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Crack is one of the important factors affecting the engineering characteristics of expansive rock and soil. In order to study the evolution characteristics and cracking mechanism of red beds in Central Sichuan during seepage and swelling, multiple groups of cracking tests are conducted under different initial states with a self-made device. In addition, combining swelling-softening mechanism of expansive rock and numerical analysis, the swelling-cracking mechanism is studied. The following research results are obtained. (1) The evolution process of swelling cracks is divided into three stages: the generation stage, the rapid development stage, and the stabilization stage. In the rapid development stage, the increase in the crack degree accounts for 90% of the whole process. (2) The final crack degree of the sample is related to the initial water content, water absorption method, and clay mineral content. The lower the initial water content, the greater the final crack degree of the sample. The final crack degree under the soaking water absorption method is greater than that under the capillary water absorption method, and the final crack degree of mudstone is greater than that of argillaceous sandstone and sandstone. (3) The development of swelling cracks is controlled by three significant values of water absorption, which are w 1 , w 2 , and w 3 , respectively, representing the beginning of cracking, the starting of the rapid development stage, and the starting of the stabilization stage. Among them, w 2 is of great significance in engineering practice. It shows that the development of cracks has entered a stage of rapid development, and the crack degree in this stage will increase exponentially with water absorption. (4) Uneven water absorption and uneven distribution of clay minerals lead to uneven swelling of expansive rock, which in turn generates swelling stress. Under the combined action of swelling stress and water swelling-softening, the internal structure of the rock is destroyed, leading to the generation and development of the cracks. Due to the different causes of uneven expansion, the mechanical mechanism of cracking and the shape of the resulting cracks will be different.

The Anqing group clay gravel layer is a special geological body composed of gravel and clay. In excavation projects, involving this soil, such a gravel layer, is prone to slope collapse and instability under the influence of rainfall. To clearly understand the failure mechanism and influencing factors of clay gravel slopes, an indoor artificial rainfall erosion model testing was carried out to analyse the effect of various slope ratios, gravel contents, and rainfall intensities. The slope erosion damage form, runoff rate, infiltration rate, scoured material, and slope stability of the clay gravel slope were studied. The test results show that sloping surfaces of the gentle slope were mainly damaged by erosion, and the degree of damage gradually increased from the top to the bottom of the sloping surface; however, the stability of the surface was good. In the case of the sloping surface layer of the steep slope, large-scale landslides occurred, and the stability of the surface was poor. When the gravel content was small, the surface failure was manifested as a gully failure. When the gravel content was large, it was manifested as a “layer-by-layer sliding” failure. The degree of influence of different conditions on the stable runoff rate was as follows: rainfall intensity>slope ratio>gravel content. The degree of influence of the parameters on the stable infiltration rate was as follows: slope ratio>rainfall intensity>gravel content. On gentle slopes, the total mass of the scoured material was inversely proportional to the gravel content and directly proportional to the rainfall intensity; on a steep slope, the total mass of the scoured material increased with an increase in the rainfall intensity and gravel content. Moreover, the slope ratio was the key influencing factor to decide whether there was gravel in the scoured material.

To reduce the difficulties associated with dynamic constitutive models, a model was established for soil in this study based on hypoelasticity. The stress-strain relationship in soil under a cyclic load was divided into three stages: initial loading, unloading, and reloading. The stress-strain relationship in each stage was ascertained using a hyperbolic equation. On this basis, the physical significance of the parameters in the model and their method of determination were described. The effects of the parameters on the stress-strain relationship were investigated and the integration algorithm of the model was established. Finally, the rationality of the proposed model was verified by conducting triaxial tests under conventional and cyclic loads. The results show that the model is able to adequately demonstrate all the stress-strain relations in the soil under both static and dynamic loads.

In the Nanyang section of the midroute of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, the expansive soil is often used as a filler for high-fill channels. After the channel is stabilized, the expansive soil undergoes creep deformation over time. Studying the creep characteristics of expansive soils in different environments is particularly important for evaluating the safe operation of high-fill channels. In the current study, the creep test of expansive soil under different moisture content and dry density was carried out. It is proposed that the slope of the fitted straight line in the compression curve of the expansive soil can be used to represent the secondary consolidation coefficient of unsaturated expansive soil, and the variation law of the secondary consolidation coefficient under different environmental factors is obtained. The modified Bjerrum calculation method considering the influence of additional load and lateral deformation yields the postexpansion soil settlement curve model to determine the control index range of the project site. Moreover, it is also observed that the secondary consolidation coefficient of unsaturated expansive soil increases with the increase of moisture content and decreases with the increase of dry density. The coefficient of secondary compression of unsaturated expansive soil is linearly related to dry density and moisture content. After the preconsolidation treatment of the expansive soil, when the load level is less than the preload, the secondary consolidation coefficient is smaller, otherwise the secondary consolidation coefficient is larger.

An improved method, which combines in situ measured settlement data, hyperbolic method, and deep lateral displacement rate, is presented in this study to predict the consolidation and stability of the ground, which can be used in conducting staged filling construction on soft subsoil. A case history of a highway embankment construction in a tidal flat with thick mucky clay is studied in Xia Pu, China. Preloading with the prefabricated vertical drain method is adopted to accelerate the consolidation of a subgrade. The field behavior of soft ground under filling load is observed through in situ monitoring sensors in four typical sections. The final ground settlement in each stage is determined using the field monitoring data based on the hyperbolic settlement prediction method. For each stage of graded filling load, the ground settlement with a strain consolidation degree of 95% is defined as the standard settlement, and the corresponding settlement time is set as the standard settlement time. The preloading period is estimated according to the standard settlement time. The deep lateral displacement rate of the ground is monitored to control the stability of the foundation and recommended to guide the embankment construction. Results indicate that the presented method can predict the preloading time of graded filling, reduce the frequency of observation, and ensure the consolidation and stability of the ground.