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Lateral swelling pressure (LSP) develops when expansive soil volume increment associated with water infiltration is restrained in a confined domain, for example, due to construction of civil infrastructure. In this paper, initially a flowchart is developed to highlight various key factors that influence the LSP mobilization according to lab and field studies collected from previous literature studies. Then extending unsaturated soil mechanics, a theoretical framework is proposed for illustrating the LSP mobilization in the field against retaining structures and pile foundations under different boundary conditions, respectively. An example problem for a basement wall and a pile foundation constructed in a typical expansive soil from Regina, Canada, is presented to illustrate the proposed theoretical framework. The framework and corresponding analysis presented in this paper can facilitate to provide rational designs of geotechnical infrastructures in expansive soils.

Background Colloid-facilitated phosphorus (P) transport is recognized as an important pathway for the loss of soil P in agricultural systems; however, information regarding soil aggregate-associated colloidal P (Pcoll) is lacking. To elucidate the effects of aggregate size on the potential loss of Pcoll in agricultural systems, soils (0–20 cm depth) from six land-use types were sampled in the Zhejiang Province in the Yangtze River Delta region, China. The aggregate size fractions (2–8 mm, 0.26–2 mm, 0.053–0.26 mm and Results Our study demonstrated that 0.26–2 mm small macroaggregates had the highest total P (TP) content. In acidic soils, the highest Pcoll content was observed in the 0.26- to 2-mm-sized aggregates, while the lowest was reported in the coll than other land-use types. The proportion of Pcoll in total dissolved P (TDP) was dominated by coll in paddy soils, where Pcoll contributed up to 83% TDP in the silt + clay-sized particles. The Pcoll content was positively correlated with TP, Al, Fe, and the mean weight diameter. Aggregate-associated total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), C/P, and C/N had significant negative effects on the contribution of Pcoll to potential soil P loss. The Pcoll content of the aggregates was controlled by the aggregate-associated TP and Al content, as well as the soil pH value. The potential loss of Pcoll from aggregates was controlled by its organic matter content. Conclusion We concluded that management practices that increase soil aggregate stability or its organic carbon content will limit Pcoll loss in agricultural systems.

Agricultural cropping systems involve the application of high fertilizer rates, which lead to phosphorus (P) losses via surface runoff to the aquatic environment, thereby resulting in severe eutrophication. Here, to evaluate the nutrient loss, we established three monitoring stations in Zhejiang Province, China, in each of which the crop types were double cropping rice, rice–wheat rotation, and vegetable cultivation. Field experiments were conducted with four treatments and three replications over a whole planting year. The four treatments at the same P application rate were: 1) no fertilization (control; CK), 2) chemical fertilization (CF), 3) substitution of 30 % chemical P in CF by organic P in solid sheep manure (OF) or in liquid biogas slurry (BS), and 4) substitution of 30 % chemical P in CF by organic P fertilizers (solid sheep manure or liquid biogas slurry) +1.5 t ha−1 polyacrylamide modified BC (PSB). The runoff losses of various P forms, that is, the total P, total dissolved P, particulate P, and colloidal P losses were analyzed. The total P concentration varied greatly with the crop growth stages. Compared with CF treatment, PSB treatment significantly reduced the concentration of P fractions in the runoff in all three cropping systems, while the OF treatment significantly reduced the particulate P and colloidal P concentrations by coating colloidal particles with organic carbon. However, BS treatment increased particulate P and colloidal P concentrations. Compared with CF treatment, PSB treatment reduced total P loss by 41.1 %, 29.7 %, and 37.8 % in the double cropping rice, rice–wheat, and vegetable systems, respectively. The PSB and OF treatments significantly reduced the particulate P and colloidal P losses, while BS treatment increased the loss of various P forms. Compared with the CF treatment, the PSB treatment significantly increased the available P contents by 12.7–85.4 mg kg-1, and decreased the colloidal P contents by 26.7 %–51.4 % in the soils examined. The results of the redundancy analysis confirmed that P loss via runoff was mainly caused by differences in the P inputs and crop types. The results of this study highlight the important role of PSB in reducing P loss via runoff from agricultural cropping systems.

Settlement induced by new tunneling is important in assessing the safety of existing tunnel. A simplified settlement calculation method for the existing tunnel was obtained based on the two-step method. Firstly, ground settlement induced by tunneling was calculated using experimental method and elastic method. Then the entire tunnel deformation can be calculated using elastic-foundation-beam model and the ground settlement obtained in the first step was applied on the existing tunnel as a passive settlement load. Finally, the simplified method was verified by the results from modal test. The results show that the simplified method is available for calculating settlement of existing tunnel induced by new tunneling. Parametric study also studied in the paper, it is found that the tunnel settlement induced by tunneling increases with the increasing ground loss and decreases with the increasing net distance between new tunnel and existing tunnel. The settlement of tunnel with larger depth and harder soil stiffness is larger than the one with lower depth and softer soil when the ground loss is same.