Abstract
In this study, a one‐dimensional seepage test apparatus was used to investigate the effect of clay on the critical hydraulic gradient, hydraulic conductivity, migration of fine particles in soil, and percentage of fine particle loss during the internal erosion of clay‐sand‐gravel mixture, compared with clean gravel. The critical hydraulic gradient and fine sand loss percentage of the clay‐sand‐gravel mixture decreased, and critical flow velocity and the hydraulic conductivity increased. Six clay‐sand‐gravel mixture samples with different clay contents were used to evaluate the effect of different clay contents on internal erosion. As the percentage of clay mass to fine particle mass increases from 0% to 25%, the critical hydraulic gradient of soil samples decreases by nearly half and the fine sand loss percentage decreases from 13.73% to 3.48%. Overall, clay has a significant effect on the development of internal erosion of clay‐sand‐gravel mixture. And attention should be paid in engineering project; clay‐sand‐gravel mixture with a small amount of clay is more likely to be damaged than clean gravel.
Highlights
China has 14,500 km of seawall, but the length conforming to standards is only 6181.8 km
“Internal erosion” usually includes “suffusion” and “piping.” During the suffusion process, fine particles are eroded by seepage through the pores between the larger particles, leaving the coarse framework, while piping is like gradual erosion and transportation of fine particles along the flow path
During the seepage failure stage, the critical hydraulic gradient of each sample in the CS group generally decreased as the clay content increased, and the critical flow velocity for failure increased with the clay content
Summary
China has 14,500 km of seawall, but the length conforming to standards is only 6181.8 km. Several studies have been conducted to investigate the mechanical behavior of soils subjected to internal erosion by controlling the hydraulic gradient to simulate the erosion process [16,17,18,19]. Little research has been done about the effect of clay on fine sand loss and critical hydraulic gradient due to internal erosion of gravel sand-clay mixtures, which is of great significance for engineering construction and risk assessment. In construction projects, such as the reclamation of embankments, sand-gravel mixtures often contain a small clay amount, so it is important to investigate the effect of clay on internal erosion of clay-sand-gravel mixtures
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.