Acta Geotechnica最新文献

{"title":"Durability of silt stabilized via accelerated mineral carbonation: large soil box experiment simulating soaking and frost action","authors":"Aaron P. Gallant,&nbsp;Sk Belal Hossen,&nbsp;Danilo Botero-Lopez,&nbsp;Warda Ashraf","doi":"10.1007/s11440-026-02992-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-026-02992-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Chemical stabilization via hydration reactions with cement or lime is a universally applied method to improve the mechanical properties of shallow foundation materials (e.g., subgrade or subbase support). Accelerated mineral carbonation is an emerging stabilization pathway intended to bypass conventional hydration reactions by deliberately introducing carbon dioxide in high concentrations to generate a carbonate binder. Reacted carbon dioxide gas is permanently sequestered in the binder, and thus soil carbonation has the potential to substantially reduce carbon emissions associated with production of additives like lime and cement. This study examines the durability of highly frost-susceptible non-plastic silt carbonated with lime in a large soil box. The silt was exposed to soaking and multiple freeze–thaw cycles in an environmental chamber. Subsurface temperatures, deformations, and shear wave velocities were continuously monitored during freeze–thaw cycling. The California bearing ratio (CBR), moisture contents, and carbonate contents were also measured to assess changes throughout the experiment. The experimental design successfully simulated a 1D (top-down) freezing front and two thaw fronts typically observed in the field, and the carbonated silt proved durable based on measured shear wave velocities and CBR values that remained significantly elevated relative to uncarbonated material. After a 12-week drying period, CBR values recovered or exceeded levels observed before soaking and freeze–thaw cycling, further demonstrating the resilience of the carbonated silt to harsh environmental conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"21 7","pages":"3825 - 3845"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148386091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Micromechanical insights into the tensile behavior of MICP bridge bonds: dual-particle experiments and DEM modeling","authors":"Baomin Liu,&nbsp;Yunyi Long,&nbsp;Linxian Gong,&nbsp;Yi Jin,&nbsp;Yan Xu,&nbsp;Zhazha Hu,&nbsp;Tingen Zhu,&nbsp;Zhiyong Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s11440-026-02968-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-026-02968-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Bridging-type CaCO₃ cementation formed during microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) provides direct load transfer between particles, yet its tensile behavior and failure mechanisms at the particle scale remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates dual-particle MICP specimens with different cementation radii through particle-scale tensile tests, microscopic observations, and discrete element modeling and analyzes their strength distribution, mechanical response, failure modes, and micromechanical controls. Under identical precipitation conditions, the peak tensile loads show pronounced scatter and follow a Weibull distribution. Increasing the cementation radius raises both the characteristic tensile strength and the Weibull modulus, thereby improving load capacity and mechanical stability. Although all specimens exhibit elastic loading, crack propagation, and unstable fracture, the statistical preference of failure modes is not governed directly by size. Instead, size alters the relative influence of local weak features such as internal deposition discontinuities or interfacial deficiencies, which shifts the most probable failure path. Microscopic observations confirm that through-bond fractures relate to internal discontinuities, interface failures reflect insufficient interfacial bonding, and mixed failures arise from the combined action of interior defects and interface weakening. DEM simulations further indicate that cementation size mainly affects peak force through changes in the effective load-transfer area, whereas the failure path depends on the relative tensile capacities of the interface and the interior. As a result, size influences failure mode indirectly by modifying how weak zones are spatially expressed. Analyses of crack evolution, energy release, and force-chain collapse all show behavior characteristic of tensile-dominated fracture. This work clarifies the respective roles of geometric scaling and interface–interior strength contrast in the statistical evolution of failure modes and offers guidance for interface design and parameterization in numerical models for MICP-treated granular materials.