Soil Deformation Research Articles

Two-layer two-phase material point method simulation of granular landslides and generated tsunami waves

Numerical modeling of the entire process of tsunamis generation by granular landslides is very difficult and challenging as it involves the soil–water interaction, large deformation of soil, and the fluidization and sedimentation of sand. In this study, a computational model based on the two-layer two-phase material point method (MPM) is developed to simulate granular-landslide-generated tsunamis, wherein the soil–water interaction, large deformation of soil, and fluidization and sedimentation of sand are well modeled. The soil behavior is described using a Mohr–Coulomb model with a non-associated flow rule, while the water is considered as weakly compressible. Furthermore, three different benchmark problems are simulated. All computed results well agree with the corresponding analytical solution and laboratory test data, verifying the effectiveness of the proposed two-layer two-phase MPM for modeling the subaerial and submerged granular-landslide-generated tsunamis. Additionally, the influence of different soil material parameters on the water wave generated by the subaerial granular landslide is investigated.

Semi-real time systems for subsidence monitoring in areas affected by underground mining: the example of the Nuraxi-Figus coal district (Sardinia, Italy)

Underground mining can produce subsidence, which can be coincident with mining activities or delayed in response to the time-dependent deformation of the rocks. Therefore, in these cases, it is essential to effectively monitor the soil deformations at different times during and after mining activity. In the present work, an integrated approach based on geotechnical numerical modeling and Advanced Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (A-DInSAR) method has been applied to detect, study and monitor the subsidence related to mining activity in the Nuraxi Figus coal district (Sardinia, Italy). Two datasets of high-resolution COSMO-Skymed images were acquired, respectively in two covering periods: from 2011 and 2014, and from 2013 to 2020. The A-DInSAR results show that the predominant displacement rates are located in correspondence with the panels. The cumulated satellite-based LoS displacements vary in the first period between − 130 and + 28 mm and − 293 and + 28.4 mm, while, during the second period between − 6.9 and + 1.6 mm and − 8.72 and + 4.33 mm in ascending and descending geometries, respectively. The geotechnical numerical model allowed to obtain a value for the maximum expected. By using the vertical and horizontal components it was possible to reconstruct the kinematics of the deformation considering three phases: pre-mining, syn-mining, and post-mining activity. The temporal evolution of displacements started during the mining extraction in 2011, achieved the major values in correspondence of post-mining operations, during the period from 2013 to 2014 and continued slowly until 2020. The near real-time monitoring system applied in this study proved to be very useful for detecting subsidence during the mining activity and the post-mining period.

Experimental and Finite Element-Based Investigation on Lateral Behaviors of a Novel Hybrid Monopile

A monopile is the most conventional structure foundation for offshore wind turbines (OWTs) in the world. However, the Korean offshore wind industry has mostly been using the jacket type of foundation. The main reason for the current situation in Korea is that most of the marine soil consists of weak layers of sand and clay. Thus, the monopile foundation depth has to be deep enough to satisfy the intended serviceability design requirement of the monopile and the rotation limit at the seabed; a conventional monopile design concept alone might be insufficient in Korean offshore conditions, or otherwise could be very expensive, e.g., resulting in a rock socket installation at the tip of the monopile. The main objective of this paper is to introduce a novel hybrid monopile that is composed of a monopile and a supplemental support with three buckets, followed by assessing the lateral resistance of the hybrid system through physical experiments and finite element (FE) simulations. Namely, 1/64.5 small-scaled monopile and hybrid physical models with a monopile diameter of 7 m for a 5.5 MW OWT were loaded monotonically. The results show that the hybrid monopile improves the lateral bearing capacity regarding the initial lateral stiffness and ultimate load. The FE analyses of the corresponding physical models were also implemented to support the results from the physical model test. The numerical results, such as the structural member forces and soil deformation, were analyzed in detail. Additionally, a case study using FE analysis was conducted for the 5.5 MW OWT hybrid monopile support installed in a representative Korean weak soil area. The results show that the hybrid monopile foundation has a larger lateral resistance and stiffness than the monopile.

