Completely Decomposed Granite Research Articles

Soil fluidisation induced by fine particles migration: Insights from the Shenzhen 2015 landfill landslide

Naturally completely decomposed granite (CDG) soil typically exhibits strain-hardening behavior under undrained shear conditions. Nevertheless, flow-type landslides are not uncommon in CDG landfills. This paper endeavors to address the observed contradiction by conducting a case study of the 2015 Shenzhen landslides. Based on field investigations, we propose a hypothesis for the initiation and evolution of flow-type landslides in CDG landfill slopes, termed ‘clay particle argillization, mud-water migration, and static liquefaction’. This hypothesis was verified by element-scale internal erosion tests and triaxial tests, and further elucidated by microscale particle analysis. It was observed that the internal erosion-induced removal of plastic fine particles and retention of low-plasticity fine particles from CDG soil promotes the sliding and reorganization of coarse granules under shear stress, thereby increasing the soil's susceptibility to fluidization under undrained conditions. The proposed hypothesis and experimental findings provide new insights into the instability and subsequent extensive runout of CDG landfills and analogous broadly graded landslides.

Improvement in Mechanical Properties of Completely Decomposed Granite Soil Concrete Fabricated with Pre-Setting Pressurization.

This paper investigates the effectiveness of applying continuous high-compression pressure on the initial setting of fresh concrete to produce hardened concrete materials with excellent mechanical properties. A novel experimental apparatus was self-designed and used for the pre-setting pressure application. The utilization of the completely decomposed granite (CDG) soil as an alternative aggregate in concrete production was also explored. A total of twenty-eight specimens were fabricated using two types of fine aggregates, six mix ratios, two initial pressure values, and two distinct durations of the initial pressure application. The density and uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of the specimens were examined to evaluate their mechanical qualities, while micro-CT tests with image analysis were used to quantify their porosity. The results indicated that the 10 MPa initial pre-setting pressurization can effectively eliminate the excess air and voids within the fresh concrete, therefore enhancing the mechanical properties of the hardened concrete specimens of various types. Compared with non-pressurized specimens, the porosity values of pressurized specimens were reduced by 73.11% to 86.53%, the density values were increased by 1.43% to 8.31%, and the UCS values were increased by 8.42% to 187.43%. These findings provide a reference for using a continuous high pre-setting compression pressure and using CDG soil as an aggregate in the fabrication of concrete materials with improved mechanical performance.

Compressive strength of fly ash based geopolymer utilizing waste completely decomposed granite

An attempt to recycle construction waste soils in southern cities of China was presented in this study, where completely decomposed granite (CDG) was utilized to replace fly ash in the production of environment-friendly low-carbon geopolymers. Five crucial parameters were identified and incorporated into the experimental design using the Taguchi method, including fine and gravel particle content of CDG, fly ash content, water-binder ratio, and curing temperature. Test results demonstrate that the newly formulated geopolymer can achieve a compressive strength of up to 14 MPa with a relatively high usage of CDG. The strength initially increases and then stabilizes with an increase in fine particle content. However, no significant relationship is observed between the compressive strength and gravel particle content. Higher curing temperatures and greater fly ash content lead to increased strength, while the strength initially decreases and then slightly increases with changes in the water-binder ratio. To examine the significance of these factors, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted and a correlation heatmap was drawn, revealing the following order of significance: curing temperature > fly ash content > water-binder ratio > fine particle content > gravel particle content. Furthermore, a robust strength prediction model was modified through multiple regression analysis. Another two additional groups of tests were performed to validate the proposed model, demonstrating the model's strong performance, particularly for curing ages beyond 14 days.

