Influence of Soluble Salt NaCl on Cracking Characteristics and Mechanism of Loess

Xin Wei (), Li Dong, Xuanyi Chen and Yunru Zhou
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Xin Wei: School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Li Dong: School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Xuanyi Chen: School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Yunru Zhou: School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: Under the conditions of drought, cracks are likely to appear in loess due to shrinkage, which leads to salt precipitation and accumulation on the surface of loess. Therefore, salinized lands are created in loess areas. Deep study into the influence of soluble salt content on the cracking characteristics and mechanism of loess is of great significance to engineering constructions, geological problems, and disaster prevention for salinized lands in loess regions. In this paper, free desiccation experiments were carried out on the loess samples with different NaCl concentrations (a soluble salt). A high-resolution digital camera was used to obtain the sequence images of loess during the drying process. With the advantage of digital image correlation (DIC) technology and the non-contact full-field strain measurement method, the local displacement and strain on the surface of loess samples were calculated. The microstructure and main elements distribution of loess samples were obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectrum (EDS) methods. Finally, the influence of NaCl concentrations on cracking characteristics and mechanism of loess was analyzed. The results show that, with the increase in NaCl concentration, the evaporation rate of loess samples decreased and the residual water content increased. The NaCl content can prevent the development of desiccation cracks in loess.

Keywords: clayey loess; soluble salts NaCl; desiccation crack; non-contact full-filed strain measurement method; microstructure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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