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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Geohazards and Georisks
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2024.1418293

Internal erosion process and its influence factors in widely graded loose soils due to rainfall infiltration

Provisionally accepted
Li Liang Li Liang 1Dalang Tian Dalang Tian 2*Zheng-Chuan Li Zheng-Chuan Li 3
  • 1 Chongqing Jianzhu College, Chongqing, China
  • 2 Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
  • 3 China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd.,, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Compared with engineering materials for earth structures subjected to prolonged, sustained hydraulic loading, the internal erosion process of widely graded loose soils (WGLS) under short-term, fluctuating hydraulic loading conditions remains insufficiently elucidated. Therefore, a novel fixed-wall permeameter is developed, capable of applying hydraulic loading at a constant flow rate and collecting effluent flowing out of specimens. A testing protocol is proposed to separate eroded silty clay particles, sandy gravel particles, and seepage water from the collected effluent. Several seepage tests are conducted on remolded specimens with various initial porosity at different inflow rates. The test results show that under a constant inflow rate, the WGLS specimens may undergo suffusion, suffosion, and stabilization stages while seeking the ultimate equilibrium state. The proposed particle migration pattern adeptly reveals the microscale mechanisms of the internal erosion phenomena observed at different stages.The inflow rate is independent of the suffusion critical hydraulic gradient but impacts the suffosion critical hydraulic gradient and internal erosion behavior following suffusion. Because hydraulic shear stress is a comprehensive indicator that considers both hydraulic gradient and initial porosity, it is more appropriate to use it to evaluate the internal stability potential of WGLS.

    Keywords: Internal erosion, Widely graded loose soils, Fixed-wall permeameter, Soil column seepage test, Suffusion, Suffosion

    Received: 16 Apr 2024; Accepted: 31 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Liang, Tian and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Dalang Tian, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.