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"21 8","pages":"4651 - 4674"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11440-026-02968-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149163168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stabilizing gas hydrate-bearing sediments via microbially induced carbonate precipitation: a pore-scale perspective","authors":"Jianyu Yang,&nbsp;Yuze Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11440-026-02994-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-026-02994-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) offers a promising approach for reinforcing gas hydrate-bearing sediments, owing to its low exothermicity, good injectability, fast reaction kinetics, and ability to maintain permeability after treatment. In this study, a high-pressure microfluidic platform was used to simulate in situ hydrate conditions and investigate how microbial mineralization affects hydrate stability. The spatial distribution, cementation modes, morphology, crystal types, and quantitative characteristics of calcium carbonate precipitates were analyzed, and their stability during hydrate dissociation induced by depressurization was also evaluated. Results showed that injection of microbial solutions led to localized hydrate dissolution, while subsequent mineralization triggered further decomposition. Although <i>Sporosarcina pasteurii</i> successfully precipitated calcium carbonate under gas hydrate-bearing sediments, the hydrate distribution significantly influenced the crystal deposition patterns. In addition to conventional cementation modes, new modes were observed, including particle-hydrate bridging, hydrate surface coating, and pore filling within hydrates. Spherical crystals of two distinct sizes were identified, both consisting of vaterite and calcite. Gas release during hydrate decomposition changed the fluid flow paths and temporarily reduced mineralization efficiency. However, mineralization efficiency improved with increasing injection frequency and cementation solution concentration. During depressurization at 0.02 MPa/s, 86.34% of the precipitated calcium carbonate remained attached, and gas–liquid migration was identified as the main factor controlling crystal detachment. These findings provide new insights into the coupled dynamics of MICP and hydrate systems, supporting the potential of MICP for mechanical stabilization of hydrate reservoirs during production.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"21 8","pages":"4627 - 4649"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149163010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physics-informed neural network for the simulation of turbulent jet grout flow","authors":"Rakam Lama Tamang,&nbsp;Yichuan Zhu,&nbsp;Joseph Coe","doi":"10.1007/s11440-026-02979-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-026-02979-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study presents a physics-informed neural network (PINN) framework to simulate axisymmetric submerged jet grout flow using high-fidelity data generated from ANSYS Fluent simulations. The CFD model solves the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with the <span>(k - varepsilon)</span> turbulence closure model, converted into axisymmetric form to reflect jet grouting. The PINN incorporates continuity, RANS equations, and turbulence closure equations into the loss function, enabling it to learn turbulent flow physics without requiring mesh generation. Separate neural networks were used for each flow variables—axial velocity (<span>(U)</span>), radial velocity (<span>(V)</span>), pressure (<span>(P)</span>), turbulent kinetic energy (<span>(k)</span>), and dissipation rate (<span>(varepsilon)</span>). The model was trained using a curriculum learning strategy to enhance stability and avoid gradient explosion and the predicted results closely matched the CFD outputs. This study demonstrates that PINNs can serve as efficient and accurate surrogate models for complex, high-gradient flow systems like jet grouting, offering a promising tool for understanding submerged jet flow behavior and reducing computational demands in geotechnical engineering.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"21 5","pages":"3001 - 3021"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11440-026-02979-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148292298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experimental study and mechanistic understanding of the characteristics of bentonite slurry infiltrating into unsaturated soil","authors":"Chenghao Zhang,&nbsp;Adam Bezuijen,&nbsp;Wan-Huan Zhou","doi":"10.1007/s11440-026-02975-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-026-02975-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A series of tests involving the infiltration of bentonite slurry into the unsaturated sand were performed by using a dedicated specifically developed apparatus. In these tests, the bentonite slurry was pressurized into a sand column which was placed on a digital recording balance, enabling real-time measurement of the infiltrated slurry. Sensors installed at specific positions along the sand column monitored changes in pore water pressures over time. Results show that rising the saturation of the sand column lowered the mud spurt rate to a minimum value at 60% saturation, followed by an increase in mud spurt rate for higher saturations. Analysis of the pore water pressure data reveals that the flow resistance within the slurry infiltrated zone and within the sand varied with saturation, influencing the mud spurt rate. The permeability of the filter cake formed did not change, but the time before the filter cake formation started (transition time) increased with the degree of saturation, reaching its maximum at 100% saturation. Compared to the drilling of a TBM in saturated soil, drilling in unsaturated soil would trigger much earlier filter cake formation, in the absence of or limited excess pore water pressure in front of the TBM and mitigating potential threats to the stability of the tunnel face.