Xiao, Yuanjie, Li, Wenqi, Chen, Liuxin, Wang, Xiaoming, Li, Yunbo, Tan, Pan, and Du, Jiapei (2025) Characterization of unsaturated coarse-grained railway embankment fill: Water retention and dilatancy. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 17 (5). pp. 3125-3145.

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Abstract

This study investigated the hydraulic and mechanical behaviors of unsaturated coarse-grained railway embankment fill materials (CREFMs) using a novel unsaturated large-scale triaxial apparatus equipped with the axis translation technique (ATT). Comprehensive soil-water retention and constant-suction triaxial compression tests were conducted to evaluate the effects of initial void ratio, matric suction, and confining pressure on the properties of CREFMs. Key findings reveal a primary suction range of 0–100 kPa characterized by hysteresis, which intensifies with decreasing density. Notably, the air entry value and residual suction are influenced by void ratio, with higher void ratios leading to decreased air entry values and residual suctions, underscoring the critical role of void ratio in hydraulic behavior. Additionally, the critical state line (CSL) in the bi-logarithmic space of void ratio and mean effective stress shifts towards higher void ratios with increasing matric suction, significantly affecting dilatancy and critical states. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that the mobilized friction angle and modulus properties depend on confining pressure and matric suction. A novel modified dilatancy equation was proposed, which enhances the predictability of CREFMs' responses under variable loading, particularly at high stress ratios defined by the deviatoric stress over the mean effective stress. This research advances the understanding of CREFMs' performance, especially under fluctuating environmental conditions that alter suction levels.

Item ID:	85637
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2589-0417
Copyright Information:	© 2025 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Date Deposited:	28 May 2025 02:58
FoR Codes:	40 ENGINEERING > 4005 Civil engineering > 400512 Transport engineering @ 25% 40 ENGINEERING > 4005 Civil engineering > 400599 Civil engineering not elsewhere classified @ 25% 40 ENGINEERING > 4005 Civil engineering > 400505 Construction materials @ 50%
SEO Codes:	27 TRANSPORT > 2702 Environmentally sustainable transport activities > 270299 Environmentally sustainable transport activities not elsewhere classified @ 80% 27 TRANSPORT > 2799 Other transport > 279999 Other transport not elsewhere classified @ 20%
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