RESEARCH ON WATER SENSITIVITY OF LOESS SHEAR STRENGTH
黄土抗剪强度的水敏感性特征研究

Shear strength is the most important mechanical index of loess, which strongly depends on the loess deposit age and moisture content. Loess is a special deposit, and it is very sensitive to water under the softening action of water. Shear strength and deformation curve of loess change with obvious paws. Based on the data of a large number of loess tests of direct shear, ring shear and in-situ direct shear carded out in Utrecht University, Leister University and Lanzhou University, here, the effects of the water content and the depositing age on the shear strength, and the stress-strain relationship of loess are studied. As a new index, the critical moisture content is proposed, which characterizes the turning point between the brittle and plastic deformation ranges on the deformation curve. Light is also shed on the underlying mechanism of the dependence of the loess shear strength and deformation rule on its depositing age and moisture content. According to the results of loess shear strength with different moisture contents and different ages, the boundary of the brittle and plastic deformation, and develop some important equations of shear strength for loess are presented.