Study on Sliding Surface Characteristics of Expansive Soil Based on Quantitative Evaluation of Microstructure

Study on Sliding Surface Characteristics of Expansive Soil Based on Quantitative Evaluation of Microstructure | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Study on Sliding Surface Characteristics of Expansive Soil Based on Quantitative Evaluation of Microstructure Youxing Kong, Zhiqing Li, Zhiyu Qi, Kai Sun, Ruilin Hu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4275076/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Expansive soils are widely distributed and the landslides happened in these area cause significant economic losses. The sliding surface records crucial information about landslides, providing insight into the mechanisms behind their occurrences. This research delves into the microstructural features of landslide surfaces in expansive soils. Various sliding surfaces were created through direct shear tests under different water contents (10%, 20%, 30%) and normal stresses (50 kPa, 100 kPa, 200 kPa, 400 Pa). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surfaces and based on their structural morphology and formation mechanisms, we categorized the surfaces’ structure into scratch, tension crack, and residual pore. Four parameters, porosity, average pore area, probability entropy, and area probability distribution index, were calculated and used to quantitatively characterized the surface structures. By correlating field landslide surface features with geological survey data, it was inferred that the triggering moisture content was 25.3–26.8% at least, the sliding surface was situated 10 to 12 meters deep within the slope, and multiple sliding events occurred. The water infiltration from the slope top and precipitation along fractures coupled with rising irrigation water levels that saturated the slope base ultimately leading to fracture layer breakthrough and slope failure. expansive soil landslides sliding surface microstructure landslide formation mechanism Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4275076","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":291971265,"identity":"9bb8e935-45ee-43b0-9e7a-4e9ef1f2059e","order_by":0,"name":"Youxing Kong","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Institute of Geology and Geophysics","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Youxing","middleName":"","lastName":"Kong","suffix":""},{"id":291971266,"identity":"b1efd553-a247-46bd-9b56-88b63aff969d","order_by":1,"name":"Zhiqing Li","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA1klEQVRIie3QsQrCMBCA4ZOD61LMmoL4DAGhz5Mg6CQ4SQdBB0kH9QF8C0dXEeoSnTPWxb2bm1YpCAomo0N+MmTIR3IBCIX+sDYCgQToEuK+lNnUTaghPRbpvihN4UFeC0BtViZNLgv0IFF0LcsJtLZWppmaE7B8KV0PGwp5BhRWDqzadYCb09ZFCq70nWpSWGUIBB+5SEvXBGJhlR4rjT4E6Ul4sjoQeBIiXs8i6k9GLk0RO2dh7HhNbhOYaWRVdcumXZavf5Pmrvc29jj+QUKhUCj01QPIaUCsaTanIAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhiqing","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":291971267,"identity":"469dd603-52fa-4aa7-ab9e-d5ceffd16bba","order_by":2,"name":"Zhiyu Qi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhiyu","middleName":"","lastName":"Qi","suffix":""},{"id":291971268,"identity":"c84078cf-c27d-4698-93fe-501e6d4869d1","order_by":3,"name":"Kai Sun","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kai","middleName":"","lastName":"Sun","suffix":""},{"id":291971269,"identity":"ad22a2e4-4072-401e-bc3f-3e0531fb62ed","order_by":4,"name":"Ruilin Hu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ruilin","middleName":"","lastName":"Hu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-04-16 10:03:03","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4275076/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4275076/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":61226758,"identity":"c91f2aed-696a-42fa-a3f4-0ab708ce0d98","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-27 14:11:55","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1853683,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"EESSubmission.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4275076/v1_covered_a1ec7fca-611a-4a05-be9c-d77396854011.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Study on Sliding Surface Characteristics of Expansive Soil Based on Quantitative Evaluation of Microstructure","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"expansive soil, landslides, sliding surface, microstructure, landslide formation mechanism","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4275076/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4275076/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eExpansive soils are widely distributed and the landslides happened in these area cause significant economic losses. The sliding surface records crucial information about landslides, providing insight into the mechanisms behind their occurrences. This research delves into the microstructural features of landslide surfaces in expansive soils. Various sliding surfaces were created through direct shear tests under different water contents (10%, 20%, 30%) and normal stresses (50 kPa, 100 kPa, 200 kPa, 400 Pa). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surfaces and based on their structural morphology and formation mechanisms, we categorized the surfaces\u0026rsquo; structure into scratch, tension crack, and residual pore. Four parameters, porosity, average pore area, probability entropy, and area probability distribution index, were calculated and used to quantitatively characterized the surface structures. By correlating field landslide surface features with geological survey data, it was inferred that the triggering moisture content was 25.3\u0026ndash;26.8% at least, the sliding surface was situated 10 to 12 meters deep within the slope, and multiple sliding events occurred. The water infiltration from the slope top and precipitation along fractures coupled with rising irrigation water levels that saturated the slope base ultimately leading to fracture layer breakthrough and slope failure.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Study on Sliding Surface Characteristics of Expansive Soil Based on Quantitative Evaluation of Microstructure","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-04-22 15:13:16","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4275076/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"a0a3068d-50e3-4952-a912-7aad2cda6022","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 22nd, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-07-27T14:03:46+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-04-22 15:13:16","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4275076","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4275076","identity":"rs-4275076","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}