mechanicals. Despite its successful applications, understanding micro-level interactions between the jet and soil is incomplete. This paper utilizes the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) and Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) methods to simulate fluid-soil interactions in both non-submerged and submerged environments. Analysis covers the flow fields and soil erosion. Findings show erosion velocity remains steady in non-submerged conditions, with the jet compacting and flushing soil. In submerged conditions, the simulated jet flow field under soil constraint is similar to that in the free submerged conditions. However, influenced by soil deformation, damage, and the backflow of the slurry, the jet flow field under soil constraint displays distinct features. For instance, velocity distributions in certain cross-sections cannot be accurately described by normal distribution, and axial velocity distribution curves exhibit different partitions compared to free submerged jet theory. Comparative simulations vary jet pressures, grout water-cement ratios, and soil compactness to analyze the erosion process. It is found that jet pressure significantly affects the depth of the erosion pit. The limit erosion distance in ALE simulations were compared with theoretical values derived from an established theory, and a model experiment was also conducted to analyze the jet-grouted diameter at different left speeds and rotational speeds of rod. The results show that ALE method can offer high accuracy in predicting the jet-grouted diameter and proves to be a feasible approach for fluid-soil interaction simulations in jet grouting.

The deformation energy (Wd) of soil-like tectonic coal is crucial for investigating the mechanism of coal and gas outbursts. Tectonic coal has a significant nonlinear constitutive relationship, which makes traditional elastic-based models for computing Wd unsuitable. Inspired by critical state soil mechanics, this study theoretically established a new calculation model of Wd suitable for the coal with nonlinear deformation characteristics. In the new model, the relationship between energy and stress no longer follows the square law (observed in traditional linear elastic models) but exhibits a power function, with the theoretical value of the power exponent ranging between 1 and 2. Hydrostatic cyclic loading and unloading experiments were conducted on four groups of tectonic coal samples and one group of intact coal samples. The results indicated that the relationship between Wd and stress for both intact and tectonic coal follows a power law. The exponents for intact and tectonic coal are close to 2 and 1, respectively. The stress-strain curve of intact coal exhibits small deformation and linear characteristics, whereas the stress-strain curves of tectonic coal show large deformation and nonlinear characteristics. The study specifically investigates the role of coal viscosity in the cyclic loading/unloading process. The downward bending in the unloading curves can be attributed to the time-dependent characteristics of coal, particularly its viscoelastic behavior. Based on experimental statistics, the calculation model of Wd was further simplified. The simplified model involves only one unknown parameter, which is the power exponent between Wd and stress. The measured Wd of the coal samples increases with the number of load cycles. This phenomenon is attributed to coal's viscoelastic deformation. Within the same stress, the Wd of tectonic coal is an order of magnitude greater than that of intact coal. The calculation model of Wd proposed in this paper provides a new tool for studying the energy principle of coal and gas outbursts. (c) 2024 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of China University of Mining & Technology. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Rammed earth (RE), an ancient construction technique, is a sustainable technology that consumes less energy and is eco-friendly. RE is brittle in nature and fails because of the increase in flexural stresses. Mechanical properties such as strength in compression and tension should be enhanced to reduce brittleness and tensile failure. This study focuses on exploring the relationship between the compressive and tensile strengths of glass fiber-reinforced, bagasse ash (BA)-cement stabilized RE. The experimental investigation lays emphasis on the effect of glass fiber on RE along with BA. The strength in compression of the cement stabilised RE increased by 31% when 0.4% glass fiber of length 12 mm was added, and it further increased by 40% by the addition of 2% BA. Peak strain at peak compressive strength enhanced by 35% with the incorporation of fibers, enhancing ductility while reducing brittleness of RE. The SEM image justifies the addition of BA; it can be observed that the addition led to the reduction of voids, resulting in an increase in the compactness of soil particles in the RE. From the study, it is observed that the regression models that best fit the data were studied and a power regression model gives the goodness of fit and to be used to find the relationship between tensile and compressive strength. The error analysis in comparison to past research suggests a way to consider mix variations to develop regression equations for higher correlation considering different types of fibers.