Abstract
Engineering problems shunned previously rise to the surface gradually with the activities of reforming the natural world in depth, the problem of expansive soil crack under the changing environment becoming a control factor of expansive soil slope stability. The problem of expansive soil crack has gradually become a research hotspot, elaborates the occurrence and development of cracks from the basic properties of expansive soil, and points out the role of controlling the crack of expansive soil strength. We summarize the existing research methods and results of expansive soil crack characteristics. Improving crack measurement and calculation method and researching the crack depth measurement, statistical analysis method, crack depth and surface feature relationship will be the future direction.
Highlights
Expansive soils are composed primarily of hydrophilic clay minerals, such as Montmorillonite, and with significant swelling and shrinking characteristics
Unsaturated expansive soil basic theory has matured gradually; a lot of extraordinary models were used in project successfully
The swelling of expansive soil leads to the crack production and development; releasing the strength of expansive soil overconsolidation during excavation will cause crack development; changing of water content gives rise to expansive soil deformation and cracking. All of these can explain that the crack characteristic is reflect on swelling and over-consolidation, the crack is the key factor of the expansive soil slope stability and controls the strength of expansive soil
Summary
Expansive soils are composed primarily of hydrophilic clay minerals, such as Montmorillonite, and with significant swelling and shrinking characteristics. With the decline of water content expansive soil will shrink and result in crack; the changing of environment leads to drying and wetting effect and the crack will further develop. The release of expansive soil overconsolidated stress will lead to crack propagation. The crack destroys the integrity of expansive soil, causes seepage, and results in soil swelling and crack aggravation. Crack is the key factor of the stability of expansive soil slope. Unsaturated expansive soil basic theory has matured gradually; a lot of extraordinary models were used in project successfully. The crack plays a key role on the expansive soil intensity, deformation, and seepage; the study about it has been slow. It is necessary to summarize the research production, illustrate the study blind spot and difficulty, and point out the research work in future
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