Down to the root of vegetated soil: challenges and state-of-the-art

Vegetated soil plays an essential role in confronting climate change. It is the host material where inorganic carbon is stored and green infrastructures are built. The expected impacts of climate change, such as extreme wetting-drying cycles, pose an urgent need to understand the interplay between soil deformation, root growth, and water/solute uptake. The key to this challenge lies in the extension of unsaturated soil mechanics to incorporate bio-hydrological processes, such as root growth and water uptake. In this paper, we first provide an overview of the state-of-the-art knowledge of root-zone mechanics and bio-hydrology. We identify the main knowledge gaps and suggest an integrated, bottom-to-top approach to develop a multidisciplinary understanding of soil-water-root interaction. We demonstrate how emerging experimental and numerical methods can be used to study rooted soil under wetting--drying cycles. Although focused on the biophysical processes at root/soil particle scales, we discuss potential up-scaling from the root to the field scale and further research on remaining challenges, such as the microbial activities in vegetated soil.

Dynamic response of floating piles subjected to axial loads considering three-dimensional soil deformations

This paper presents a systematic study on the effect of radial soil deformations on the dynamic response of floating piles subjected to axial loads. The study is facilitated by a novel mathematical model, that allows rigorously considering both vertical and radial soil displacements generated by axial pile vibration, under an extended Tajimi-type framework. Following the presentation of the mathematical model and the solution, we show that the model produces similar results compared to rigorous numerical boundary integral methods. Then we compare results of the proposed model against an earlier model that is formulated on the basis of confined elastodynamics i.e. on ignoring radial soil deformations. We demonstrate that the confined model overestimates stiffness and underestimates damping of the pile impedance in the low frequency range, regardless of the problem conditions, and we explain the mechanisms that lead to these discrepancies. Although the proposed model is based on the elastodynamic theory, findings of this study are not limited to small-strain problems, as the identified mechanisms are solely associated with the effect of radial soil deformations, and not with the constitutive behavior of soil.

DSS tests on marine clays for offshore windfarm foundation design

This technical note presents results of a series of monotonic and cyclic DSS laboratory tests performed on five intact marine clays offshore China. The laboratory program aimed to determine the cyclic shear strength and soil deformation properties for offshore foundation design. Various cyclic contour diagrams are provided, including cyclic shear strength and average and cyclic shear strains for different number of cycles. Results of the five clays are discussed and compared with an existing database on static and cyclic strengths of clays. In general, the test data fits well with the database and OCR plays an important role in the cyclic behaviour of the marine clays. The provided cyclic strength parameters for the tested clays can be used as references for similar clays offshore. The purpose of this study is to provide a realistic reference for research and practice offshore China where very few cyclic test results are available for offshore wind energy industry.

Simulation of compound anchor intrusion in dry sand by a hybrid FEM+SPH method

The intrusion of deformable compound anchors in dry sand is simulated by coupling the Finite Element Method (FEM) with Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH). This novel approach can calculate granular flows at lower computational cost than SPH alone. The SPH and FEM domains interact through reaction forces calculated from balance equations and are assigned the same soil constitutive model (Drucker–Prager) and the same constitutive parameters (measured or calibrated). Experimental force–displacement curves are reproduced for penetration depths of 8 mm or more (respectively, 20 mm or more) for spike-shaped (respectively, fan-shaped) anchors with 1 to 6 blades. As the number of blades increases, simulations reveal that the granular flow under the anchor deviates from the vertical and that the horizontal granular flow transitions from orthoradial to radial. We interpret the strain field distribution as the result of soil arching, i.e., the transfer of stress from a yielding mass of soil onto adjoining stationary soil masses. Arching is fully active when the radial distance between blade end points is less than a critical length. In that case, the normal stress that acts on the compound anchor at a given depth reaches the normal stress that acts on a disk-shaped anchor of same radius. A single-blade anchor produces soil deformation and failure similar to Prandtl’s foundation sliding model. Multiblade anchors produce a complex failure mechanism that combines sliding and arching.

The response of layered seabed to ice gouging: Sand over clay

Travelling icebergs may threaten the structural integrity of the offshore pipelines in any territories they can reach. Arctic offshore pipelines are usually buried for physical protection against ice gouging. The safe and cost-effective burial depth of these pipelines needs to be determined by accurately assessing the subgouge soil deformation and the ice keel-seabed contact forces. Layered seabed soil strata found in many geographical locations add to the complexity of assessing the ice keel-seabed interaction process. The currently used design codes have been developed for uniform soil strata-an assumption that may affect the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of the design. In this study, the significance of layered sand over clay seabed in the ice gouging process was investigated by performing large deformation finite element (LDFE) analysis using Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) approach. A comprehensive parametric study was conducted to assess the influence of ice gouging characteristics and soil properties on the subgouge soil deformation, the developed plastic shear strains, and the resultant ice keel reaction forces. The results showed that the seabed response to ice gouging largely depends on the soil strata, where the layers’ interaction effects can alter the usual response expected from a uniform seabed.