Influence of biochar on improving hydrological and nutrient status of two decomposed soils for yield of medicinal plant - Pinellia ternata

Abstract The root tuber of Pinellia ternata has been used as a traditional therapeutic herbal medicine. It is reported to impart beneficial attributes in recovering COVID-19 patients. To meet an increasing demand of P. ternata, this study is intended to investigate the effects of biochar on the soil hydrological and agronomic properties of two decomposed soils (i.e., completely decomposed granite (CDG) and lateritic soil) for the growth of P. ternata. The plant was grown in instrumented pots with different biochar application rate (0%, 3% and 5%) for a period of three months. Peanut shell biochar inclusion in both soils resulted in reduction of soil hydraulic conductivity and increase in soil water retention capacity. These alterations in hydrological properties were attributed to measured change in total porosity, biochar intra pore and hydrophilic functional groups. The macro-nutrient (i.e., N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) concentration of both soils increased substantially, while the pH and cation exchange capacity levels in the amended soils were altered to facilitate optimum growth of P. ternata. The tuber biomass in biochar amended CDG at all amendment rate increases by up to 70%. In case of lateritic soil, the tuber biomass increased by 23% at only 5% biochar application rate. All treatments satisfied the minimum succinic acid concentration required as per pharmacopoeia standard index. The lower tuber biomass exhibits a higher succinic acid concentration regardless of the soil type used to grow P. ternata. The biochar improved the yield and quality of P. ternata in both soils.

Free Head Shear Test on Decomposed Granite Soil

The study presents the test results of Completely Decomposed Granite (CDG) soil tested under drained triaxial compression, direct shear and simple shear tests. Special attention was focused on the modification of the upper halve of conventional Direct Shear Test (DST) to behave as freehead in movement along with vertical strain control during shear stage by using Geotechnical Digital System (GDS). The results show that Free Direct Shear Test (FDST) has clear effect on the measured shear stress and vertical strain during the test. It has been found that shear strengthparameters measured from FDST were closer to those measured from simple shear and drained triaxial compression test. This study also provides an independent check on the consistency of the data by providing an interpretation for angle of dilation together with shearing resistance by using flow rule analysis

Extended wet sieving method for determination of complete particle size distribution of general soils

The traditional standard wet sieving method uses steel sieves with aperture ≥0.063 mm and can only determine the particle size distribution (PSD) of gravel and sand in general soil. This paper extends the traditional method and presents an extended wet sieving method. The extended method uses both the steel sieves and the nylon filter cloth sieves. The apertures of the cloth sieves are smaller than 0.063 mm and equal 0.048 mm, 0.038 mm, 0.014 mm, 0.012 mm, 0.0063 mm, 0.004 mm, 0.003 mm, 0.002 mm, and 0.001 mm, respectively. The extended method uses five steps to separate the general soil into many material sub-groups of gravel, sand, silt and clay with known particle size ranges. The complete PSD of the general soil is then calculated from the dry masses of the individual material sub-groups. The extended method is demonstrated with a general soil of completely decomposed granite (CDG) in Hong Kong, China. The silt and clay materials with different particle size ranges are further examined, checked and verified using stereomicroscopic observation, physical and chemical property tests. The results further confirm the correctness of the extended wet sieving method.

Comparison of the Beam Mechanical Properties between the CDG Based Geopolymer Concrete and OPC Concrete

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the beam mechanical properties, based on the completely decomposed granite (CDG) & slag based geopolymer reinforced concrete, as well as the OPC reinforced concrete. The failure mode and bearing capacity of beam members were obtained. The load vs mid span deflection relationship and load vs displacement relationship were discussed. Furthermore, the results show the feasibility of the CDG & slag based geopolymer concrete in engineering application.

Study on Factors Affecting the Compressive and Flexural Strength of the Geopolymer Paste using the Wet Mixing Method

The paper investigates the 28 days compressive & flexural strength of the fifty-seven geopolymer paste specimens using the wet mixing method. The completely decomposed granite (CDG), combined with the slag were chosen as the sources of silicon and aluminum components. Types of the alkali solutions, the slag content, modulus and concentration of the alkali solutions, along with the liquid-solid ratio, were chosen as the variables. Influences of the parameters on the mechanical behavior of the geopolymer paste are discussed in the paper.