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"21 7","pages":"3927 - 3945"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148386085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The seismic response of composite caisson pile foundation (CCPF) in saturated soil under complex seismic history","authors":"Ying Liu,&nbsp;Shaoming Luo,&nbsp;Zhixiang Zhou,&nbsp;Zhen Huang,&nbsp;Yang Yi,&nbsp;Ben Liang,&nbsp;Guanting Li","doi":"10.1007/s11440-026-02982-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-026-02982-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Earthquake-induced liquefaction often leads to foundation failure, and post-earthquake aftershocks may lead to re-liquefaction of soils. In this study, two series of shaking table tests were performed to investigate the seismic responses of composite caisson pile foundation (CCPF) and caisson foundation (CF). Each series of tests involved seven shaking events with three different peak accelerations (PA) of 0.15g, 0.30g, and 0.50g. The excess pore water pressure and settlement of the sand, as well as the acceleration, settlement, and displacement of the foundation, were compared for each shaking event. The test results show that increasing soil compaction caused by repeated seismic events may increase the acceleration response of both the foundation and superstructure, even for the events of the same PA. In a strong earthquake scenario, the peak horizontal displacement of the CCPF superstructure is essentially the same as for the CF superstructure, and the post-earthquake deflection displacements and settlement of CCPF are about half that of CF. For seismic wave inputs with different PAs, there is a linear relationship between the relative compaction of soil and the settlement and deflection displacement of the foundation. The results indicate that the CCPF exhibits superior seismic performance compared to CF. However, the squat caissons (with a smaller height-to-width ratio, H/D) enhance the inertial forces and overall flexibility of the CCPF, which in turn amplifies the acceleration effect and exacerbates the shaking of the superstructure. Therefore, the influence of these inertial forces should be accounted for in the design and testing of caisson foundations, to ensure the stability of both the foundation and the superstructure.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"21 6","pages":"3585 - 3604"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148366057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Observed drained shear performance of rubber–sand mixtures under fixed principal stress orientations","authors":"Beibing Dai,&nbsp;Pengfei Liu,&nbsp;Haojie Zheng,&nbsp;Jun Yang","doi":"10.1007/s11440-026-02977-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-026-02977-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A number of hollow-cylinder torsional shear tests were done in the drained condition to investigate the strength and deformation behaviour of rubber–sand mixtures (RSMs) at various major principal stress orientations (<i>α</i>_<i>σ</i> = 0°~90°). The test results indicate that the addition of rubber particles makes the shear strength of granular soils reduce and the volumetric contraction increase, with the minimum shear strength and maximum volumetric strain occurring around <i>α</i>_<i>σ</i> = 45°~75° for RSMs. The stress–dilatancy relationship can be described by a linear function for pure sand and a cubic function for RSMs, which is revealed to be also dependent on the major principal stress orientation <i>α</i>_<i>σ</i>. The phenomenon of stress–strain non-coaxiality is observed for both pure sand and RSMs at <i>α</i>_<i>σ</i> = 15°, 30°, 60°, and 75°, and the strength envelope takes on an asymmetric semicircular shape in the deviatoric stress plane. The occurrence of the minimum shear strength at <i>α</i>_<i>σ</i> = 45°~75° is correlated with a relatively small orientation difference between the mobilized shear plane and the bedding plane at <i>α</i>_<i>σ</i> = 45°~75°; a small orientation discrepancy between these two planes makes particles easily slide and experience a less marked interlocking effect along the shear failure plane. Furthermore, the stress–strain non-coaxiality is clarified from a theoretical perspective, through an analysis of plastic strain increment development based on the strain Mohr circle and conceptual model.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"21 8","pages":"4607 - 4625"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149163045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing soil deformation resistance in root-reinforced soils: quantitative analysis of root distribution patterns under cyclic traffic loading","authors":"Shumin Lyu,&nbsp;Jun Li,&nbsp;Liqiang Lu,&nbsp;Xiaodong Ji,&nbsp;Shusen Liu,&nbsp;Liqun Lyu","doi":"10.1007/s11440-026-02978-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-026-02978-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ecological engineering measures are widely adopted to reinforce soil, mitigating erosion, landslides, and other geological hazards, while also preventing engineering failures, such as slope collapses and road embankment instability. Previous studies have demonstrated that plant roots significantly enhance soil strength and play a critical role in soil stabilization. This study aims to investigate the dynamic response of root-reinforced soil induced by traffic loading through dynamic triaxial tests. The experiments employ typical slope protection plants (<i>Pyracantha fortuneana L.