Two‐phase model for the excavation analysis in partially saturated soft soils using the particle finite element method

AbstractA two‐phase velocity‐pressure stabilized formulation is proposed for the numerical analysis of mechanized excavations in partially saturated soft soils using the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM). The fully coupled formulation is based on the theory of porous media in association with the Soil Water Characteristic Curve and the porosity‐dependent Kozeni‐Carman model for the realistic estimation of the soil permeability. The combination of the PFEM methodology, characterized by a global re‐meshing strategy equipped with a new adaptive mesh refinement scheme for the resolution of strain localization zones in the ground, with a hypoplastic constitutive model for the description of the non‐linear behavior of the deformable soil skeleton, allows for the modeling of very large deformations, as required for excavation simulations. The PFEM model is validated based on selected geotechnical benchmark problems concerned with fully and partially saturated soil specimens. The model is further applied to computational re‐analyses of excavation tests involving a single cutting tool moving in a sandbox. The reaction force‐tool displacement curve for the excavation tool as well as the evolution of the deformed topology of the sand including the formation of shear zones obtained from the computational model are compared with respective experimental observations. Parametric investigations aimed at elucidating the influence of selected geotechnical parameters on the excavation process are also carried out. Finally, the suitability of the proposed PFEM‐based numerical strategy for the modeling of 3D excavation problems is demonstrated by means of 3D PFEM simulations in fully saturated sand.

Experimental Study on Dynamic Parameters of Calcareous Sand Subgrade under Long-Term Cyclic Loading

A long-term cyclic loading test of calcareous sand from an island reef in the South China Sea was conducted under conditions of unequal consolidation and drainage. The axial cumulative strain and dynamic characteristics of coral sand samples with different physical and mechanical properties were studied under different stress levels, yielding a model prediction formula. The results show that (1) the axial cumulative strain and dynamic elastic modulus increase with increasing vibration times of the cyclic load, whereas the dynamic damping ratio decreases with increasing cyclic vibration time; (2) the axial cumulative strain, elastic modulus, and damping ratio are affected by dynamic stress amplitude, load frequency, confining pressure, consolidation stress, compactness and moisture content; and (3) based on dynamic triaxial test results, the axial cumulative strain model of calcareous sand under cyclic loading and its permanent deformation prediction formula are established by introducing the cyclic stress ratio. Two parameters, the elastic modulus evolution parameter and the damping ratio evolution parameter, are introduced, and the axial cumulative strain is normalized. The results of this research have significance for understanding the long-term deformation and dynamic response of coral sand subgrade soil under cyclic vibration loads.

Geomechanical parameters in the active zone of an unsaturated tropical soil site via laboratory tests

The seasonal variability of geotechnical parameters in the unsaturated zone is typically neglected in the design of geotechnical works. In most of the geotechnical projects the parameters are determined only for the saturated condition. Although it is known that this condition is the most critical to soil strength and deformability, this conservative approach may neglect a possible important contribution of the unsaturated condition, resulting in an increase in the cost of the geotechnical solution. This paper presents and discusses the site characterization of the active zone of an unsaturated sandy soil profile under different suction conditions. Laboratory tests with controlled suction (retention curves, triaxial compression with bender elements and oedometer tests) were carried out on undisturbed samples collected from 1.0 to 5.0 m depth. The results show that strength and deformability parameters are strongly affected by soil suction and are less influenced by confinement stress up to 5.0 m depth. All the investigated subsoil profile shows a collapsible behavior, more pronounced closer to the ground surface and under the effect of higher suction values. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating the suction influence in the site investigation, parameter determination, and geotechnical design for more economical, reliable, and environmentally sustainable solutions.

