Mining leads to soil degradation and land subsidence, resulting in decreased soil quality. However, there are limited studies on the detailed effects of mining activities on soil properties, particularly in western aeolian sand. This study, therefore, quantitatively assessed the aeolian sandy soil disturbance induced by mining activities in the contiguous regions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia. The following soil physical quality indices were measured in the pre (May 2015), mid (October 2015), and postmining period (April 2016), such as the soil water content (SWC), particle size (PS), soil penetration (SP), and soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (SSHC). The results showed that mining activities brought irreversible effects on soil structures. In the pre-mining period, land subsidence broke up large soil particles, destroying soil structure, leading to decreased PS (218.33 vs. 194.36 mu m), SP (4615.56 vs. 2631.95 kPa), and subsequently decreased SSHC (1.12 vs. 0.99 cm/min). Rainfall during the midmining period exacerbated this fragmentation. Thereafter, low temperatures and humidity caused the soil to freeze, allowing the small soil particles to merge into larger ones. Meanwhile, the natural re-sedimentation, subsidence, and heavy mechanical crushing in the post-mining period increased PS and SP. The SSHC hence increased to 1.21 cm/min. Furthermore, the evaluation of soil indices from different stress zones showed that the external pulling stress zone always had a higher SSHC than the neutral zone in any mining period, possibly due to the presence of large cracks and high SWC. This study contributes to the understanding of the impact of mining activities on soil physical qualities, providing a theoretical basis and quantitative guidance for the surface damage caused by coal mining in the aeolian sandy area in Western China.

This article presents a review of the equipment used in the process of determining the mechanical strength of soil, in particular with regards to the vertical loads applied. Here, devices incorporating the bevameter approach, i.e. medium and large-scale testers, are discussed. The bevameter technique is described in detail, along with the most common mathematical models relating to the vertical pressure applied to the soil and its compaction. The paper also highlights important phenomena for this type of experiment, such as the scale effect, wall effect, multipass effect, and slip sinkage effect. The article presents the reasons for which plate testers are currently the most commonly used tester type for soil penetration tests for the purpose of terramechanics, including the Next Generation NATO Reference Mobility Model that is currently under development. Investigations towards the influence of the penetration rate on soil penetration are also addressed. Furthermore, the authors also present a selection of their own results of currently ongoing research on the subject of potential influence of the plate grouser on plate sinkage. The results already obtained have made it possible to identify phenomena that are not taken into account in the current research methods, in turn resulting in the development of an innovative plate tester for investigating the sinkage of the running gear components of machines and vehicles in fragmented media.