</i>) and loess from northern China. The experimental design quantifies the contribution of root distribution patterns to soil reinforcement by manipulating vertical and horizontal root ratios in orthogonal patterns. The proportion of vertical roots in total root mass is controlled at 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, and 0%. Root presence significantly enhances both liquefaction resistance and deformation resistance, with a strong correlation observed between reinforcement effects and vertical-to-horizontal root ratios. Among these ratios, the arrangement with 25% vertical root mass exhibits optimal resistance against liquefaction and deformation, showing a reduction in maximum elastic strain by up to 50.26% and plastic cumulative deformation by over 100% compared with the 100% vertical root configuration. This demonstrates that an appropriate balance between vertical and horizontal roots effectively enhances soil stability under cyclic loading conditions. Furthermore, dynamic constitutive and cumulative plastic deformation models were developed specifically for root-reinforced soil by introducing an exponential coefficient <i>C</i>, related to the vertical-to-horizontal root ratio <i>P</i>, based on the Hardin-Drnevich model. These findings highlight the existence of an optimal root distribution pattern that governs both the liquefaction resistance and dynamic behavior of root-reinforced soil.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"21 7","pages":"4373 - 4396"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148386057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shear band analysis based on a strain-gradient hypoplastic model","authors":"Xuan Kang,&nbsp;Wei Wu,&nbsp;Ivan Zaboev,&nbsp;Xiaogang Guo","doi":"10.1007/s11440-026-02956-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-026-02956-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Localized deformation is commonly observed in granular materials, yet it remains significant challenges for constitutive modeling and numerical simulation. This study extends a hypoplastic model for shear band analysis in granular materials by incorporating a second-order gradient of the strain rate into its nonlinear tensorial function. The extended model keeps the conciseness of hypoplastic framework while introducing a length scale to capture the finite shear band thickness in the post-localization regime. This leads to improvements over the original non-gradient model in shear band analysis. Numerical simulations of simple shear tests demonstrate the model’s capability to reproduce finite-thickness shear bands in granular materials with inhomogeneous initial void ratio distributions. Compared to the existing gradient models, the extended model shows superior performance in analyzing realistic shear band problems with rotation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"21 6","pages":"3411 - 3424"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11440-026-02956-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148366097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Momentum-based criteria for initiating unbounded sand fluidization induced by pipeline leakage","authors":"Cungang Lin,&nbsp;Dingwei Li,&nbsp;Junjie Zheng,&nbsp;Jim Shiau,&nbsp;Cheng Peng","doi":"10.1007/s11440-026-02941-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-026-02941-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Water pipeline leakage can trigger sand fluidization and ultimately lead to ground collapse. Prior research has largely focused on continuously graded sands under saturated conditions, overlooking gap-graded soils and unsaturated scenarios. Existing analytical models typically assume bounded fluidization domains, which do not capture the unconfined characteristics of leakage-induced flow. This study presents a momentum-based analytical solution for estimating the minimum flow rate required to initiate unbounded sand fluidization due to pipeline leakage. The formulation accounts for both continuously and gap-graded sands under different water levels. Key parameters include sand particle size, soil cover depth, water level, and leakage orifice width. The solution is validated through model tests. Results show that the initiation flow rate increases with larger particle size, greater cover depth, and lower water levels, while leakage orifice size has minimal influence. Additionally, increasing the horizontal-to-vertical seepage velocity ratio significantly raises the initiation threshold for coarser sands (2 ~ 5 mm), with a lesser effect on finer sands (0.5 ~ 1 mm).</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"21 6","pages":"3443 - 3455"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148366101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}