Prevention of additional compaction in eucalyptus and pasture land uses, considering soil moisture and bulk density

Soil compaction is harmful to agricultural and forestry areas, and strategies to avoid soil deformation are of great interest. The objective of this study was to evaluate the compressibility of a soil submitted to different land uses in an area located in southern Brazil. The land uses assessed were a) Anthropized Forest: constituted by tree and shrub species; b) Pasture: five years old; c) Eucalyptus 20: twenty years old; and d) Eucalyptus 4.5: conducted in 2nd rotation, and 4.5 years old, with Eucalyptus harvesting in the first cut made manually with a chainsaw and wood extraction with a Forwarder. Undisturbed soil samples were taken in 2006, and they were submitted to the uniaxial compression test. Bulk density and volumetric moisture were calculated before the test, as well as soil deformation, compression index and precompression stress at the end of the test. Anthropized Forest and Pasture soils presented the highest volumetric soil moisture, a mean of, respectively, 0.301 and 0.304 m3 m−3. Eucalyptus 20 had the lowest bulk density (mean of 1.15 Mg m−3), and Eucalyptus 4.5 the highest bulk density (mean of 1.47 Mg m−3). Precompression stress is low for all soil land uses, ranging from 31.24 to 50.92 kPa, and care should be taken to avoid further compaction. Load-bearing capacity of the soil presented positive and negative relationship with, respectively, bulk density and volumetric moisture, but the low coefficient of correlation (r) and determination (r2) shows the need of further studies for a better adjustment of the data. From the knowledge of volumetric soil moisture, it is possible to monitor and define the most suitable soil condition for traffic of machinery and animals trampling into the areas to avoid additional compaction, while the load-bearing capacity of the soil can be estimated by bulk density, being useful to monitor the occurrence or not of additional compaction.

Influence of pipe jacking excavation in overlying quicksand layer on surface settlement and numerical analysis

The cause of quicksand in soil depends on the nature of soil. Under the action of permeability, quicksand is easy to occur when the pore ratio of soil is large, the water content is large, the clay content is small, the silt content is large, the permeability coefficient is small and the drainage performance is poor. Therefore, quicksand phenomenon is easy to occur in fine sand, silt and loam, but whether quicksand phenomenon occurs or not also depends on certain external conditions, that is, the hydrodynamic pressure (permeability) generated by the seepage of groundwater in the soil. When the upward seepage force of unit granular soil is greater than or equal to its own gravity, the soil will suspend and move. In the process of underground engineering construction, if the problem of quicksand is not solved, the structure will displace with the flow of sand layer, which will change the bearing layer of the foundation and do great harm to the structure. This phenomenon should be eliminated. Practice shows that many accidents of underground structures are related to quicksand caused by the change of seepage conditions during construction. The disturbance of soil in pipe jacking construction is the fundamental cause of soil deformation. It destroys the original natural equilibrium state of soil, changes the stress-strain state of soil, and makes the undisturbed soil experience complex stress paths such as extrusion, shear and deformation. In this paper, a numerical model is established to analyze the surface settlement trend of pipe jacking in quicksand covered stratum, and the methods of grouting behind pipe jacking wall and excavation surface stability measures are verified to control the settlement measures in the construction process.

Mechanical simulation and calculation methodology of buried steel pipes under multiple loads

This study developed a 3D finite element model to study the mechanical behavior of buried steel pipes under multiple loads in terms of interlayer contacts among the soils, the pavement structures, and the buried steel pipes. Using this model, mechanical responses of the buried pipe under multiple loads are calculated to investigate the mechanical behavior in terms of soil pressure, stress, and deformation. Results indicate that: (a) the radial soil pressure, soil pressure coefficient, and pipe’s stress and deformation are positively related to the load level. However, the distribution of the three mechanical responses shows different patterns. The soil pressure at the top of the pipe increases more significantly than those at other positions. (b) When the modulus of foundation soil increases from 30 to 90 MPa, ΔX decreases by 19.02 %, and Mises stress σr4 decreases by 17.43 %, which indicates that good foundation treatment technology will reduce the soil pressure around the pipe; When the burial depth is increased from 0.6 m to 1.4 m, ΔX increases by 103.74 %, σr4 increased by 96.78 %, indicating that the optimization of design parameters of pipeline burial depth should be emphasized in the project. (c) The critical radial soil pressure on the pipe reaches 62.88 kPa under the B777 aircraft load, which is smaller than the soil pressure under the vehicle load during construction (90.21 kPa), indicating that the vehicle loads during construction should be further investigated in pipe design and construction. (d) The recommended values and ranges of the vertical and lateral soil pressure coefficient are provided; they are helpful for the design, construction, and management of the buried steel pipes.