Laboratory investigation of CDG soil as source of fine aggregates for Portland cement concrete

Completely decomposed granite (CDG) soil is a typical and abundant in-situ weathered soil on the ground around the world. This paper investigates the possibility of CDG soil as fine aggregates for production of Portland cement concrete. It first develops a washing and sieving method to separate the CDG soil into its constitutional particles including gravel, sand, silt, and clay. It further examines the properties of the CDG sand using Hong Kong and other standards of fine aggregates for concrete. The first type of the property is the geometrical property including the size gradation, stereomicroscope observation, SEM observation, and shape statistical analysis of the sand particles. The second type is the physical property including magnesium sulphate soundness, compacting bulk density, relative density, and water absorption. The third type is its chemical property including chemical elements, acid-soluble chloride content, water-soluble chloride content, acid-soluble sulphate content, total sulphur content, and presence of humus. The fourth type is the mechanical property including drying shrinkage, effect of organic substances, and alkali silica reaction potential. These test results show that all the properties of the CDG sand well meet the standard requirements and can be used as fine aggregates in Portland concrete.

Effect of Composite Microbial Biopolymer Treatment on Hydraulic Conductivity of Completely Decomposed Granite Soil

In southeast China, slope with completely decomposed granite (CDG) soil is susceptible to landslide under heavy rainfall, due to the fissure-rich and slaking characteristics of this kind of soil. In this context, this study attempted to hydraulically improve the CDG soil in a low-carbon manner by using the composite of xanthan gum and guar gum (i.e., two different microbial biopolymers), as an alternative to cement. Hydraulic conductivity of the treated soil was measured using a tailer-made apparatus. Test result shows that the biopolymer content of 2% could lower the conductivity by over 1000 times, and the ratio of 1:1 between Xanthan and guar gums yielded the best performance in general. Application of composite biopolymer to the slope with weathered granitic soil was investigated using the finite element method simulation. Numerical result indicates that the treatment can eliminate the slope failure effectively under rainfall with a hundred-year return period.

Effects of biochar on shear strength of completely decomposed granite.

Biochar has a great potential to sustainably improve the performance of bio-engineered slope due to its ability to retain water and to supply nutrients. Existing studies mainly focus on hydrological properties of biochar-amended soil. However, the effects of biochar on shear strength of soil are not well studied. This study aims to assess the shearing behaviour of biochar-amended completely decomposed granite (CDG). Soil specimens were prepared by mixing CDG with two types of biochar at a mass ratio of 5% and compacted at 95% of the maximum dry density. Although the peak shear strength of biochar-amended CDG is reduced by up to 20% because of lower initial dry density of the soil and crushing of biochar particles during shearing, both types of biochar have negligible effects on the ultimate shear strength, which is governed by friction between soil particles. This highlights that the ultimate friction angle can be adopted for designing bio-engineered slopes using biochar-amended soils.

Experimental study on the monotonic mechanical behavior of completely decomposed granite soil reinforced by disposable face-mask chips

In response to the global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), a staggering amount of personal protective equipment, such as disposable face masks, has been used, leading to the urgent environmental issue. This study evaluates the feasibility of mask chips for the soil reinforcement, through triaxial tests on samples mixed with complete decomposed granite (CDG) and mask chips (0%, 0.3%, 0.5%, 1%, 5% by volume). The experimental results show that adding a moderate volumetric amount of mask chips (0.3%–1%) improves the soil strength, especially under high confining pressure. The optimum volumetric content of mask chips obtained by this study is 0.5%, raising the peak shear strength up to 22.3% under the confining stress of 120 kPa. When the volumetric content of mask chips exceeds the optimum value, the peak shear strength decreases accordingly. A limited amount of mask chips also increases the elastic modulus and makes the volumetric response more dilative. By contrast, excessive mask chips create additional voids and shift the strong soil-mask contacts to weak mask-mask contacts. The laser scanning microscope (LSM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images on the typical samples demonstrate the microstructure of mask fibers interlocking with soil particles, highly supporting the macro-scale mechanical behavior.

