Effect of Fines Content on the Compression Behavior of Calcareous Sand

Due to the hydraulic sorting effect in the hydraulic filling process, a fine-grained aggregate layer dominated by silty fine sand with uneven distribution is easily formed in reclamation projects, which triggers issues with the bearing capacity and nonuniform settlement of calcareous sand foundation...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Suhang Huang, Xiaonan Gong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/22/10457
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Summary:Due to the hydraulic sorting effect in the hydraulic filling process, a fine-grained aggregate layer dominated by silty fine sand with uneven distribution is easily formed in reclamation projects, which triggers issues with the bearing capacity and nonuniform settlement of calcareous sand foundations. In this study, a series of one-dimensional compression tests were conducted to investigate the effect of different fines contents (<i>f</i><sub>c</sub>) on the compression behavior of calcareous sand. The results show that at the same relative density (medium-density, <i>D</i><sub>r</sub> = 50%), the addition of fine particles leads to a reduction in the initial void ratio (for <i>f</i><sub>c</sub> ≤ 40%). Furthermore, while the compressibility of the soil samples increases with the rising of fines content, it begins to decrease with further addition of fine particles beyond a threshold value of fines content (<i>f</i><sub>c-th</sub>). Additionally, particle crushing contributes to the compressive deformation of calcareous sand, and the particle relative breakage of calcareous sand increases at the initial stage of adding fine particles. Moreover, a comparison of the compression test results between calcareous silty sand (<i>f</i><sub>c</sub> = 10%) and clean sand reveals that the addition of fine particles accentuates the compressibility differences among calcareous sands with different relative densities. These findings provide valuable insights for addressing the challenges posed by fine-grained layers in calcareous sand foundations.
ISSN:2076-3417