The long-term mechanical performance of geogrid-reinforced soil retaining walls under cyclic footing loading

The soil behind the retaining wall may be subjected to various cyclic loadings, for example, machine vibration, traffic and earthquake loading. To reduce soil deformation and improve the stability of a soil retaining wall, geosynthetics have been widely used for wall reinforcement. A set of physical model tests were performed to investigate the long-term mechanical performance of geogrid-reinforced soil retaining walls under cyclic footing loading. Fujian standard sand was used as the backfill in all the tests. Different locations of the footing relative to the retaining wall and locations of geogrid failure were considered in the test series. The soil retaining wall lateral deflections, footing settlement, vertical soil stress and geogrid strain were presented and discussed. Digital image correlation (DIC) analysis was performed to reproduce the ground deformation under different testing conditions. The test results show that the footing settlement is attributed to the cyclic loading-induced soil deformation and the settlement caused by the lateral facing deflection of the wall. In addition, the lateral facing deflection of the wall reduces the lateral confinement in the soil, which increases the cyclic loading-induced footing settlement. However, the effect of the lateral facing deflection of the wall on the footing settlement becomes limited if the footing is 4B from the soil retaining wall. The failure of the geogrid leads to greater lateral facing deflection of the retaining wall and a deeper zone of influence of the cyclic loading, so greater footing settlement can be observed than that in the tests without geogrid failure. Larger lateral deflection is associated with smaller vertical soil stress accumulation. The geogrid strain accumulation is largest directly below the footing and is related to vertical soil stress accumulation.

Numerical investigation of solute transport into deformable marine sediments driven by ocean waves

Most existing studies do not consider the effect that the deformability of submarine sediments may have on solute transport under the action of ocean waves. In this study a two-dimensional numerical model based on Biot’s poro-elastic consolidation theory and an advection–dispersion equation is established to investigate the transport of non-reactive solute into a deformable porous seabed under the influence of ocean waves. The numerical model is then validated against experimental and analytical results in order to demonstrate its accuracy and robustness. The simulation results indicate that ignoring the deformability of seabed soil and associated seepage force due to ocean waves may lead to a significant underestimation of the rate of solute transport in shallow layers of marine sediment, particularly fine sand or silt. The effects of parameters such as the shear modulus, non-dimensional mechanical dispersion coefficient (related to particle size and permeability), dimensionless sediment thickness, wave steepness and the relative water depth have on solute transport into deformable sediments were investigated. The results indicate that the ratio of the longitudinal coefficient of mechanical dispersion between deformable and non-deformable sediments that can represent the enhancement of solute migration due to soil deformation may reach up to 85. This becomes more pronounced as the shear modulus and permeability of sediments decrease and the depth of water increases when the sediment thickness is less than 0.8 times the wavelength. The rate of solute transport in deformable sediments reaches its maximum when the sediment thickness is about 0.2 times the wavelength. In fact, as the relative water depth increases from 0.1 to 0.3, the enhancement of solute migration due to wave-induced soil deformation increases by about 60%-80%. In comparison to linear waves, shallow water waves, e.g., the first-order cnoidal waves, can increase the transport of solute more due to its strong non-linear behaviour, particularly in deformable seabed.

Accumulated plastic strain behavior of granite residual soil under traffic loading

In this study, the accumulated plastic strain (APS) of granite residual soil (GRS) under traffic loading is investigated via cyclic hollow-cylinder and triaxial tests. GRS is a special type of soil that is found widely in the hot and rainy areas of southern China. Because of insufficient understanding of the cumulative plastic deformation of GRS, how the dynamic stress amplitude, degree of saturation, effective consolidation stress, and stress path affect the APS under loading cycles is explored and analyzed. The results show that the effective consolidation stress inhibits the development of APS, whereas the dynamic stress amplitude promotes it. The APS of GRS increases with the degree of soil saturation, and its noticeable water-softening characteristics become the least favorable factor for soil deformation. The combined action of water softening and principal stress rotation helps to increase the APS significantly, and it leads to the emergence of an APS developmental curve that differs from the stable curve. Accounting for the water-softening characteristics of GRS and various stress conditions, a simple and easily adopted APS model is developed to predict the evolution of APS with loading cycles. Although specific to GRS in China, the findings of this study are expected to apply more widely to other weathered geomaterials.