Alkali-activation of calcined granitic waste: Reaction mechanisms and environmental implication for waste minimization

Waste management and the need for low-energy materials in the building sector are persistent challenges facing modern society. Hence, the valorization of natural, industrial or by-products waste through alkali-activation offers a reliable and sustainable solution. This paper seeks to address this challenge by examining the potential recycling of low-reactive completely decomposed granite (CDG), when applying calcination at 650 °C in an electric furnace for 2 h. In the experiment, kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH)4) was found to be the dominant mineralogical phase on the starting CDG. However, the presence of microcline (KAlSi3O8) and quartz (SiO2) minerals was predominant after calcination. Moreover, lower wavenumber band at around 985 cm−1, linked to the stretching vibration of Si–O and Al–O groups was found in the calcined CDG, thus indicating a decrease in the long-range order of the crystalline phase as well as the formation of an amorphous structure. The dissolution of the predominant solid 29Si, 27Al species showed that, calcined CDG exhibits high reactivity especially under strong NaOH concentration. Mechanical and physical properties analysis also proved the degree of compressibility and cohesiveness of the activated CDG mortars. In addition, findings from the embodied CO2 emission concluded that while CDG reactivity improvement and activation are somewhat energy intensive, the resulting products performance and their associated applications were found to be acceptable. From this point of view, this research suggested a reframing of the application of geopolymer technology in solid waste treatment, and encouraged the development of waste-derived activators.

Experimental Investigation on the Influencing Factors of Compressive Strength of Foamed Lightweight Material Utilizing Completely Decomposed Granite.

The utilization of construction waste soil to produce foamed concrete together with cement and a foaming agent is a promising method for waste recycling. Completely decomposed granite (CDG), which is widely available in southern China, was selected as a typical construction waste soil in foamed material production. The Taguchi method was applied to study the influence of various parameters on compressive strength, including cement dosage, CDG dosage, water to solid materials ratio (W/M), fine particles content, and gravel particles content. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) on a CDG-based sample showed that all factors have significant effects on compressive strength and the most effective parameter was cement dosage, followed in sequence by CDG dosage, W/M, gravel particles content, and fine particles content. However, only cement dosage and W/M influence the internal structure significantly during water/vacuum-immersion tests. The relationship between micro-pore structure and compressive strength suggested that with the decrease of open porosity, the compressive strength showed an increasing trend. This study reveals the possibility of CDG as a raw material for foamed lightweight soil and provides a technical reference of production procedure.

Phase dissolution and improving properties of completely decomposed granite through alkali fusion method

Low-reactive completely decomposed granite (CDG) was successfully synthesized by thermal activation with the addition of NaOH at low alkali/CDG mass ratio of 0.1/1. During alkali fusion, the degree of amorphicity of CDG rich in kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH)4) increased and a significant reduction of the peak intensities occurring between 20 and 45 (o2 theta) was observed. Reactivity analysis indicated that, initial CDG requires high molar NaOH to provide a proper dissolution, whereas fused CDG exhibits high reactivity (29Si = 555.57 ppm; 27Al = 223.73 ppm) at low NaOH concentration. Moreover, results from the setting time, varied between 15 and 45 min, indicating that alkali fusion is very effective for improving the dissolution of the fused CDG under Na2SiO3 solution. However, the setting time decreases as the reaction degree accelerates. FTIR analysis of the fused CDG presented lower wavenumber band of around 975 cm−1, confirming a decline of crystalline phases. In addition, SEM-EDS characterization and alkalinity analysis showed a compactness of the structure due to the liberation of enough sodium aluminosilicate gel. Finally, results from the mechanical test (4.75–39.55 MPa) and water solubility inferred that, by enhancing the reactivity of CDG by alkali fusion and by addition of up to 15% GGBS, CDG can be optimally recycled as an alternative source material to produce geopolymers.

Mechanical Behaviour of Completely Decomposed Granite Soil with Tire Rubber Granules and Fibres.

Mixing soil with waste tire rubber granules or fibres is a practical and promising solution to the problem of global scrap tire pollution. Before successful applications, the mechanical behaviour of the soil–rubber mixture must be thoroughly investigated. Comprehensive laboratory studies (compaction, permeability, oedometer and triaxial tests) were conducted on the completely decomposed granite (CDG)–rubber mixtures, considering the effects of rubber type (rubber granules GR1 and rubber fibre FR2) and rubber content (0–30%). Results show that, for the CDG–rubber mixture, as the rubber content increases, the compaction curves become more rubber-like with less obvious optimum moisture content. The effect on permeability becomes clearer only when the rubber content is greater than 30%. The shape effect of rubber particles in compression is minimal. In triaxial shearing, the inclusion of rubber particles tends to reduce the stiffness of the mixtures. After adding GR1, the peak stress decreases with the increasing rubber content due to the participation of soft rubber particles in the force transmission, while the FR2 results in higher peak stress especially at higher rubber contents because of the reinforcement effect. For the CDG–GR1 mixture, the friction angle at the critical state (φ’cs) decreases with the increasing rubber content, mainly due to the lower inter-particle friction of the CDG–rubber interface compared to the pure CDG interface, while for the CDG–FR2 mixture, the φ’cs increases with the increasing rubber content, again mainly due to the reinforcement effect.

