Investigation of the strength recovery characteristics of a red-bed landslide soil by SHS and ultrasonic experiments

The strength recovery (healing) of the shear zone soil of a landslide during the dormant phase after the sliding affects the reactivation of the landslide, and may play a key role in determining the stability of the landslide. In this paper, we report the laboratory measurements of frictional strengthening characteristics of a red-bed landslide soil. Slide-hold-slide (SHS) experiments and ultrasonic tests are performed on soil samples under natural moisture content and saturated conditions. The roles of holding time, normal stress, and drainage conditions in friction enhancement are evaluated. All the experiments are performed under room temperature. The saturated soil samples show the lowest recovery value of shear strength. It is found that red-bed landslides have obvious healing properties. The recovery value log-linear depends on the holding time and proportional to the normal stress, and the better the drainage condition is, the more obvious the recovery. Ultrasonic tests show that the wave speed difference of soil sample before and after holding is proportional to the holding time.

Automated summary

The study reveals that the strength recovery of shear zone soil during the dormant phase of a landslide has a significant impact on the reactivation and stability of the landslide. Experiments on a red-bed landslide soil show obvious healing properties, with the recovery value being influenced by holding time and normal stress. The better the drainage condition, the more noticeable the recovery, as shown by ultrasonic tests.