Study on the Effect of Surface Grouting on Expansive Soil Shear Strength

Abstract

Due to its special composition, expansive soil is deeply affected by water, thus its shear strength is extremely sensitive to climate changes. Exposed to natural conditions, the surface of expansive soil slopes has a range that is affected by the atmosphere. Within this range, the moisture content of expansive soil changes with the atmospheric environment changes, leading to a small shear strength. Especially in the event of heavy rainfall, surface runoff and shallow damage easily occur under rainwater infiltration. In this paper, the indoor triaxial shear test is carried out to observe the strength characteristics of expansive soil in Hefei area under infiltration conditions. The results showed that the cohesion and friction angle of the expansive soil were significantly lower than those of the original soil after soaking in water for 24 h. After brushing grouts on the surface, the decrease of the shear strength of the specimen is small, which shows that the surface brushing can effectively improve the shear strength of the expansive soils under wetting conditions