Settlement Analysis of a Sandy Clay Soil Reinforced with Stone Columns

Abstract Mat foundations are most typically used in locations featuring weak soils such as soft clays and silts, particularly when building in demanding geotechnical conditions. Because of their poor engineering characteristics and significant difficulties associated with workability, these soils are often removed or avoided by excavating down to a specific depth. However, if thick layers are present, their removal becomes unpractical, costly, and creates inconvenience during construction. To overcome this issue, various reinforcement strategies can be adopted. In this study, the use of stone columns under mat foundations was investigated via numerical modeling. Two scenarios were compared: one in which stone columns were installed without any soil removal and another in which a layer of soft ground was removed and the foundation was installed without any ground treatment. Numerical results showed the clear beneficial effect of stone columns, which can significantly reduce settlements even in the presence of a thick deformable soil layer.

PROCESY SUFOZYJNE NA TERENIE PIENIŃSKIEGO PARKU NARODOWEGO NA PRZYKŁADZIE STWIERDZONEGO ZAPADLISKA

Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to determine the range and conditions for the formation of the piping hole and the piping canal found in the Pieniny National Park in May 2019. Material and methods: The scope of the research carried out included the determination of the geotechnical characteristics of subsoil on the slope near the piping hole and along the piping canal. Numerical calculations with the finite element method were also carried out in the GeoStudio program, which allowed to assess the possibilities of soil deformation caused by the seepage forces. Results and conclusions: The results of the research and the analysis of the literature showed that the piping processes in the Polish Carpathians are a common phenomenon that plays a sculptural role. The observed piping form indicates that on the slope is a continuous, several dozen meters long, piping channel formed in medium-cohesive, clay-dusty soils. It should be expected that during periods of prolonged or intense rainfall such phenomena will intensify. The calculation results did not confirm the occurrence of conditions favoring the formation of hydraulic deformations. However, during the increased filtration flow, high values of the hydraulic gradient in the soil are generated, which, in the case of high porosity of the soil, favors the removal of soil particles. The occurring process of piping on the slope in question is favored by the presence of a wooden through from which water infiltrates the ground, which increases the intensity of in-soil flow in the analyzed part of the slope.

Triaxial test and microstructure analysis of soil from alkali contaminated sites

The protection of site cultural relics is facing great challenges of site soil instability and contamination. Targeting at the special geological environment of Kaifeng region, the affecting laws of different concentrations of alkali on mechanical properties of site soil in this region are studied in this paper. The triaxial test is conducted to study the mechanical properties of site soil, including its failure pattern, stress-strain relationship, stress path and strength index, etc. The X-ray diffraction test and scanning electron microscope test are used to analyze the composition, particle state, and pore characteristics of the soil before and after contamination, and to evaluate the stability of the site soil. At the site combining with microstructure changes and macro mechanical properties. The results show that, from the macroscopic surface, with the increase of alkali concentration, the failure shear plane usually appears along the 45° direction. From the perspective of mechanical properties, the stress-strain relationship of the site soil is caused by the strengthening of soil deformation, and the alkali concentration increases, and the curve gradually develops from hardening type to softening type. The stress path is the line connecting the points in the sequence of the stress change process, which is different, and the corresponding soil deformation and strength characteristics will also appear very different. The stress path of soil with different alkali concentration is different. Under the same σ3 condition, the stress σ1 is different. The stress change is expressed in macroscopic terms as different forms of soil damage. Under 0 % concentration, the strength index of soil is 82.14 kPa, 21.67°, and the alkali concentration is 4–16 %, the internal friction Angle is gradually increased, and the cohesion is slightly reduced. From the micro perspective, the main components of the contaminated site soil are SiO2, Al2O3, CaO and Fe2O3. In the process of alkali-soil reaction, alkali reacts with oxides in soil to form Na2AlO2, which has a certain cementation effect. SiO2 reacts with NaOH solution to generate Na2SiO3, which has strong cohesiveness and strength. The newly generated cementing material in the soil increases, and the bonding force between particles increases. In addition, some cements fill the inner pores and improve the shear strength of soil. Under the same pressure, the stress-strain curve of soil gradually developed from hardening type to softening type with the increase of alkali concentration. In the stress-strain curve of soil, with the increase of alkali concentration, the soil reaches the strength at failure under small deformation. The increase of alkali concentration reduces the plasticity and increases the brittleness of soil. At this time, if the stress is localized, shear bands will appear and the stability of soil will decrease. The study of soil properties changes caused by different alkali pollution concentrations can provide a scientific basis for the reinforcement and protection of soil sites or ancient cultural foundations in Kaifeng area.