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Determination and influence of the unified strength theory parameter for loess

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Abstract

The parameter b of the unified strength theory was set to depict the contribution of the intermediate principal stress on the failure of materials. A large number of true triaxial tests were carried out to determine the values and variation in the parameter b for loess, with which the effect of b on the estimation of the stability for a typical loess slope was then studied. The unified strength theory could be applied to fit the experimental failure loci of loess better than the traditional strength theories. The value of the parameter b greatly depends on the stratum age, remolding state, dry unit mass (dr) and water content (w) of the loess, and the appropriate value decreases with increasing dr and w. The value of b for the undisturbed Malan loess (L1) is much greater than that for the Lishi loess (L2). Comprehensively, the range of b = 0.2–0.5 is recommended to obtain the empirical value of the loess, with which the factor of stability (FOS) for the loess slope can be estimated with a 5–15% increase compared to that when applying the Mohr–Coulomb failure law.

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Acknowledgements

This study was sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant numbers 41877245 and 41630634).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geological Engineering and Geomatics of Chang’An University, Xi’an, 710054, People’s Republic of China

    Longsheng Deng, Wen Fan, Yupeng Chang & Shaopeng Liu

  2. Key Laboratory of Western China Mineral Resources and Geological Engineering, Xi’an, 710054, People’s Republic of China

    Longsheng Deng & Wen Fan

  3. Shaanxi Academy of Architectural Sciences, Xi’an, 710082, People’s Republic of China

    Siya Zhang

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  1. Longsheng Deng
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  2. Wen Fan
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  3. Yupeng Chang
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  5. Shaopeng Liu
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Correspondence to Longsheng Deng or Wen Fan.

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Deng, L., Fan, W., Chang, Y. et al. Determination and influence of the unified strength theory parameter for loess. Environ Earth Sci 79, 445 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-020-09208-8

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