Soil Fabric and Transitional Behavior in Completely Decomposed Granite: An Example of Well-Graded Soil

Unlike sedimentary soils, limited studies have dealt with completely decomposed granite (CDG) soils, even though they are plentiful and used extensively in several engineering applications. In this paper, a set of triaxial compression tests have been conducted on well-graded intact and disturbed CDG soils to study the impact of the fabric on soil behavior. The soil behavior was robustly affected by the soil fabric and its mineral composition. The intact soil showed multiple parallel compression lines, while a unique isotropic compression line was present in the case of disturbed soil. Both the intact and disturbed soils showed unique critical state lines (CSL) in both the e-log p′ and q-p′ spaces. The intact soil showed behavior unlike other transitional soils that have both distinct isotropic compression lines ICLs and CSLs. The gradient of the unique ICL of the disturbed soil was much more than that of the parallel compression lines of the intact soil. In the intact soil, the slope of the unique CSL (M) in the q-p′ space was higher than that of the disturbed soil. The isotropic response was present for both the intact and disturbed soils after erasing the inherited anisotropy as the stress increased with irrecoverable volumetric change. Soil fabric is considered the dominant factor in the transitional behavior and such a mode of soil behavior is no longer restricted to gap-graded soil as previously thought.

Mechanics of Completely Decomposed Granite: Example of Transitional Behavior

Abstract A completely decomposed granite (CDG) soil containing a significant amount of sand and silt was tested on a triaxial apparatus to determine whether it complies with the critical state fram...

Use of saturation diving technique for tunnel boring machine cutterhead intervention in the Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok Link Sub-sea Tunnel Project, Hong Kong

The entire Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok Link (TM-CLKL) was commissioned on 27 December 2020 and it comprises a 9km-long dual 2-lane carriageway between Tuen Mun and North Lantau, Hong Kong. Construction of the 5km-long sub-sea tunnels was carried out by two 14m diameter Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). The tunnel alignment for the TM-CLKL sub-sea tunnel section is in mixed ground condition with the first 500 m in mixed geology of slightly to moderately decomposed granite and completely decomposed granite (CDG), followed by soft ground condition with CDG, alluvial sand, alluvial clay and marine deposit. This mixed ground geology requires regular TBM cutterhead interventions to change the worn-out cutting tools during the tunnelling operation. As the tunnel alignment is up to 55 m below the sea level with the deepest seabed level at -21 mPD, in order to maintain the cutting face stability during the intervention, the intervention pressure could be up to 6 bars. This paper describes different techniques used for TBM interventions under the sea such as trimix bounce mode and saturation mode that appears first time in Hong Kong under a high hyperbaric pressure to change the worn-out cutting tools at the TBM cutterhead.

Effect of Moisture Content on the Shear Behaviour of a Completely Decomposed Granite: An Experimental Study

To figure out the effect of moisture content on the shear behaviour of undisturbed completely decomposed granite (CDG) soil, a series of in situ and laboratory direct shear tests were carried out, under different normal stress and moisture contents. The test results showed that the increasing moisture content could obviously weaken the shear strength, cohesion, and frictional angle. Two linear equations were proposed for estimating the cohesion and the frictional angle at any moisture content in the field. The estimated strength parameters could be used for safety evaluation and/or engineering design of CDG cutting slope. The rate of reduction of the cohesion was much higher than that of the tangent value of frictional angle. Due to the disturbance of laboratory sample and size effect, the strength parameters obtained from the in situ test were a little bit higher than those from the laboratory test.